The Ford Barn

Bored&Stroked · 01-14-2022, 09:59 AM

The 'Restoration Shop' has lacquer thinners - in qts, gallons, etc.. You should try to spray lacquer in a temp range of about 65 - 85 degrees (and medium thinner will work for that). If you spray it when it is colder, then you'll probably get "blushing" (cloudiness) - so don't risk that. I'd probably start out with about a 1 to 1 mix, then thin it more as you lay down more coats. Depending on the number of coats and how well you spray, you may need to color sand with 400 or 600 after 3 - 4 coats - then apply 3 - 4 more. Make sure you are not "dry spraying" it - or you'll lose adhesion.

What is most important (as with all paint work) is the quality of the underlying materials and the prep. I would do my finish sanding on the primer with 400 (wet) and if you use a pre-clean product before the color coat, always lightly scuff it one more time before you start to paint the color coats (sometimes I use ScotchBrite) - and blow it off.

Use a foam sanding pad block so that you don't get "finger marks" in your wet sanding (primer and color sanding). They are available in both softer and firmer styles. I use different ones for different contours. Always use a pad - similar to this when you color sand as well:

https://tcpglobal.com/products/mir-e7200_2

Make dang sure you have no oil/water in your line (hopefully you have a high-quality air filter). Best of luck . . . you'll do just fine!

Color Sanding Before Buffing: Depending on the paint thickness and how good of a painter you are, you should color sand before cutting/buffing. I'd probably use 800 or 1000 wet-or-dry for my color sanding (with a pad and water). Make sure that you sand "at an angle" so you don't create ridges in the paint. You'll need both polishing compounds (cutting) and a final glazing compound - with appropriate cutting/buffing pads . . . or by hand if you're not doing too much of it. Be careful around any sharper edges - or you'll buff through the paint.

Thinner:
https://tcpglobal.com/products/rsp-lt70-qt

01-14-2022, 09:59 AM	#12
Bored&Stroked Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 5,723	Re: Question about lacquer paint The 'Restoration Shop' has lacquer thinners - in qts, gallons, etc.. You should try to spray lacquer in a temp range of about 65 - 85 degrees (and medium thinner will work for that). If you spray it when it is colder, then you'll probably get "blushing" (cloudiness) - so don't risk that. I'd probably start out with about a 1 to 1 mix, then thin it more as you lay down more coats. Depending on the number of coats and how well you spray, you may need to color sand with 400 or 600 after 3 - 4 coats - then apply 3 - 4 more. Make sure you are not "dry spraying" it - or you'll lose adhesion. What is most important (as with all paint work) is the quality of the underlying materials and the prep. I would do my finish sanding on the primer with 400 (wet) and if you use a pre-clean product before the color coat, always lightly scuff it one more time before you start to paint the color coats (sometimes I use ScotchBrite) - and blow it off. Use a foam sanding pad block so that you don't get "finger marks" in your wet sanding (primer and color sanding). They are available in both softer and firmer styles. I use different ones for different contours. Always use a pad - similar to this when you color sand as well: https://tcpglobal.com/products/mir-e7200_2 Make dang sure you have no oil/water in your line (hopefully you have a high-quality air filter). Best of luck . . . you'll do just fine! Color Sanding Before Buffing: Depending on the paint thickness and how good of a painter you are, you should color sand before cutting/buffing. I'd probably use 800 or 1000 wet-or-dry for my color sanding (with a pad and water). Make sure that you sand "at an angle" so you don't create ridges in the paint. You'll need both polishing compounds (cutting) and a final glazing compound - with appropriate cutting/buffing pads . . . or by hand if you're not doing too much of it. Be careful around any sharper edges - or you'll buff through the paint. Thinner: https://tcpglobal.com/products/rsp-lt70-qt Last edited by Bored&Stroked; 01-14-2022 at 10:13 AM.