Need help from painters/ restorers

[firerod]

Hello. I am looking for someone to walk me through the steps of a PPG acrylic lacquer paint job on a new bare metal Brookville body. I have sprayed enamel and urethane for years but have never sprayed lacquer. What primers, sand paper grit, sealers, etc....I know today's paints are better but I want to use lacquer. Thanks.

[19Fordy]

As well as getting info. from individuals be sure and contact the PPG rep. and get info. straight from the horses mouth.

[waterboychuck]

If you have bare metal you will want to put down an epoxy primer first to seal it. Like 19Fordy said the best person to ask is the PPG store.

[wga]

Your local PPG paint store should know the PPG rep, and when they usually make their sales calls. I met with the rep at the store via that method.
You'll want everything to be compatible. Follow the directions, no shortcuts. Have fun.

[deuce_roadster]

You will spend much more time in the prep for the lacquer. The steps are the same as you would use for urethane or enamel but the big difference is that the primer surfacer you block out must be sanded to at least 1000 grit before you shoot the color. Lacquer fills nothing, not 600 grit sand scratches. I personally will never use it again, while not a professional, I've painted probably 30 cars and see no reason for its use other then saying it has "lacquer" on it. Oh, you spray it at less pressure then thicker paint, around 40.
Have fun!

[Capt Kirk]

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I'm by no means a professional painter but I did paint my 35 cab, vw and 56 Chevy truck. I always use PPG. Wherever you buy the paint, ask for the pamphlets that PPG has for each of their paints and follow those mixing ratios, dry times and other information. If they don't have them, then you can print them off yourself from the PPG web site. You've sprayed for years so you know the importance of the prep...things need to be as perfect as you want them to be before you spray the color. Good luck and have fun.

[V12Bill]

I would never use lacquer with all the better modern paints available. Lacquer tends to alligator or check with time. Do it right once and forget it.

[chap52]

deuce roadster X2.

[38bill]

PPG has spec sheets available on-line that tell you what you need to know about each of their different paints. Note that some primers are not compatible with some finish coats so use only what is recommended or you may be sorry later. Heres info on their DDL.

http://us.ppgrefinish.com/getmedia/0...l-duracryl.pdf

[26 lakes]

I have a very good friend who does high end restorations. I have seen his paint jobs after 20 years of use. Very nice! I am a painter by trade and have helped him many times on projects. First clean all metal with metal prep and a scotch brite pad. Use gloves and don't let ANYONE touch the bare metal with their hands or fingers. This will cause rust to form under the paint. Next put a coat of PPG Corrosive Primer Wash. Now use the PPG Epoxy Primer. If I was to use a single stage paint I would use Concept. Awesome product, easy to use. This is a first class paint job that is bullet proof and will not fail. PM me if I can help you any way. Thanks

[Willit Stop]

I,as well as others, would stay away from lacquer.But that's up to you.A couple of tips though:
Always follow the directions on the can.
Use CLEAN rags.Fabric softener,hand cleaner,WD 40,car wax,oil, grease,silicone,oil from your skin etc. is like poison to paint and will cause fish eyes.

[rotorwrench]

Lacquer and the more modern acrylic lacquer were commonly used where the surface would be color sanded and polished since it usually orange peels. They used to put a lot of coats on back in the day so that they could keep polishing it up as it dulled from time & abuse. Some times folks would put more on without letting the coats dry completely which eventually led to spider webbing of the finish after a time.

A properly applied single stage like the PPG Concept acrylic urethane previously mentioned, will be more forgiving and hold its shine a lot longer than any lacquer, acrylic or otherwise. You can use lacquer OK but it will be a lot more work in the end.

[firerod]

Thank you all who replied. I will keep you informed of the progress.

[38bill]

I did my truck with PPG Concept 15 years ago. It still looks great and I get comments about the paint all the time. It was very easy to work with but not cheap. I did color sand mine but that had to do more with the fact that I painted it outside and had to deal with bugs and runs.

[OLD AS I]

Hello Firerod
Am wanting to get back in to painting, did it some 25 yrs ago, wanting to use enamel, looking for instructions, any leads, have tried PPG web site but haven't found anything

[rockfla]

Might as well open up a can of worms.....not much on Epoxy primer it doesn't grab the metal the way acid etch primer does. Having a car done right now, PPG Concept over acid etch. The finish is flawless. We have a car done in PPG base clear over epoxy primer and just not satisfied with the over all look and performance of the product.

[firerod]

HVLP vs. pressure gun, which is best for lacquer?

[russcc]

The vet painter who did the '29 roadster used a HVLP. He is veteran restorer, and we used nitro lacquer we got from Hibernia Restorations. Unlike most folks, I am not in to shine, so we used 10" flatner, and it looks vintage, which is what we were after.

[rotorwrench]

If you have access to HVLP, you might as well use it. The finish will be smoother and less paint will end up on the floor. I'm too old school to change now but some day they may quit giving gun pressure specs for siphon type guns. I have an old pressure pot HVLP gun that looks just like my old siphon type rig but I've never taken it out of the box.

Lacquer is a paint that is a build up type paint so it doesn't care what it goes on with. It always has to be smoothed out to add more coats. Just make sure you let it completely dry between coats. The stuff is time consuming to use and can be a lot more work than using an acrylic enamel or urethane. It worked good for matching repair work back in the day so a lot of body shops used it. Now days, most folks used two stage base coat clear coat for every thing. It's all about fast production.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by chap52

deuce roadster X2.

Make that x3.

Why anyone would choose lacquer with the far superior products available is beyond my imagination.