Auto body repair & detailing: painting, coat paint, stage color

Question
I have a new hood for my pick-up. I have tried to can spray it and found that does not work on large areas. I have a compressor and gun now. When I shot the part I ended up with ALOT of runs. How do I make it smooth?  

Answer
Hello, and thank you for your question! Is it base coat/clear coat paint, or single stage? (color only) If it is a single stage, is it a metallic color? If it is metallic single stage, rus will have to be sanded out, and the hood refinished. Anyhow, run removal is tricky, and if they are really horrible, you may be farther ahead stripping the hood with a commercial stripper. Even if you get the runs out, you may have to repaint the hood. Sometimes even I have to repaint a panel that has a nasty run. Now, if you strip it, Be sure to get fiberglass friendly stripper if it's a fiberglass hood. Take my advice- strip the hood, and start over. I know, it's a real bummer, but trust me, you will never be happy with the finished product. (if you just try to sand and buff the runs out.) It takes years of practice to hone those skills, it requires special tools and equipment, and I can't teach you how to do it in an email. When you get ready to paint, email me again, and I'll get you thru it. Hope this helps. Bill