If you skip the primer make sure that you don't have any body work spots or bare metal. You will need to prime if you have those. If the old finish is in decent shape you can sand it down and seal it. Use 400 grit to final sand before sealing but don't seal it until you are ready to do the whole job, and dont sand the sealer before applying the paint, it will bond chemically. Use automotive grade lacquer thinner to clean your gun and clean it after every use. If you can try not to use the same gun for priming/sealing and painting. Good luck.

 

ehhh unfortunately I've only got one gun. all of the bare metal areas have been primed now; and its just a waiting game before i can start to wetsand those areas then shoot the sealer then the real fun shall begin!

 

Ive had to use the same gun many times, just make sure you clean it out really good before you do your sealer then reclean before paint and reclean before clear. Don't seal it until you can do the whole job, depending on the sealer you only have so much time to apply the paint. If it goes beyond that time frame you have to scuff the sealer and reseal it again. Oh don't sand the car to seal it until you can actually do the whole job, if you sand primer the scratches in the primer will close up after 12-18 hours.You need these scratches for the sealer to bond otherwise your paint will peel off in sheets later on.

 

word. I'm about to go sand the couple of primer spots now. after that I'll clean off those areas, hit them with some wax/grease remover just in case, tack, then seal. Sound right? When you say I only have so much time, how much time do you mean exactly? The manager at the supply store told me to wait no longer than 6 or 7 hours to apply base once I put the seal on, but I'm probably only going to wait about 30-45 minutes... The can of sealer says it is ready to sand (if needed, but wont be needed ) after 15 minutes, so is it ready to be painted over after 15 minutes too??? I'll wait a little longer, or I plan to anyway...its going to take that long to coat the whole car anyway.

 

gah and heres another quick question... the technical manuals don't say, but what size tip should I use for the sealer? I assume the same size as the primer would be fine, so 1.5mm-1.8mm??? Thanks

 

45 minutes is fine but you have up to 6 hours. If it goes longer than that lightly scuff the sealer and put another coat on. Only sand it if you get trash in it but put another light coat over the sanded spot. 1.5-1.8 is fine the bigger the tip (1.8) the more material will come out. Thats a good tip for primer or sealer but if you have a 1.5 use it for the base and the 1.8 for the clear.It sounds like you've got it down. Don't panic is you run the sealer let it dry, sand the run out and put another light coat on.Same applies to the basecoat, if you run the clear let it dry at least over night use some really fine paper 1500-2000 sand the run out and buff. Good luck

 

GAH well the job is done I guess, paintwise that is.

It looked SO good with just the basecoat on; I kind of wish I went with a flat black look now... MMMM. but I did not. henceforth now I have a real crappy looking couple of layers of clear on it right now drying out catching all the dirt in the area. Its got all kinds of crap in that last coat of clear when I just went out to check it out; I'm assuming a lot of it will come out with the wetsand, along with the two or three small run spots, but if not I'm going to be depressed...my second shot at paint (if this one fails) will be with a flat black

I'll report back tomorrow after work and after sanding and buffing!!

 

Alright is it fine to go ahead and wetsand and buff the next day after putting the paint down? I did sealer, two black coats, then two clear coats.. I plan on using 1500 grit, then 2000 grit wetsanding, then a wool pad/polishing compound and then foam pad/finishing compound. Then should I use like the Carnuba wax or w/e its called? The last coat will have been 24 hours old by the time I can get home and start finishing it..

 

If you did it yesterday then it should've had plenty of time to harden, if you want to be absolutely sure stick out in the sun for a couple hours. Then once it's back inside and cooled off get one of your paint sticks and cut it in half, wrap 1500 around it and carefully sand down the runs making sure to keep it wet. What I like to do to keep everything wet is use a garden hose barely turned on and a wet microfiber towel, but you can take a plastic water bottle and drill a small hole in the cap and use that to keep everything wet. Then using the 1500 go around and get all the little pieces of trash in the clear along with any sags, follow this up with 2000 on a soft block sanding the entire car. Just be careful of any edges or body lines since this is where it's real thin and make sure to wipe the whole thing off. Then your ready for buffing (what you wrote sounds good) but do not use carnuba wax at this time. You want to use a glaze for your final step I usually do this part by hand. Never use carnuba wax a fresh paint job for at least a few weeks.