Painting Black

[KyMDLR]

Hello all, this is my first post. I have been a builder for about 5 years now, but still am sketchy on this topic. My question is simple, How can i lay down a good black paint job? I am painting a black and white police car, and these are the resources i have availiable: Grey Primer, Duplicolor Automotive Black spray, Duplicolor Clear and Thin grit sand paper. I have no polish except for meguiars quick spray wax. The last black paintjob i did went on okay, but not as good as some that i have seen while browseing here. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[rsxse240]

cleanliness is key. if you paint on top of dirt, you will have a dirty looking paint job. like wise with any scratches, pits, imperfections, etc. I'd make sure you have all the mold lines sanded down, get the body as clean as possible (soft toothbrush and warm soapy water) rinse it well, then shake as much water off as possible. if you have access to an air compressor, blow the rest of the water off so as to eliminate the chance of getting water spots that will show through the paint, or cause possible negative reactions (water spot shaped fish eyes, and possibly paint not adhering to the surface). Now shoot your primer in thin coats, just enough to cover the plastic without any build up of primer. now with as fine a sand paper you can get your greasy little fingers on, start sanding the primer to get it as smooth as possible. If you rub through the primer, you can always clean and recoat in spots. once the primer is to your satisfaction, if using spray paint (duplicolor is actually quite good) spray light coats on a spare body, or chunk of something to get the feel of the can. you want a light dusting at first, then another and another waiting about 5 minutes between coats. once the base is dry (a day or so for that paint) sand it with some 1200 grit paper, and shoot a couple slightly heavier coats that start to build up, but not run. sand and re-coat if necessary. once you have a solid color that is smooth, set it aside for a few hours, then come back with your clear. Duplicolor clear sucks in my opinion, but I have turned out a few good paint jobs with it, but only after polishing the crap out of it. once the clear has dried for a few days, you are probably safe to use your wax spray. Spray it on a soft lint free cotton cloth, or cotton swab, and apply it to the body. then just follow the directions on the wax bottle. DO NOT SPRAY DIRECTLY ON TO THE MODEL!

if you take your time, and don't hurry through it, you will have a very nice paint job. if it turns out like poo, just dunk it in rubbing alcohol, and scrub it with a tooth brush to get it all nice and clean again.

hope this helps