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polishing a clear coat


Paul S
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I am refinishing a body. My first attempt and a rather steep learning curve.

Hoping for a visible wood grain finish with a soft satin sheen I used [url="http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=113789&Trail=searchtext%3EEBONY&c_1=1|category_root|Decorating|16849219"]Sadolin one coat woodstain[/url]. The result was not quite what I intended - it has coloured the wood ok and the grain is just visible but the finish was crap. So I sprayed it with several coats of clear over the top. 3 cans in all of [url="http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=587002&Trail=searchtext%3ECLEAR+SPRAY"]Rust-Oleum crystal Clear[/url]. When I finally got around to reading the small print - after I had finished :) - it transpired that the clear is an enamel, rather than acrylic, finish. However nothing has cracked or bubbled alarmingly yet...

Anyway, the final push is approaching - I am leaving it for a few days to fully harden (this is best?). In between coats I sanded back any runs or errant hair/fluff as they happened and so ended up with a 'relatively' ok finish - not many huge imperfections but a mix of rough overspray, orange peel and a few shiny bits. To get it nice and shiny, is it best to cut it back with wet and dry first before T-Cut? If so what grade? I used P600 for the between coat sanding - is this fine enough? Or 1000 grade wire wool? Or just go straight in with T-Cut? My instinct (not always right) is to CAREFULLY cut it back with either wet/dry or wire wool to remove the worst of the orange peel and overspray and then use T-Cut for the rest.

Any tips gratefully accepted!

Ta.

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You should be using wet and dry from your first coat of non primer onwards.
By the time I'm at my final few coats of paint I'm at 1000 grade. Then by the clear coat I'm at 1200. The last coat is rubbed back with 1500 and buffed out with a cutting compound.

You should leave each coat to dry for as long as you can stand... unless the label states otherwise. Chances are that with this B&Q type stuff you are using, it will be the latter or within a stated time.

Don't forget curing time. There is a huge difference between curing time and drying time.

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Thanks. I need some finer wet/dry then :)

And, no, I don't know the difference between drying and curing....

quick edit - label says touch dry 20 mins, recoat between 20 mins and 1hr, fully hardened after 24hrs.

Edited by Paul S
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[quote name='Paul S' post='1357697' date='Aug 31 2011, 04:36 PM']Thanks. I need some finer wet/dry then :)

And, no, I don't know the difference between drying and curing....

quick edit - label says touch dry 20 mins, recoat between 20 mins and 1hr, fully hardened after 24hrs.[/quote]
You see where it says "fully hardened after 24hrs"..... that's a lie.
If you start strapping your hardware to it the next day, it will sink into your hard work leaving indentations and raised bits where it comes up around the outside. Curing time is the time it takes for this not to happen.
I can leave my work for up to 2 weeks after the final polish to cure fully.

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