Clear over leaf?

mitch_04

Learnin'
Since most leaf materials are just bare metals, I'm imagining adhesion issues could be common.

What's the best procedure for getting clear to stick over various leafs such as gold, silver, copper, etc..?
 
i always do a light coat of activated adhesion promoter over the leaf before clear. clearcoat definitely doesnt adhere to leaf well without it. if i dont use promoter and i clear over then sand flat to maybe paint something else and i mask on it, the clear will pull right off the leaf when i pull the masking off. something else i have done which works really well is reduce some leaf size and spray a light coat over the leaf, let dry then clear over. basically use the size as adhesion promoter. that actually seems to have a better bond than regular promoter but i honestly havent done enough testing on that to confirm.
 
How much activator do you use in the adhesion promoter (Clearcoat Activator?)? Just a splash in the cup or so?
 
I might have to order some of that, I don't believe I have any 2K activator. Does the adhesion promoter have to stay only on the leaf, or is it ok if there is some overspray onto the SS Black? It'll be SS Black sanded with 600 grit, then I'm going to trace my logo, lay down some sizing, peel up the taped outline, lay down the gold, then adhesion promoter, then clear.
 
adpro is clear so just mist it over the leaf. if it goes on the black then thats fine. youll never see it
 
Well, I had a run of bad luck/stupidity. Got back from my 2 week military training, cleaned off the panel that I had leafed, and halfway through my first coat of clear I realized I had forgotten the adhesion promoter. I should have went through all my threads, knowing I would forget something after 2 weeks, I just got too excited to be back in my shop.

On top of that, I had a ton of mystery craters that I'm assuming is junk from the air line. I haven't had issues with this in my shop since I've been there. It's not dust because all my dust specs are always craters with a high dot in the center, these are just craters. I had my air lines empty when I left, so all of my coalescent filters should have drained, but apparently something settled inside the airlines or something. After my first coat, I took and sprayed air onto a white piece of paper and had no moisture coming out. My next coats seemed not to have the crater issue, but there was so many already it would have been hard to see.

I guess I'll have a good longevity test of gold leaf under clear without adhesion promoter.... at least it's just a shop pickup that I'm practicing on, not a customer vehicle.

I'll post some pictures once I buff out the clear, it's baking outside right now.
 
Two weeks is enough time for a stubborn contaminant to get onto the incomplete panel. I don't suppose you could do a really thorough job without disturbing the leaf? It's probably not the air line.
 
The panel was single stage black, sanded with 600 grit, then wiped clean with 700 & 710. I laid down the masking tape, sprayed my leaf sizing, then (after 12 hours) applied my leaf. I let it set for the 2 weeks I was gone, then when I got back wiped it down again with 700 & 710. I let it set overnight, tacked it off in the morning, and sprayed.

I had a couple small pieces of metal with leaf on them that I tested the W&G remover on. I was able to wipe (lightly) without any issues. If I really rubbed on it, it would start to wear through the leaf.
 
So... just to add to the days events... I have it baking outside, went over to move it out of the way and a bird has shat on it 3 times....

Cleaned it up with some W&G remover, but I had to laugh at that one...
 
After light sanding
 

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well atleast it took you 2 weeks to forget the adpro. i clear the panel next day and forget lol. i have forgotten plenty of times. the panel will be ok as long as you dont sand the clear and mask over the leaf. thats what gets you into trouble. the tape will pull the clear off.
 
Well, I should be done masking now. Just finish the color sanding and buff it up. I'm going to let it bake in the sun for a few days, it has 5 coats of clear on it. Then go to 1000 and so on. It is sanded with 600 right now.
 
Got it all buffed up today. I'm not sure if it was the overcast day or if the clear just kills the gold's luster a bit, doesn't seem quite as bright. It looked good in my shop, looked good outside, but inside in the dark & using a flashlight I see a bunch of swirls.... weird...

Either way, here are some pics
20170719_160229.jpg
20170719_160235.jpg
20170719_160257.jpg
 
Before anyone asks... it is about to hail and I drove the vehicle in the dark shop but had to see it one more time, used a flashlight and that's when I noticed the swirls.
 
Thanks Jim! I need to just not look at projects for a week or 2 after I finish, then I forget the small things. I'm going to order some different cutting compound, I've been using Wizards and I think I'd like a more aggressive one. It seems like it takes 2-3 cut sessions before I get rid of everything with wool @ 1800 RPM & medium pressure. Even after, I could see the swirls with that flashlight so I'm sure there was still some left. I'm going to eventually try some of the pads that are recommended in the different topics, but it's just handy to use Wizard or 3M products since that is what our business carries.

I do like working with black, it gives very good feedback! Plus, if I can't see swirls out in the sun, I can't be too far off. The Wizard rep is going to swing through next month and give me a runthrough of their products and how to use their DA polisher. I have a Dewalt Rotary and Wizard long throw DA.
 
i used their compound before. they sent me a sample. for the little i tried it, it was ok. not sure if it has any fillers in it causing scratches to come back or not but it seemed to cut about the same speed as the 3m perfect-it. give the sonax stuff a try. so far without going old school gritty compound, that stuff seems the most aggressive and leaves a nice gloss with little polishing needed. best i have tried to date.
 
What weirds me out is that they have a polish that they recommend for all stages. Cutting, polishing, etc... just switch pads. I've used that (Mystic Cut) and their Cutting & Polishing individuals, seems about the same. I'll have to keep an eye on it for sanding scratches to come back.
 
mystic cut i think is the stuff i was using. was extremely similar to 3m perfect it compound.
 
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