colour coding
- Thread starter micra_k11
- Start date
goldstar0011
Ex. Club Member
Sure you can, Halfords you best bet, I don't like Halfords loads but their paints and laquer are decent.
Drying depends on environment you're working in, I prefer to leave in shed over night with heater on for a bit but I like at least an hour before I risk touching at all, might be hard to a fingertip but not to any pressure
Drying depends on environment you're working in, I prefer to leave in shed over night with heater on for a bit but I like at least an hour before I risk touching at all, might be hard to a fingertip but not to any pressure
micra_k11 said:
I've just done this mate and its come out really well.
My advice to you would be this:
If your new to spraying with cans, develop your technique on a piece of card/scrap wood, etc to make sure you don't get any runs.
Make sure the bump strips/bumper are ultra clean (since your spraying onto plastic adhesion of the paint can be an issue). I used thinners to make sure I got rid of any grease, etc.
Sand, sand and sand again. I started off with a very corse grit wet and dry paper (Poundland has a good deal on a the moment, 25 sheets for £1) and then move onto something much finer, Halfords have a good range.
Make sure you have plastic primer as this is really important. Regular primer doesn't seem to stick to plastic as well. Give it 2 to 3 coats of this, following the instructions on the can.
Leave to dry for at least 24 hours, 48 is better. It will be touch dry within an hour or two, but you really don't want to mess with the paint until its 100% dry.
Sand the primer with a very fine grit wet and dry and wipe over with a damp kitchen towl, rag, etc. Then your ready for the top coat.
I'd put on 2 or 3 coats of the paint, allowing 15 minutes between coats and following the instructions on the can.
Now, I didn't actually use any laquer. My personal opinion is that unless you have used a metalic paint (where laquer really is needed), its more trouble than its worth. There is a certain amount of laquer/hardner included in most Halfords paints I beleive, and this is usually sufficient to give a nice finish when t-cut in and polished up. It worked fine in my case anyway.
Follow the same drill as with the primer when it comes to drying. An hour or two for touch dry, 24 - 48 hours to dry completley.
The final step is to t-cut the paint to give it a nice, even finish. No matter how good you think you are with a can, you will probably get an "orange peel" effect and a few runs here and there.
I'd give it at least a week for the paint to completley set before doing this.
Rub on the t-cut until you see that the finish on the paint has become smooth and shiney. I then go over it a couple of times with a product called t-cut colour fast in the approximate colour of your car. Then just give it a covering with turtlewax to protect the finish.
If you have any runs, my advice would be to try and rub them out using t-cut. If they are too large to do this, I'd use a very fine grit wet and dry paper with the t-cut until the run has smoothed out. Be very careful not to rub too hard trhough, or you will remove the top layer of paint completley and you really do not want that.
Finally, remember that theres a lot of rubbish said about spraying a car with cans. It will never have the professional look of a body shop, using all the spray gear, compressors, etc, but you can actually get a really nice finish on small areas just by doing it yourself and using common sense.
Oh and also, wear a mask and make sure you cover up the areas you don't want to spray with masking tape and newspaper (obviously). Its as much about the spraying as it is the preparation and polishing afterwards.
Hope this helps. I know this is a bit long, but I might make it into a guide on here or something one day, so its worthwhile typing it up
