Who here has had experience with this stuff? And are there any more reputable brands that would really be better than others?

So far I found a site www.automotivetouchup.com that seems good quality, but before I start playing around with any ideas myself, I was wondering what some of the experiences people have had with the stuff. Thanks!

 

I used duplicolor on my front lip and model cars..turned out really good actually on the lip. just do like 2 medium coats

 

if you want it really shiny, i would suggest wetsanding the paint with a 1000 or so grit then apply a thin coat of clear, and before it dries add another thicker coat. try to prevent dust from collecting in the clear.

 

Duplicolor 500F clearcoat. I've used it on everything from rims, to brake calipers, to valve covers. The stuff holds up and looks great. If you do a good prep and initial paint job, the clear will give it a powdercoated-like gloss finish.

 

yeah, i used that same paint on some stuff, the key is wetsanding before the clear though if you want a really really glossy almost pro finish

 

Just curious silviaks2nr, what grit sandpaper do you use to wetsand the paint? 1500, 2000, or....?

 

i used 1000 when i smoked my sidemarkers, for valve cover i used 220 then 400 then 1000, the clear will fill the scratches well enough so that you do not need to use a higher grit

 

If you are planning on painting metal parts, do not wetsand the paint. Wetsand the clear coat. Paint is designed to be covered up with clear; therefore, if you wetsand it chances are you will wetsand through to the under coating. You wetsand the clear to get out orange peal and trash that gets stuck in there.

 

no, any reputable body shop wouldn't clear uneven paint, because if the paint is uneven the clear is uneven, and when uneven clear is sanded, the higher areas of the underlying paint will be "sanded into" and be exposed through the clear.

 

FYI clearcoat will not make it glossy pretty shiny - the clear coat is just a protective layer, and the actual "shine" or "gloss" will come from the surface condition of the paint underneath the clearcoat, not the clearcoat itself. Thus I agree with the above suggestions - wetsand the final layer of paint color BEFORE you clearcoat it, and never spray clearcoat if it's cold, or you'll end up with a milky messed up looking paint job.

 

I'll second that one.

I also found that putting the later layers of paint on thick makes it look shinier (I did that for my sideskirts)

I buy my paint from a local body shop supply place - and I initially put on thin coats and it wasn't too shiny. I went back to the shop and talk to the guy - he told me to use thicker coats and it came out MUCH shinier.

 

if you were to wet sand 3 thin coats it'll shine more than 6 thick coats

 

mmm I was using a single stage paint.. should've mentioned that.... it was a mix of clear and color. He sells those cans for cheaper, and painting with them is quicker. The coats were wet sanded. Next time I buy the two stage (color + clear) I'll take your advice!

 

ok that makes sense