help!! Enamel vs Clearcoat
 

all of the paint forums seem to be geared to basecoat clearcoat what about just using enamel, the extreme summers here seem to be rough on clear coats. the older trucks painted with enamel seem to hold up better. how do you prep and paint with enamel

<cr>
Enamel lasting better than clearcoat? Never heard of such a thing.

Actually, the prep and painting is the same with both products. There is just one step less with enamel. You don't have to spray on the clear.

Last time I painted for a living(72)
I assume this clear coating is doable at home
whats the difference between this clearcoat and the clear I used to put over metalflake.
Where can I get a good read up on this, or should us old farts just stick to laquer and enamel

<cr>
Sure clearcoat is doable at home but there are hazards associate with the modern clearcoats. Besides the normal solvent issues, you have to be concerned with isocyanates. Isocyanates are not something you want to be breathing. If fact, it was an isocyanate compound (Methyl Diisocyanate if I remember correctly) that killed off about 3000 people in India a few years ago, when a factory developed a leak.

Isocyanates are actually found in the hardener, added to acrylic enamels and clearcoat. If produces a very hard finish, provides gloss, and makes for a quick drying paint. Moisture (water) in the air causes it to set off faster. By the way, for you POR15 users, there is isocyanates in the paint. That is why POOR15 paint sets up in the can, after you open the can. I'm guessing, that is one of reasons POR15 p-sheets say not to spray the product. Spraying would put large quantities of isocyanate in the air and by OSHA rules (in a commercial work place anyway), you would be required to use a fresh air respirator.

I have no idea where you can get a book on the subject. My knowledge comes from hours of research on the Internet and from talking to reps.

So if I am doing this at home, in a open driveway which would be better enamel or clear coat, As far as better i see almost all of the trucks around here with patches of white where the clear coat has started to sluff off especially on hoods and cabs, my 1976 ford with buckskin enamel still looks good( high auto shop painted in 1980)

Aekisu has given you excellent info already, I'll just add my 2 cents. Enamel is old technology , the urethanes today are easier to put on and easier to repair. Lacquer is hard to find, and I think banned in some states. I have always liked the old enamel paint jobs, my 79 Ford p/u still had the factory enamel on it , still in fair shape , but had fallen to the shortcomings of the old enamels, the attack of the UV rays. The only way to get the shine back on the old enamels once the oxidation starts, is to compound the paint out, wax it, and that shine soon leaves and re-oxidises. The sun is the enemy of enamels because the enamel paint has little, if any UV protection built in to it. The urethane clearcoat ( yes, iso's again) provides the shine and gives the UV protection for the urethanes basecoats.....

When one sees clearcoat failures as you mentioned, it is usually the result of apllication error by the painter, or the use of a very poor quality product. ( a lot of factory paint jobs had failed , back when urethanes first came out, but the vehicle manufacturers have that problem solved now). Clearcoat failure can be caused by not using the right reducer, improper mixing , laying on too thick off coats, , not applying the clear in the chemical adhesion "window", applying too many coats, not allowing enough "flash " time between coats causing "dieback" , the white look caused from trapped solvents, and sanding the clear too thin in the "colorsanding" process. ...

Enamels, on the other hand, if kept washed and waxed on a regular basis and garaged often, can hold up for MANY years. The application of enamels is a little trickier, because as you spray, what you see on the metal is what you get . Dry spots ,runs , orange peel etc. If one uses a hardener in the enamel ( iso's again !) they will have better luck getting defects repaired by sanding and reshooting repairs without having to wait a month for the enamel to harden up because it was applied with no hardener in it .. .

I struggled with the enamel vs. urethane back 4 years ago ,when I was restoring my truck (almost done with it now :) ) . I did not like the "plastic coat" look of the clearcoat finish and felt it would not "fit" the look for my 79 Ford , which had enamel on it from the factory. After hanging out on line at a couple of really cool auto paint forums, I was finally convinced that basecoat / clearcoat was the way to go for longevity. Besides, I have no intentions of entering it in to shows, where losing the originality of the factory paint / colors, would lose scoring points. So, I learned to paint off of the internet , and painted it myself , and wow, what a learning curve, and a hard and expensive experience, but worth it after it is all done ! Good luck on your decision , All jmo

I'll add my $.02. Having just finished painting my '89 with Metallic Enamel (in an old drafty pole barn), if I had an opportunity to do it again, I'd go with basecoat/clear coat.

Check the results in my gallery. https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...&albumid=13107

The ability to sand out imperfections before shooting the clear and then being able to polish the clear would far out weigh the additional costs of a 2 part paint system. Good luck!

polish the clearcoat??????????
I tried my finest compound on my 97, and it looked like wet sanded 1000. How does one polish/rubout clearcoat???????????
Same compound works fone on laquar.

Here's some interesting painting tips:
Painting Q&A
In my opinion, acrylic enamels have also been improved over the years, and they still have their place. They need to be polished and maintained, but clear/base does too, or the clear will dull.

During the flashing process, the clear portion of acrylic enamel tends to rise to the surface, giving a "sort of" clear coat.

most of the flaking ans peeling you see on clear coat vehicles is because the paint was applied wrong or the prep wasnt done right. clear coat has its advantages like being able to buff out minor scratches. plus its easier to maintain.