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RIck- when i got the tint the guy mixed it in a shaker for like 5 minutes, should i like stir it for an hour or something? also, how thin is thin? I mean i got it thined down to like water!! literally i drip the roller in and when i take it out it all drips out, i think this color is soo dark that it just goes on dark but i'm probably wrong. Should i continue to sand it down? the third coat was the best coat in my opinion. How do you guys get the coats on with NO bubbles? i mean very small bubles but i have to blow and then go over them again. I havent sprayed a car before but i have sprayed a fence and its the same method no? Gotta spray a car to begin somewhere right, what better test subject? hahaha than




Okay, stop. Breathe, son. Deep breath in, slowly out... relax... Ohhhmmmmm.
You're getting there, but I just get the impression you're going a mile a minute. I know you're eager for results, but by rushing this you're only making yourself more work.

I read 69Chargers comments and I couldn't agree more. Painting a car is NOT like painting a fence, unless you want your car to look like a fence! Totally different materials, totally different surfaces, totally different paints. I also agree that you should concentrate your efforts onto ONE section of the car (hood, door, whatever), go through the ENTIRE process, until you learn what you need in order to get a successful result. As 69 mentioned, you did happen to pick probably the hardest of colors to start with (other than gloss Black). Dark colors show EVERYTHING, starting off with White might have been a better choice. BUT... it's still not too late.

If you feel the paint is so thin that it's running wild on you, then don't mix it down so thin. 69Charger may have hit the nail on the head, try a mix half way between your first coat (too thick - definitely) and your last coat(too thin? - maybe). As for mixing the paint (stirring), I stir the paint for at LEAST a good 15 minutes (slooooow, smooth, steady stirring)before I poor it in the tray, especially if it's sat overnight. Let's put it this way; OVER stirring will not hurt you (as long as you're not stirring so roughly as to cause bubbles), but UNDER stirring can hurt you (uneven mixture).

As for the bubbles - I have yet to be able to lay a coat without having to "blow" to get the bubbles out, but I've found that when I have the mixture right, it's really more of just a "puff" - not much effort at all is needed. If there are any little bubbles I missed, going back over them VERY GENTLY will get rid of them. But here is the key point, and I think this is where you are getting into trouble: When you're using the mineral spirits to dilute with, the time window you have to get the bubbles out is pretty narrow. I would say 7-10 minutes TOPS. That is why 69Charger has made the suggestion over and over to learn this technique on a single panel. I may be wrong here, but I think what might be happening with your painting is that because you have been trying to paint the entire car, you're taking too long to return to the painted areas before it's too late. If you wait too long to get the bubbles out, when the paint reaches that critical stage of drying, you end up making more bubbles, or worse yet pulling up the paint. that's why it's important to learn what you're doing on one panel. Learn how long you have to get all the bubbles out before the paint is too "tacky" to work with.

My last suggestion for the day, and I think you're not gonna like this - but I really think it's the best thing...

Go back to the very first page of this thread, and reread it. Not just scan over it, but really re-read EVERYTHING - like you were gonna get tested on it! There is an amazing amount of information in this thread alone, and most of the problems and questions you've been asking for help on have been covered several times. If you read the thread carefully, you'll pick up quite a few tips and tricks along the way.

Hang in there, and don't get frustrated - I think you're doing fine.

Last edited by Ricklandia; 04/05/06 12:40 PM.