Hey guys, I've been MIA for a while but I'm finally getting around to finishing up a rebuild and have a question regarding clear coating. I'm going to spray a metallic color coat (Martin Senour Crossfire automotive) loaded into rattlecans, and then I'm planning on having a car guy shoot the clear at his shop. After reading up (I'm not worried about brand or paint compatibility), there seems to be a lot of advice that if the color coat is cured, you must scuff sand to ensure mechanical bond. But metallic finish shouldn't really be sanded because it kills the sparkle/shine. Also, the final metallic color coats should be somewhat dry to maximize the metallic effect, and in my experience, this leaves a rough-ish finish. I suspect that if this finish is fully cured and not sanded (and color and clear are compatible paints), it should provide adequate mechanical bond for the clear. Thoughts? Does anyone have any experience with rattlecan color and "real" shop-sprayed automotive clear?
(I'm not confident that I can spray the color and then get it to the shop and have them shoot the clear within the window for curing to provide a chemical bond.)
