WHAT GRIT DO YOU STOP AT BEFORE BASE COAT

J

JC Daniel

Promoted Users
I was wandering what grit you guys stop at before spraying base coat? The last car I painted I sanded DA 500 grit then went over the whole thing with a grey scuff pad and everything was ok. What are you opinions and advice for this newbie to the trade?
 
I usually go to 600 and have never noticed any problems with metallics or pearls - I know a guy that always goes to 1000 though
 
If you sand 600 on clear for a blend and spray metallic you will see it unless you use intercoat before base imo.
On primer;
wet 400 solid colors
Wet 600 metallic colors
 
Solid colors 400-600
Metallics 600 for all overs, 800 for collision repair type blending.
All done wet. If you see wet sand scratches in your basecoat it's not a problem unless you are spraying a metallic.
Most good basecoats won't show 600 wet scratches though. I just take it to 800 (when I'm doing a blend and only in that area, 600 for everywhere else) for the peace of mind.

Just to comment on something said above, I would never take anything to 1000 grit. Way too fine and defeats the purpose of putting scratches in the paint to promote mechanical grip. I have seen guys do that and almost always have issues down the road. Sometimes when simply unmasking.
 
The last car I painted was silver metallic and it did look good but I had to redo the hood because of tiger stripes, I still have not figured the stripes out and how to eliminate them but luckily the last spray was fine.
 
Tiger striping with modern basecoats can be several things. Not enough base or you are making inconsistent passes. Also if you are using too fast a reducer you can get it that way as well. Always use the slowest available even in cooler temps. Tiger striping because of inconsistent passes is very common with new painters. Look over what you are spraying, draw imaginiary horizontal (usually) straight lines through the work. Then concentrate on making your passes as consistent and straight with consistent overlap as possible. 50-75% overlap. Don't spray wet coats of base. Medium to medium wet at most. Move quickly on your passes mantain a consistent overlap and you won't have any issues with tiger striping.
 
Stripes can also be caused by not holding the gun at 90 degrees to the surface, and it happens most often on the hood and roof.
I have to pull the trigger with my middle two fingers to get the gun at the right angle.
 
Very much appreciate the help fellas, I started this game late in life I'm 49 yrs old but I guess I'll try my best at it and hope all works out. I sprayed the metallic base at 18lbs and sprayed lighter coats with the gun about 8 inches from the panel so maybe I was holding too far off, Hopefully with the help I get here I will be able to do better the next time I get a metallic job. Oh by the way, The customer told me the job was better than the other one he had done at the big shop a few months ago. That gave me some hope as I picked at the job and had to say I can't satisfy myself.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top