Looks good Jim!

Keep up the good work.

 

Good job Jimmy. Thanks for sharing. Interesting use of your stud gun. How well did that work vs shrinking disk?

 

It actually worked ok, considering I did not have a shrinking tip that are available for some brands. I just held it flush against the metal for about 1 second (gets hot cherry red, real, real quick.) on the spots where the disc wasn't hot enough, then immediately hit it with air. I should add that I was using a small I think 6" disc, A 9" disc may have created more heat.

 

Hi there I hope everyone is having an enjoyable day . I have a couple basic questions in regards to my doing, some dent repair and and reshooting of some panels. #1=First I plan on using a quality degreaser, silicone remover on every thing. #2= In areas where I need to go to bare metal I plan on skim coat if warranted, followed by 2k epoxy primer ,then hb 2k primer, followed by Coates of the mod 2k top coat acrylic enamel that I used originaly . Then color sanding and buffing. #3-Where I could use some advice is the proper grit of paper to scuff on the un molested paint as I am going to repaint each panel in totality so that I can do some better color sanding and buffing. #4also what grit for the epoxy primer, the HB primer. I do remember the gritts for any color sanding. I had all this on my last (3rd) computer that crashed So if any one can help I would very much appreciate it.

 

#1 - this should have been done prior to grinding on the existing paint but if it didn't then any wax & grease "pre-paint" solvent will work. Just like Mr Miyaki, wipe on then wipe off...don't let the solvent dry before wiping off it just lets the debris resettle.
#2 - any 2K DTM primer is fine for priming over bare metal and sanded filler. If you have a gun with a 1.8 - 2.2 MM tip then you can spray the primer un-thinned for higher build. One part reducer will give you a thinner primer that is optimal for covering fine (320 grit) sanded filled areas. 2 parts reducer will give you a sealer that is great for coating the repaired area that will seal out scratches and any other problems that might arise when you spray your enamel.
#3 - if you are spraying a metallic top coat then you want to wet sand your surface with 600 - 800 grit. Solid colors can handle 400 grit sanding.


When I paint BC/CC on a panel that I wish to be perfect, I shoot the panel and then let the clear set/cure for a couple of days. Then I go back and wet sand the panel with 800 grit and a block to remove all dirt nibs and orange peel. Sometimes I use a DA with 1500 grit film but if I want the surface to be super glassy I use a hard block to ensure ALL the orange peel is gone. Once the clear is blocked at 800 I shoot a few "flow" coats of clear. The result is a very high gloss smooth finish that seldom needs color sanding. If I do colorsand I use 1500 grit Nikken paper (sold under Meguiars brand name) and Meguiars M-100 compound and a wool pad to buff. The M-100 is sweet because when it is first applied it cuts like crazy but as you work it the compound breaks down and cuts less and less. It's like having three compounds in one. Here is my 40, the paint is just the way it came out of the gun with no sanding/buffing...flow coating works great and saves a lot of time and miscues with buffing.

 

What a beautiful job on your car, it amazes me, but do know it took years of practice to be able to produce an end product like that . I also know I will never achieve those types of results in my life time. That said you painters have helped me so much over the years ,that I can actually see an improvement each time I attempt another project.
That was exactly the information I was looking for. I and can never thank you and the other painters here on the site enough, for sharing your knowledge so freely and inspiring me to press on. Another very sincere, and heart felt thank you to you all.

 

Here's another tip for you Jimmy...buy a garden sprayer like the one pictured. These are made to withstand most all chemicals so W&G remover will not phase them. Put your W&G remover (sometimes called Prep Sol) in the sprayer and when it comes time to clean a panel spray with one hand and wipe with the other. This saves a lot of time and works great. Another inside tip...when you have a panel completely worked and ready for paint, spray the panel with the W&G remover and take a look at the panel while it is wet. It only takes a light spray to wet the panel but while it is wet it looks just like it would if it had been painted. If there are any defects in the panel you will see them very easily. I can't tell you how many low spots and/or gentle bends in the surface of a panel I have found using this technique. Good luck!

 

10/4 Charlie, another good tip, thank you.

 

Just a quick up date. I finally worked out the high's and lows, on the nose. B4 skim coat & paints, I'm going to try my hand at some other repairs I was afraid to tackle on the first go round. I hope it turns out better and not worse LOL. We will see, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

Hi Guys just an update ,its been awhile. Well I finally was able to get some work done on my hood. Thanks to all the help I received from you all, I was able to work the metal back to it's original shape. Or a reasonable facsimile of its original shape anyway. Every time I thought I was there, I tried to get it just a little better, I did this repeatedly until I stopped making any further advances, then skim coat and epoxy primer for now. There are a few other dings and dents on the hood, that I want to see if I can improve, then scuff and reshoot the whole hood. It felt good to actually get something accomplished.

 

Alright jimmy I'm so glad your out working on the truck again

 

You have done some real nice work there and I think you should give yourself a lot of credit because you are a good mechanic, one with the patience to accomplish things

 

It finally, (barely), cooled off enough for some HB primer, started setting up in gun real quick . Anyway I'm ready for blocking and possibly a touch of glaze b4 Color. Boy it feels good to get my hands dirty again. I hope you all had a good day as well.

 

Do you do anything different (ie. thin) for the few "flow coats" of clear?
You use HOK, correct?

 

No bc/cc, this is just a single stage urethane enamel with hardener/ activator, and reducer, and no HOK. The brand was'/ is just Lusid Tech's North Star line. When I painted the truck 5 years ago, it was my very first attempt at body and paint of any sort, so I just bought the color I liked at my local auto paint supply store and kept my fingers crossed. With a lot of very generous help from the very guys here on FTE I fumbled my way thru the process, followed by color sanding using, Mguires 800, 1k, 2k,& 3k paper, then polished using 3M's 1,2,3,polishing products to what you see today. After I ran the truck into my work bench I decided I would not only try my hand at metal bumping on the hood, plus scuff and reshoot some tiger stripes I left on my drivers door, plus a another ding or two. Any way that is the story of my first paint job, and I guess this repair could actually count as a second attempt LOL. Any how I'm having fun learning as I go with the help of Charlieled, Tin Man and several others that I just cant remember at the moment. But the professional painters hear on FTE are great guys, that are always eager to help out another member. Thanks for your interest in my latest Paint adventure.