Sanding between color & Clear??

[WNAB911]

I am trying to paint some body kit pieces that I have been acquiring from different sources. I stripped them down and got a nice coat of flexible primer on them, and have put on the first layer of color. Do I need to sand between the color layers? and then do I need to sand before clear coating them? (I know I need to wet sand, polish and wax them after they are clear coated. I just want to get the next step right!)

Thanks!

[FineExampl]

Jim, i'm going through this right now. Check out my exterior painting thread for some more detail as to how i did it. I sanded in between every other coat or when it "needed it". I allowed 2hrs between coats which left the surface pretty dry and pretty sandable. That and a microfiber cloth to pick up the dust.

I would look at it and feel it between coats. Once you have enough clearcoat you're going to want to went sand with SUPERfine grit wetpaper before compounding anyway.

Any specific questions, ask away.

[WNAB911]

Read your whole thread. A lot of good info there! I will sand in between coats just to keep it smooth. If I can get my camera to work I'll try to post some pics of my progress!

[FineExampl]

Just go slow. It's not something you can rush if you want it to look good. I can't wait before we can each show off the work. I'm proud that i'm able to take on the job myself. When it's done and looks awesome it will all be worth it.

[WNAB911]

My goal is to have everything done by waterfest in July.

Air Splitters
Side Pods
Lowering Springs
Strut Tower Bar
Rims
Brakes
Cold Air Kit

[dragonplayboy]

I've done it both ways, and I reccommend not sanding between color and clear, especially for a metallic paint.

and don't wax anything for a month. you can polish, but not wax.

[FineExampl]

Can you recommend a polish or two? I'll add it to my thread when i try it. I'll be polishing in no time.

[WNAB911]

I ran out of Color, so now I have to wait another week!

[FineExampl]

Doh!

[WNAB911]

You said it! Will the clear coat make the color darker? My instructions said it will (I am hoping! The parts look a little light right now.)

[dragonplayboy]

I've had a good experience on everything I paint by using the following method:

800 grit wetsand whatever it is, clean and dry it well.

two or three light to medium coats of primer, use dark primer for dark colors, light for light.

let dry for at least a few hours, wetsand with 1000 or 1500 grit, clean and let dry overnight would be best.

apply 2-4 even medium coats of the base color, in the manufacturer's reccommended intervals (30 minutes, 1 hour, whatever)

wait an hour, apply at least 3-4 coats of clear at reccommended intervals (will be written on spray can)

let dry for 5-7 days (I know this part sucks but clear coat has a helluva cure time)

wetsand with 2000 or 2500 grit sandpaper until the topcoat is even and smooth

Polish (preferrably with a buffer) with polishing compound so the paint becomes even smoother a couple of times

Then use a paint cleaner such as the step 1 of the 3 step meguiars clean-polish-wax system with the buffer, a few times

then use the paint polish such as the step 2 from the 3 step meguiars system.

then install it, and a month later you can wax it if you'd like.

This seems involved, and it is, but if you want a mirror finish that's what you've got to do. if you just want it to look nice, skip all the clearcoat sanding and polishing and such.

[WNAB911]

So far what I have done is as follows:

Wash and dry all parts

800 grit wetsand all parts

Wash again and clean with degreaser

4 light coats of light gray primer

let dry for 24 hours after final coat, wetsand with 1000 grit

Wash again and let dry overnight

applied 3 light coats of the base color, in 24 hour intervals (Which has not covered! Still have primer showing through!)

Now I am stuck because I ran out of color!

[FineExampl]

FYI.... DO NOT sand prior to clearcoating if you can help it. Learned the hard way. Luckily no real harm done.

[dragonplayboy]

It's definitely better to have too much paint than too little.

[angelusnhc]

ok my question is. the person who painted my stuff sanded like crazy and scrachted the mess out of the peaces and painted over it. so you see the scratches. i wet sanded the clear coat and its smooth and shiny now. now can i apply another coat of paint on the clear coat then clear coat it again to cover up the scratches? also can i just apply more clear to some peaces that i already polished and wet sanded?

[FineExampl]

You seem to be on a good track angel. I can't see how any of that would be harmful.

[angelusnhc]

i just want this to be verified as a good thing first. bc the peaces that are good are amazing so im assuming clearing again and sanding will make them even better. im just worried about painting over the clear coat. so can anyone tell me if i paint over the clear coat will it mess it up any at all?

[dragonplayboy]

Woah Woah Woah
Abort, Do Not Paint Over Clear Coat

[dragonplayboy]

if the clear coat has cured for a week minimum, you could probably prime it and then paint over that, but i've had some really annoying problems painting over clear, it wrinkles and looks awful. your best bet is to add more clear on the clear (if it's been at least a week) after wetsanding it with 2000 grit, or if more paint is needed, sand down to the primer and start over.

[angelusnhc]

the paint has been cured for about a month. so adding primer then paint will be fine currect.