need help with painting

[riotboi911]

ok ive FINALLY finished priming

(note to others: don't prime till its perfect)

and ive just put on the final coat of paint (spray kind).
the colour is very solid. im guessing some wet sanding should do it.

what do i use as a protective coat? poly? semi-poly? stuff like that. thx alot.

[Hambone]

Originally Posted by riotboi911

ok ive FINALLY finished priming

(note to others: don't prime till its perfect)

and ive just put on the final coat of paint (spray kind).
the colour is very solid. im guessing some wet sanding should do it.

what do i use as a protective coat? poly? semi-poly? stuff like that. thx alot.

The short answer is the clear version of what you put on as a color. That way you assure yourself complete compatibility between film types.

Here's a hint for spraying clear (or any spraybomb) - Always heat your can first.
WARNING - Aerosol cans in this description are NEVER heated over 100º - WARNING
By warming it up, you thin it out, and that gets a better mix with the solvent, more efficient spray and the droplets flow out together on the target suface better. You can really get a glassy finish if you get just the right amount of warm material on as a wet coat.

[riotboi911]

should i dry/wet sand after the first clear coat?

i find that just wet sanding is better? am i wrong?

how many coats if efficent?

should the last coat be very thin? cause the first one isn't all the great but im expecting a better finish once i wet sand it.
ive been to 3 different hardware shops and i can only find 600.grr

[Jim Ingraham]

i just finished painting my body last week and did the sanding and final buff this weekend so i can give you some tips. I sprayed nitro lacquer as a clear coat... i highly recommend it as coats dry fast and you can get many on in a a day. Also you dont have to get it perfectly shiny with the clear coat as the sanding process does that.
As to the sand paper, your going to have to find all the way up to 2000grit as it doesnt shine up till you get that fine. I had a hard time finding all the grits. I ended up finding all grits(400-2000) at PEP boys. then you just wet sand thru all the grits and buff it out at the end. good luck

[PasdaBeer]

from spraying cars ive learned this

First coat, lay it on mediumwet, in two passes

let it dry up real good, wetsand down untill all the orange peel is gone, use a few DROPS of dishsoap in water, will help float away particles better, and keep from any deep scratches

lay on about 4 coats in this way, then do your final wet sanding up to 2000

[riotboi911]

maybe i could get more accurate instructions.
this is the stage im at right now.

i just finished the first layer of clear coat wet sand 600grit.

its a pretty decent job.

im not too worried about a 'perfect' job cause its my first bass and there at loads of mistakes in the body. but from what i can tell the paint job is coming along nicely. is 2000grip really neccessary bcause it looks pretty good as is.

should i clear coat it once more and go out and buy a laquear spray?

will the laquear be the last step?

im eager to finish it, i thought after the clear coat it'd be done.

thx

edit: and can i have some general info/steps about buffing? ive never heard anything about buffing before.
wax? lol? turtle wax perhaps? before laquear? after?

[Hambone]

Since the instructions we've helped you with have been as detailed as we can make them given what you've told us, here's the best advice I can give now...

Go out and buy lacquer and spray it next just like you said.

If you put it over polyurethane, it might craze and bubble.
If you put it over enamel, it will craze and bubble.
If you put it over an acrylic enamel, it will craze and bubble.
If you put it over lacquer, you stand the best chance of it working well. But we don't yet know what type of paint you used in the first place because YOU HAVEN'T TOLD US!

It's a waste of our time to go on any further...

[riotboi911]

sorry
ive been using 'rust-oleum painters touch'
primer, paint, clear coat

[PasdaBeer]

once you put on clear coats, you dont use laquer....



once all your coats are on, i like 3m Imperial microfinishing compounds.

2 step liquid formula with a buffer,or alot of hand polishing, then a coat of a guitar polish ( wax and silicone free! )

[Hambone]

Originally Posted by riotboi911

sorry
ive been using 'rust-oleum painters touch'
primer, paint, clear coat

OK Now I know what your up against.

In my experience this type of paint really needs to cure hard before sanding. For some reason, these consumer style paints are designed to dry quick but the don't cure hard for quite awhile longer. It may be to do with the mixture of solvents and propellants and the need for something that won't thin the pool of possible consumers if it was misused.

For a good spray gloss clear that should work well with the Painters Touch try the Minwax Gloss Polyurethane Spray. It's in the silver can I think - the gold can is the satin - just check to make sure. This stuff is very easy to spray warm and makes a nice clearcoat without to much yellowing. I would be sure to test a small patch like in the neck pocket or something for compatibility before starting the big spraying. You don't want a glossy "krinkle" finish. If you got your paint at Home Depot, I know they carry this Minwax spray poly.