2.1 Production Clear

[TurboTx]

So we had a few doubler skins to install, stripes to match, as well as painting on new "N" numbers. In order to factory match the entire area, I laid down SW Jetglo SS for the white, and DuPont chromabase for the yellow and blue. My plan was to clear the whole area at one time and get off of it.

Well... The paint job was now done and other than weather issues bringing severe humidity early on, everything went according to plan..until the owner wanted me to pile on more clear as I was cleaning my gun out. I explained that I had shot two coats back to back and wasn't willing to risk the paint job with more clear. This caused a bit of a confrontation and he demanded that another employee mix up a cup and get 2 more coats of clear on it. As you can imagine, the entire panel was riddled with solvent pop immediately. I was SICK..

After I was finally sure my head wasn't going to explode, I called Barry. I wanted to get some insight from him since the product had now been used in a way it was never intended. I explained the conditions, temp, and the fact that I had used fast activator to avoid dust as we're painting in a filthy hangar. Knowing that my paint job was applied over several hundred rivet heads, he told me "It's going to be a lot of work, but you need to sand back to your original second coat!"

Needless to say, I'm hooked for life. Where else can you get clear, reassuring advise directly from the manufacturer? I was able to fix the disaster and make it look like it never happened! Here are the results after a full day of sanding and one FAST, WET coat of the production clear:
Sorry I had to block the "N" number

 

[TurboTx]

Here's a shot after unmasking. The color matches much better than what this picture shows, the tail of the aircraft narrows beginning at the seam behind the last "square" window. The rear section is a straight taper so the light hits it at a different angle. I can get some gloss shots out in the sun soon.

 

[Barry]

I remember the call and what happen from memory was grounds for murder and I know you went through a lot of work but it really looks great!

 

[shine]

i would have washed my hands of it the minute the customer took control.

 

[TurboTx]

i would have washed my hands of it the minute the customer took control.

Yeah it was a really tough day for me because the same guy owns the company I work for. I don't actually paint for a living, I'm just self taught and do what I need when I have to. Lesson learned, I suppose.

Here are a couple pics of the same clear over Rustoleum aerosol wheel paint. I helped a guy do a total repaint on his cruiser and it turned our amazing using nothing but aerosol paints for the base coats. He did all of his own body work, primer, and most of the aerosol "base" coats. You can actually get the metallic to stand up well by doing several VERY LIGHT mists of the aerosol after you have complete coverage, let it sit a day and hit it with clear. I realize that this isn't the way most people would want to paint their project but it was a good way for a guy that's got no equipment (but a buddy who does) to get a great looking paint job on the cheap. The photos show no cutting/buffing, you can see a very slight amount of peel more toward the front tip. This was actually my first part shot with the production clear so I was a little timid. The more I shoot, the better it gets. Sorry for all my crappy cell phone pics!

 

[crashtech]

So, who did the owner blame for the ensuing debacle and subsequent redo? And will he back the f**k off next time? I know it's off topic, but I have to ask.

 

[TurboTx]

So, who did the owner blame for the ensuing debacle and subsequent redo? And will he back the f**k off next time? I know it's off topic, but I have to ask.

Haha, he blamed me 100%. Said that I chose the wrong hardener, I explained that I am fully capable of keeping the 75* hardener wet enough to produce a quality job at 82*. In addition to wanting my clear to flash quickly to avoid dust because the place is filthy, I chose that hardener because it was all vertical surface with rivet heads and I knew I could blast it on, back to back, and have no issues. I told him that the solvent pop was a product of letting it flash for so long and piling so much more on top of the finished work. He says I'm wrong. It's funny that after TONS of extra sanding & prep I shot it exactly the same way as the first time and it came out perfect. I've learned that there are people amongst us who are always right (with zero experience) and there's no pleasing them. So in case you're wondering, we did agree that I will never paint anything for him again. I know I'm VERY far from being the best but I also know how to get a factory looking job with little to no visible dust/debris in one of these hangars.

 

[crashtech]

It's stories like that which have kept me in business for myself. I can choose whether to take s**t from a customer or not, and I'll be darned if they ever tell me how I'm gonna do something. !@#$ like that ticks me off so bad! :mad-new: