There are differing opinions on "flowcoating", that is, sanding and spraying another coat(s) of clear to cut down on cutting and buffing. Personally I like the technique and use it whenever possible. This 40 has three coats of HOK USC01 clear on it as it sits in the photos...this is just as it was shot out of the gun. I will completely block sand the body with 800 grit and shoot another 3 coats of clear over it. Here is why I like this...I shoot in my home garage, not a professional spray booth, so there is some amount of crap that gets into the paint. This job was done when it was fairly warm and I actually got a few drops of sweat that fell into the paint as well. Even if it were done in a booth there are always some nibs and whatnot that need to be sanded/buffed out. When I make the clear coating a 2-step process it gives me a break between the clear coats to clean up the surface and to assess any other oversights that I may have missed. I am also able to block out the edges of the body to ensure that the body lines remain sharp...I hate to see paint jobs that have "rolled" edges and body lines. That said, even after a second pass at the clear coat I will still color sand and buff...I don't like orange peal so I am willing to spend the effort. Flowcoating will give you a smoother finish and it will make the colorsanding process easier, so either way you are ahead.

 

Yeah I always thin out my last pass with clear but still end up with some orange peel (i think everyone does). I shoot in my garage too and always end up with some trash in the clear no matter how much i prep the area. As I am sure you know once you sand and buff it out the dirt/bug/whatever is gone or not noticeable.

 

What kind of time for drying or is it hard

 

i am still myself for selling my 40 ford coupe, i was given $16,000 more than i paid for it some banker wanted it for his collection,i still miss it

 

Wow!!! Sweet I would love to have one! Congrats!!!.......as a matter of fact I would love to have a lot of old cars and trucks

 

The USC01 is dry to the touch in about an hour...you could still press a fingerprint into it at that time, but it is impervious to dust and bugs by that point. I usually wait a couple of hours and then roll it our into the sun to bake for awhile. The warmer and drier the air, the faster the gas-out/dry time. The next day the finish is ready to colorsand or recoat, but I usually wait at least 48 hours to give the paint time to more fully cure. With this car it will sit until sometime after the 20th before I sand and recoat just because I have other things going on now.

 

Thanks Charlie it is a beautiful car

 

Doing some reminiscing Chuck. Car was beautiful then and even more so today. Gonna be a nice cruiser when you are done. Maybe I can call Shotgun for a ride down I-65 to the ALABAMA state line and back to Middle Tennessee

 

You got it Donald! Maybe I can get the 56 sheetmetal out to Mike for paint this winter and free up some space in the garage to get the 40 finished up.

 

Sounds good. She's a beauty and setup real nice.

 

That's looking great Chuck! I'm still waiting on my truck...I'm starting to think I should take it to a different shop at this point...