Clear + Polish + decal + wax - drying times?

[mike united]

Originally Posted by JTRACING

i dont find "wetcoats" to be nessacary, for the paint i do like 4 or 5 super light coats. same with clear. polishing is what makes it shiny.

at least i find this to work for me

Totally agree & your finishes are perfect. I just find though (& this works for me) that by doing a few light coats & then a couple of heavy wetcoats of clear this makes the surface totally smooth. Here i am getting away with any sanding, plus "hiding" any possible orange peel effect from the paint, this letting me to go straight to the compound drawer.......!!!

Thanks, Mike.

[Jaymes]

hmm does TS-13 eat the decals?

[nis.k.a.]

Originally Posted by Jaymes

hmm does TS-13 eat the decals?

If not used with caution. If you lay down a couple mist coats the decals should be fine.

[hirofkd]

It's just a matter of how much paint you apply. The thicker the paint longer the drying time. I apply two coats of clear and repeat the process 5-8 times (a total of 16 very thin layers), so there's no way I can start polishing in 7 days. But that's just me. If you have achived an even coat with 2-3 layers of paint, I think you can start polishing in 7 days.

>Jaymes
TS-13 eats decals only when you apply it too thick and gives the solvent enough time to eat them. If you apply it thin (like a few quick storkes of spray can), the solvent evaporates before it starts eating the decals.

[Jaymes]

thanks a lot for the answers nis.k.a. and hirofkd

[mickbench]

Originally Posted by nis.k.a.

I've never had a problem waiting 7 days before doing a Tamiya clear coat. After clear coating I wait another 7 days and polish it all out. 30 days for a color cure is pretty extreme. I could understand if we were talking about Tetsors enamel but this is not the case. I've heard that you can do it immediately. From experience, that can do funky things to the wet color coat.

Some say if the paint doesn't smell than it's close to cure. I just wait it out for 7 days. Plenty of time, IMO, as I've never had a problem with cracking, hazing, mystery fish-eye etc.

As far as Microsol and polished TS-13. That is false. I don't dillute my Microsol and have had nothing but good things to say about it on finished bodies.

Your Skyline looks great - and thanks for the advise, one question, you applied a coat of silver leaf, does Mica Blue need a coat of silver leaf first, as I didn't know that? I thought TS-50 could go right on the top of white primer..!!

thanks..

[nis.k.a.]

Yes, any metallic color coat really needs a metallic base.

[mickbench]

Yikes..

I "very" nearly applied TS-50 on white primer, as even though I said I had painted my car body with TS-50, I haven't done it yet as I'm working away at the moment, but I was about to spray it tonight when I get home..!!

Me thinks I'll got and get a can of TS silver first.. Thank you for letting me find that out, I nearly made a mistake..!!

Will any TS silver do? TS-17, or TS-30 better?

[Sticky Fingers]

Why does metallic colour need a metallic base? My Peugeot 206 was painted Aluminium Silver on top of Plastic Primer, then after a couple of weeks I sprayed Clear lacquer on top. All spray cans were Halfords own brand.

I do have slight orange peel (which, funnily enough was not there BEFORE clear coat) but that's down to my spraying abilities and not the paint surely.

[mickbench]

Originally Posted by Sticky Fingers

Why does metallic colour need a metallic base? My Peugeot 206 was painted Aluminium Silver on top of Plastic Primer, then after a couple of weeks I sprayed Clear lacquer on top. All spray cans were Halfords own brand.

I do have slight orange peel (which, funnily enough was not there BEFORE clear coat) but that's down to my spraying abilities and not the paint surely.

I think it's because Mica Blue is a more see through paint, then normal solid colours. Even solid colours can have primer see though, as I found out on my Modena. I left a "Very" small area of grey primer, when the overall primer colour was a final coat of white. The red looked darker where I left that small spot of grey, whereas the rest of the car was a vibrant red..!!

I think I can see where they are going with the silver. I read that also if the car body isn't primered first, and then you apply your top coats over the bare plastic, if you were to paint the over side black, say for a hood etc, the colour on the top goes darker, as the plastic could be thin enough to allow the black to darken the top colour.

This is why I've been sold on the primer first, then top coat.. Therefore I shall listern to advise and spray a coat of silver over my white primer first, then apply two mists of blue (was going to be three), and two wet coats, leave for 7 days (hope this is right) and then clear it. Wait 7 more days then polish and then appy decals and then wax..!!

[Sticky Fingers]

Dya not think maybe wait 2 weeks after clear before rubbing compound? Just to be on the safe side?

My Peugeot will be 2 weeks after clearcoat this Saturday. Surely then it'll be safe to polish. Mind you it'll be my first attempt with rubbing compound so it'll probably turn out plops!

BTW are you gonna wax your sub? If so, before or after decals? I've heard the tamiya wax can actually rub off the decals!!!! Maybe it's just a question of lightly waxing.

[nis.k.a.]

The Mica is semi-transparent. Not fully but the metallic base enhances whatever is laid on top of it. Otherwise, the Mica may not have the desired effect.

Even a solid color like red. The secret to getting Italian Red to look like a Ferrari is to have a pink base coat or pink primer. The pink basecoat enhances the red.

[Sticky Fingers]

man......you're clever! It's been taken onboard and is in the memory banks for future use, cheers!