Skill (or lack of) Test Panel Test - From Start to Finish - What I Did

[oldjunkster]

First of all, this is a test panel to improve my skill level. And I need all the help I can get to improve my skill level. I bought a trunk lid to use for my skill test. Here is what I have done. You might want to go grab a beer.....

Prep Work
1. Stripped to bare metal
2. Two coats of SPI black epoxy -
sanded to 400
3. Evercoat Gold Rage used for smoothing metal – finished to 320
4. One good wet coat of SPI black epoxy – sanded to 400
5. Two coats of SPI black Regular 2K primer – sanded to 400. Did not apply Epoxy sealer coat.
6. Three coats of SPI black Single Stage
7. Cured for two weeks

Time to Cut
8. Wet sand to de-nib and get rid of orange peel – sanded 400 to 600 (probably too aggressive)
Found 6 or 8 pin head size craters that needed filled. Used toothpick to dab into the spots. Sanded smooth with 400 to 600. Blended perfect. Thanks to Shine for the tip.
9. Wet sanded from 600 and jumped to 1,000 then 1,500 then stopped (probably should have graduated to 2,000 or higher)

Time to Buff
10. Flex Rotary LK 603 VVB. Using HF cheap foam pads and CG V32, V34, V36, V38.
11. Started with Orange pad and CG V32 then V34. 1,200-1,500 RPMs
12. Then Blue pad and CG V36 Gradually revved up the RPMs
13. Then Black pad with CG V38 Gradually revved up RPMs

End Result
Looks great. On a scale of 1 – 10. I would rate this a 8. Keep in mind this is Black and shows any flaws. Smooth as glass. Gloss reflects like a Black mirror.

Flaws, Mistakes I know I made & where I need help
14. Ref. 5. Should have applied Epoxy sealer coat over 2K?
15. Ref. 8. Should have started sanding with 1,000 and continued up to 2,000 or 3,000?
16. Ref. 8. One pin head size crater I wet sanded with 400 (way too aggressively) to 600 to 1000 and have a quarter size area that after buffing is not as glossy as the rest of the trunk lid. Sanded through to the 2K? If so, can this be spotted and sanded/buffed to blend?
17. Ref. 9. Stopped sanding at 1,500. At the right angle, I can see sanding scratches?
18. Ref. 10 Should not use cheap foam pads. I have ordered LC pads
19. I burned through on one edge with the buffer. This is Single Stage black. Can this be spotted and sanded/buffed to blend?
20. I have read where some people using Single Stage will apply 2 or 3 initial coats, sand and apply 2 or 3 final coats. If I did this and sanded through the final 2 or 3 coats down to the first 2 or 3 coats in a spot or 2 would that be a problem with the final buff? Or would it be invisible?

Thanks to Barry and the pros here I have come a long way with this forum. I think I have finally moved up to amateur status. LOL

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[D.C]

Very good write up! I wish I would have experimented more like you before my first paint job to get the feel of things, but now I realize I got impatient. I'm somewhat satisfied with my results but strive to do better next time! Keep learning and do the best you can!!

 

[jlcustomz]

Practice is great. The biggest difference an epoxy seal coat would do here is extra adhesion, such as from rock chips.
400 grit for color sanding is pretty rough. Eliminating the cause of craters no doubt would help & give you more paint to work with. If you spray was a bit rough, you could start with light pressure only & less time with the 600 & not aim for full flatness, then jump to like 800 grit. Then 1000, 1500, 2000, & preferably a little 3000. Opinions & methods vary for what jumps to make, but how long in each stage is also just as important. Each last coarser step needs to be removed as you go along so as to not be polishing on top of scratches. All this also needs to be done while retaining enough paint. If your spray is fairly rough & needs extra sanding to block down, you may want to start with 4 coats.
Again stages of sanding go along with methods. If you stop sanding less smooth, then you need coarse cutting such as from a wool pad first, which takes more skill not to burn through with. Finer sanding takes less buffing. could even go to 4000 or 5000 grit final.
Definitely dump the cheap pads. be extra careful near sharp edges. Some even tape up sharp corners for parts of the process.
I'm not the one to advise about possibility of blending /touch ups, I prefer to get it good enough the first time OR a complete panel respray.