Lots of nibs/trash in clear.

C

CK-2

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I would describe myself as a hobbyist at best but I’ve painted several projects. I sprayed a fender today off of a car that I take to car shows/ cruise ins etc. I did everything like I normally do but for some reason ended up with a lot of trash in the clear. This fender had been bass coated, cleared with four coats of universal, blocked flat with 600 and now four more coats of universal.
My question is will this stuff sand out and buff ok? I know it’s hard without seeing it just looking for opinions.
 
Provided the debris isn't a contrasting color that you can see, think black dirt on a white car, then you should have no issues. I had quite of bit of this on my truck and once its sanded and buffed it disappears. On your first round of sanding use quality dry paper, it makes it easier to check your work and see that you have them all flat.
 
Think I found the problem,,,,, bass coating. Bass have a lot of thin edges on their scales that tend to pop back up after clear coating. They reflect the light interestingly though.

Seriously though as stated, if color contrast isn't too bad between trash & color, should mostly disappear, except maybe some of it under exacting lighting circumstances. A large amount of trash in clear will be mostly on top & some could truly disappear.
At car shows, many of the nicest paint jobs are home done with color sanding & buffing making the finish what the painter isn't. If I had to do show car painting without sanding & buffing, I'd be screwed.
 
I cleared the door and qtr panel today at my house in a makeshift 2x4 and plastic sheeting booth. It came out really clean. The fender was cleared at a buddy’s house in his homemade booth.
Would it be beneficial to knock nibs down with some 400 and put another couple coats of universal on the fender ? Or am I just creating myself more work.
 
CK-2 said:
I cleared the door and qtr panel today at my house in a makeshift 2x4 and plastic sheeting booth. It came out really clean. The fender was cleared at a buddy’s house in his homemade booth.
Would it be beneficial to knock nibs down with some 400 and put another couple coats of universal on the fender ? Or am I just creating myself more work.
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You have plenty of clear to remove any trash. The only reason to respray would be if different colored specks show up after sanding that you can't live with, then you would have to spray color to hide them before clear. Not spraying in perfect conditions, you have to make the decision, will it come out better if I respray it? You have to weigh the chance of it possibly coming out the same or worse, and material building up to an unacceptable level.
 
I start with 1200 but a lot of guys start with 800-1000 for the initial cut but leave about 25% to remove in the next step. I just nibbed and have been cutting 4 coats of Universal, I removed most trash with 1200 and finished the last bit with 1500 and on to 3000 & 5000 Trizact. Good luck and take your time!
 
jlcustomz said:
Think I found the problem,,,,, bass coating. Bass have a lot of thin edges on their scales that tend to pop back up after clear coating. They reflect the light interestingly though.

Seriously though as stated, if color contrast isn't too bad between trash & color, should mostly disappear, except maybe some of it under exacting lighting circumstances. A large amount of trash in clear will be mostly on top & some could truly disappear.
At car shows, many of the nicest paint jobs are home done with color sanding & buffing making the finish what the painter isn't. If I had to do show car painting without sanding & buffing, I'd be screwed.
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My eyesight is so bad anymore I can’t see when spellcheck takes over.
 
jlcustomz said:
Think I found the problem,,,,, bass coating. Bass have a lot of thin edges on their scales that tend to pop back up after clear coating. They reflect the light interestingly though.
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Do you think using waterborne help or hurt in this situation? ;)
 
Spellcheck is like an unruly kid or pet if not constantly monitored.

I think waterborne would be best to coat a bass with , as anything still containing moisture could cause hazing problems. Ran into that with matte clear on wood entry door products & had to discontinue use on it.

I'd definitely sand & buff first before even thinking about considering any respraying & redoing a part. Redoing a part soon after, especially in same environment, could have you end up with other issues as Tex mentioned.
 
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Well I rolled the car out in the sun today to have a look. Base coated Friday morning. Let sit over night and cleared yesterday. I have a thin white line about 7 inches long right under the body line of the door. Kinda looks like a reflection off chrome or something highlighting on the car but it’s not. I’m assuming this could be blushing? Can only see it in direct sun not in the shade. When the door is shaded it’s gone. Is an arc shaped line. Car is light silver.
 
I tried to get pics. Can’t get it to show up. The more I think about it there was a slight sag there in the first round of clear. I might not have gotten it perfectly flat where it was next to the edge of a body line in a contoured area. I’d say that would raise that area just enough to highlight the metallic in the right light. Agree? Also it’s only visible when the sun is low and shining right on the side of the car. Once the sun gets up higher it’s gone
 
Sometimes a real heavy spot in the first coat of clear over silver will "gather" the metallic into the sag. Only way to fix it is to sand the whole panel, spot the color, and reclear.
 
I’m going to let it cure out good and think about it. Can’t see it at all right now. Don’t know if it’s worth it when it’s only visible the first three hours of the day
 
It's most likely what Tex said, which is a redo with color. Silvers are a beech. :( You'll probably be able to let it go. Look at from distance at different angles or also have a friend look for it. Right near a bodyline likely was a heavy spot, but also the best place to let something go.

For all the intensive bodywork it takes for solid black to look great, I like it because you don't have crap like that to bite you.
 
Ok another question. I’ve let the stuff set out in the sun for a couple of days. So I started sanding one of the parts today. I started with 1000 grit and knocked the peel almost completely out with very little sanding. I’m going to let it set in the sun a few more days now that it’s scuffed and cure a little more.
The question is should I sand the nibs until they are no longer visible (shiny)? Or just knock them down?
I just wondered if you can sand them completely out if they were in say the first coat I put on.
 
So if I remove them completely I have to block the whole area they are at or I’d just be sanding low spots trying to just sand the nibs?
 
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