Ford code RR ruby red experience appreciated

And just to refresh my past post, All my products have been entirely SPI up to now. My end goal is using a good ( and open to suggestions for sure) Ford code RR ruby red paint, realizing the challenges it appears I have. Thanks again.
 
RonnieH said:
And just to refresh my past post, All my products have been entirely SPI up to now. My end goal is using a good ( and open to suggestions for sure) Ford code RR ruby red paint, realizing the challenges it appears I have. Thanks again.
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In some paint lines you will find the RR color mixed as regular basecoat/clearcoat without being tri-stage. I painted a Ford F-150 for a friend of mine with Cromax EZ with such formula and it was blendable. I have no clue how much vibrancy your would loose compared to a tri-stage formula though.
 
RonnieH said:
Looking for a little updated advice again please. Okay at this point I have all my body parts individually in very good condition and ready for final blocking or wet sanding prior to base coat. My question is that the body shell and a couple fenders and doors are sitting in 2k primer. All of my parts were taken from bare metal, some replaced welded panels, etc.,and covered with two coats of epoxy primer, blocked, and recoated with epoxy again due to some bare metal surfacing again. So after all the skimming and body work and epoxy and 2K primer procedures, I now have some parts sitting in final coats of epoxy over 2K and some sitting in final coats of 2K over epoxy.... Is this acceptable to move on as is towards one more final blocking and then base coat, or should I re coat either group in order to have everything match ? Thanks again for all your previous help..
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You should apply reduced epoxy as a sealer before basecoat per the tech sheet.

Dom
 
As Don said above, apply reduced epoxy as a sealer, if for no other reason than to get all your panels a uniform color. That would eliminate a big variable.
 
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Gotcha....So I assume that this sealer coat should be applied just prior to base coat because of the window the epoxy has for coming over it with base coat. Can I hold everything just as it is right now for a week or two as long as I scuff or sand it again just prior to sealing ?
Haven't I read that you can start the base coat relatively soon after the sealer ?
 
Tech page calls for base to be applied 2 hours after epoxy sealer, reduced 5-50%. I usually reduce 25-50%, depending on several factors. If I'm looking for coverage over something that is a completely different shade, or multiple shades, or has a couple small sand throughs to metal, I mix 25%. If I'm mainly looking for adhesion over a similar shade, I'll reduce 50% (1:1:1). The thinner it is mixed, the quicker it flashes, and the quicker you can safely base over it. Just a quick scuff with 600 or gray scotchbrite before sealer will be fine. Anything that sits that long, it is a good idea to clean with 700 before sanding, then clean again before sealer.
 
So would you preferably plan your day for shooting base / clear by shooting the sealer early the same day. or could you shoot the sealer the evening before ? You're saying the base should be applied 2 hours after sealer. Is that a firm window, or does it imply that the 2 hour window is minimum and would like 12 hours not be advisable ( or next morning). That all in the same day, scuffing everything, applying sealer coat on everything, after 2 hrs. scuffing everything and cleaning, shooting coats of base, shooting inter coats, and finally shooting clear coats, make a pretty long day for one person... Is that required and even doable? Or should I plan on bringing in help and make it all happen ? Sorry for all the repetitive questions, just like to get a firm game plan together.. Thanks again
 
I often spray epoxy the evening before, and have not noticed any adhesion loss from doing so. I tend to believe that letting the solvents out of the epoxy and giving it a little time to set improves things quite a bit. Especially in an uncontrolled environment where some scuffing might be called for during the process, say if a large piece of trash or a bug enters the picture, hitting into soft epoxy can cause problems. Time is on your side when dealing with undercoats and basecoats especially, and more flash time is good for clear also, within reason. When I shoot a large part of a restoration like a body shell, it's not unusual to mask, prep and seal the first day, scuff and base the second day, and clear the morning of the third day. This ensures minimal solvent trapping and maximum attention to detail. Probably not the greatest way to maximize throughput and income, though.
 
No problem stretching your paint job out over several days if you need to. Sealer minimum before base is 2 hrs. Next morning would be great. Then you can take your time applying base (3 coats minimum to ensure coverage) and midcoat (2-3 coats), with plenty of flash time in between Then the best plan would be to wait overnight before clearing. Make sure you catalyze your base, also. Have you read Barry's perfect paint job? Click on "SPI Website" on top left corner of this page. Go to "Products", click, then "How to use", click. Perfect Paint Job PDF on right has the ultimate procedure to follow.
 
Thanks guys, y'all just made my day. I see a three day procedure coming for this now. Cuts me a lot of slack. Good lord, I was panicking trying to figure out how to make all that happen and stay within these time windows. Yes I have read "the perfect paint job " several times, but with my OCD and overthinking everything , I was trying to put together a orderly process or sequence of procedures that I could manage. I was seeing no allowance for dealing with any uh-oh moments like a bug or other issues that could arise. Thank you guys so much for putting up with my questions..I literally haven't been in a active paint booth on an all over paint job in over 35 years. I would love to be able to just be an observer in a professional shop for a day . To me its like a picture is worth a thousand words... Thanks
 
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