Mixing Clear With Single Stage?

[whansen]

I am a rookie and I would like to give the spi single stage black a try, but I have some questions and I am debating whether to just go with bc/cc. I love the look of a single stage black and the durability of having all catalyzed urethane paint on the car, but I am concerned about fading and cutting and buffing. My guess is the single stage would have some pigments floating on the surface of the paint that would be subject to the sun and risk fading? Is that why you would mix the single stage with clear for the last coat, to reduce the surface area of pigment exposed to the sun? My experience painting cars is very minimal but I'm from a farm and have painted a lot of tractors/equipment using dupont imron single stage, so I am fairly confident I can lay down a pretty decent final coat with some practice. Now having said that, while cutting and buffing I am worried I would still cut through even a fairly flat top layer of a clear/single stage layer to a single stage only layer. So could I do two or more coats of single stage mixed with clear to allow a little more margin of error while cutting and buffing, or would that affect the color? Also, I love the look of a slippery black single stage covered with clear and I am sure someone might suggest it, but it's just not in my budget. I don't say that because I'm trying to be cheap, I am in law school (expensive) and supporting my fiance (expensiver) so finances are TIGHT! Would it be better to just go with spi black base and universal clear? For any other color I would just go with a bc/cc but single stage black just seems to look better. Then again I have never seen SPI black bc/cc! Thanks for all your help and for sharing your expertise with a rookie like me! I can assure you it is greatly appreciated!

 

[Bob Hollinshead]

Show car? Driver? I'd bet you won't have any UV related durability problems to worry about just using just the singlestage especially if this is going on something that's going to be taken care of well. I'm sure Barry will answer if there's added durability or how much by doing the 50/50 clear/color, I've sprayed three coats 50/50 with other colors and never had any problems.

 

[whansen]

Show car? Driver? I'd bet you won't have any UV related durability problems to worry about just using just the singlestage especially if this is going on something that's going to be taken care of well. I'm sure Barry will answer if there's added durability or how much by doing the 50/50 clear/color, I've sprayed three coats 50/50 with other colors and never had any problems.

I am hoping it will be a nice driver, but definitely well cared for! That would be great if I was just over thinking things and there aren't any fading concerns using just single stage. Thanks!

 

[jcclark]

If you want to use clear with single stage, put the clear on top of the single stage.
It'll do a lot more for it than mixing it in. It's done all the time, especially for metallics.

 

[Barry]

You pointed out the one flaw with a SS paint, the pigment on the top surface is exposed to the elements, that is the weakest part, now with that said, it should still be great for many years.

Most shops if clearing do it one of two ways.
Spray two coats of SS for coverage and then mix the SS with clear, normally at a 50% ratio and one more coat.
Some spray 2 coats or three of SS and next morning shoot 2-3 coats of clear.

My best advice if you don't have a booth and a lot of experience, is shoot 3 coats of SS and call it a day, should outlast the car and you will have room to buff.

This is a very complicated subject with a lot of if's and but's, so feel free to call and discuss.

 

[whansen]

Thanks for sharing your expertise! Don't know where I would be without this this forum as a resource!! I'm sold! Single stage it is! I am also curious about how mixing clear and single stage together might affect the aesthetic quality of the finish. It seems it might create an even deeper look. I have a little bit of clear left over from my last project, think I will experiment with it on some old panels just to see what happens. I think it would be interesting to see how the 50/50 mix compares to single stage alone and single stage that has been cleared. Thanks again!

 

[Barry]

Black is a funny color, only way to see the true effect is do two panels, one without clear and one with, put them next to each other outside and back off about 30 feet and start walking a slow circle until you get the right reflection and that will tell the story, at that point only you can decide what one you like best.

Ask a 100 painters and you will get a 150 different answers. Does this math work out, must be the calculator!

 

[Grubbworm]

I'm curious to know about the durability of putting clear over ss, 50/50 mix over, or just plain ss. I will be using my truck as a truck, not a daily driver, always kept outside, occasional trips to the woods, and dump. I want to return my truck to it's original color of black, only more durable. I am also curious about scratches and repairing of said scratches, which type of finish is easier to repair. Which type of finish would be more scratch resistant, outdoor contaminant aging resistant? I'm still quite a ways off from painting, but just asking and trying to learn. And, I do like the look of a really deep looking black shine.