shep28

iTrader: (4)

Last summer, I decided to paint one of my beaters. I went through the whole process: sanding, filling, sanding, primer/sealer, paint, etc. The car looks great. Very happy.

I tested spraying clear on an old door and noticed that it was much more difficult to spray the clear than the paint. I sprayed and waited 20mins before spraying the next coat. I got a run or two and the clear dried cloudy in a few places.

The clear that I used did not say anything about adding reducer. Is this right??

How many coats does it take to cover most minor surface imperfections and dry totally smooth?

Should you use a different(type) gun to spray clear? Should the mixture be heavier? wetter?

I read that clear should not be sprayed in direct sunlight. I sprayed in warm weather/low humidity.

How long shoukld you wait before compounding/wet sanding if that is even necessary? I have seen some shops not even do this after spraying clear.

Again, I am doing this on a beater. I don't expect a show car finish, although my base coat looks very good.

My neighbors sat watching me paint last summer and joked about how poor the finish would turn out. They gave compliments after they saw the base coat after it had dried.

I plan on spraying the clear in the late spring. I am in the planning stages.

BADFNZ-383

iTrader: (41)

well no.1, if you havent cleared the car yet, and you only have basecoat on the car right now, then you have to sand that basecoat. then apply another coat of color before you clear it. you usually cant wait more than 24 hours after your last coat, before you start to clear. no.2, what products are you using. who makes the clear? what kind of spray gun are you using. what size tip is on the spray gun,ex. 1.3,1.4,1.5, etc. i know of no clear that does not need reducer. every clear i have ever used, is way to thick to not have a reducer. do not spray in direct sunlight. the clear will die back on you. also, you shoulnt be trying to hide surface imperfections with clear, because it wont hide much. you can hide some minor scratches with basecoat, if it is applied correctly. where as your not spraying thisin a heated spray booth, you should probably wait at least 4-5 days before wet sanding. but again, that depends on the quality of the productyour using. remember, spraying clear is not as easy as it looks. you need practice before you get real good at it. its a skill. hopefully this helps. i can help you more if you answer the questions i asked

shep28

iTrader: (4)

[QUOTE=griffz28350]well no.1, if you havent cleared the car yet, and you only have basecoat on the car right now, then you have to sand that basecoat. then apply another coat of color before you clear it. you usually cant wait more than 24 hours after your last coat, before you start to clear. no.2, what products are you using.

who makes the clear?
nasan select clear 496

what kind of spray gun are you using.
very cheap brand. a utility gun I purchased for $40- bottom feeder
looks like the fifth one on this page-
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...324&pricetype=

what size tip is on the spray gun,ex. 1.3,1.4,1.5, etc.
have no idea. which tip works best for clear? base coat?

I know these answers will not help you help me. I would like to purchase another gun. What do you recommend that will not break the bank? a multi use gun. Do any on the above web site look like they would work well?

BADFNZ-383

iTrader: (41)

all depnds on how much you want to spend. there are a million spray gun companys out there, so its hard to say. i have 2 SATA guns, which are the best out there, but it will set you back around 500 bucks a piece, so obviously thats more than you want to spend, where as your not making painting your profession. i think that if you go to sears and look at craftsman guns, they would probably spray better than what your using now. and theyre not too expensive at all. if you want to spen a little more than that you should look at Sharpe, which is a good gun for the price. i use a 1.4 tip for clear, and my base, a 1.8 for primer and a 1.6 for sealer. but it kind of depends on the product your using too. if you contact nasan, they should be able to answer any questions about recommended tips, and also reducers for their clear.