I have amended your recipe for using the Brightside paint

At this point I believe that it is better to plan on four coats. For boats the manufactuer says that two coats of paint straight from the can will do the job. But what we have learned through trial and testing is that a boat owners quest for a high gloss shine is different than our quest for a super-high-gloss shine on a car.

Since I am suggesting cutting the paint with 10% product 333 Brushing liquid for the first two coats... I look at that as only equaling one coat. The third coat is cut with 5% Brushing liquid... because hopefully you are more comfortable with the rolling technique at this point and we are laying on a little more color solids. By the time you hit the fourth layer you can go with straight paint or cut with 5%.

The extra bit of paint using this four coat system will leave you with enough paint on the car ( after having gone through a number of wet sandings that removed some of the paint ) so that you still have plenty for when you go at the paint with the polisher and the compounding polish.

The following recipe may require some alteration on the fly depending on
a) whether you encounter problems with any of the layers that needs drastic corrections or repainting.. and
b) the choice of color that you have chosen. It would appear that the percentage of solids ( color pigments ) in the various colors varies. One color may provide better coverage then another. I find that red in both Brightside and the Tremclad/Rustoleum is more translucent then say a white or a dark blue.

At this point the bodywork is all done.

Step #1
a) Wash car down thoroughly with cloth and bucket of water with a little bit of liquid detergent ( dish detergent ). Rinse thoroughly. Let sit and thoroughly dry.
b) using a Tack cloth wipe down entire body of car.
c) Coat #1 thinned 10% with #333. No need to wet sand this step.
d) Let paint cure for 24 hours.

Step #2
a) using a Tack cloth wipe down entire body of car to get any dust, bugs, hair or other contaminents that may have fallen on your first layer of paint while it was curing.
b) Coat #2 thinned 10% with #333.
c) Let dry 24 hours.
d) Wet sand with 400 to 600 grit looking to level the surface so that it is level, with no ripples, bubbles, etc.
e) Wash car down thoroughly with cloth and bucket of water with a little bit of liquid detergent ( dish detergent ). Rinse thoroughly. Let sit and thoroughly dry.


Step #3
a) using a Tack cloth wipe down entire body of car to get any dust, bugs, hair or other contaminents off the paint.
b) Coat #3 thinned 5% with #333. No need to wet sand this step unless there are any visual defects that you want to address. If so...wet sand with 400 to 600 grit looking to level the surface so that it is level, with no ripples, bubbles, etc.
e) Wash car down thoroughly with cloth and bucket of water with a little bit of liquid detergent ( dish detergent ). Rinse thoroughly.
f) Let sit for 24 hours .


Step 4
a) using a Tack cloth wipe down entire body of car to get any dust, bugs, hair or other contaminents off the paint.
b) Coat #4 thinned 5% with #333 or straight from the can ( depending on your confidence level at this point ).
c) Let dry 24 hours.
d) Wet sand with 800 or 1000 grit looking to level the surface so that it is level, with no ripples, bubbles, etc.
e) Wash car down thoroughly with cloth and bucket of water with a little bit of liquid detergent ( dish detergent ). Rinse thoroughly. Let sit and thoroughly dry.

You should at this stage be able to do a 1500 wet sanding and then a 2000 wet sanding - with thorough washings and rinsing at the end of each wet sand session.

The body 'should' have a uniform dull shine at this point with no patches of 'shiny' in the otherwise dulled but somewhat shiney surface.


How long between painting and wetsanding? - Always at least 24 hours... the manufacturer recommends 18 hours... but times will vary due to temperatures, humidity, etc.

How long between wetsanding and painting? The body needs to be thoroughly washed down after the wet sanding. So 24 hours is a good rule of thumb to ensure that no moisture is left in the roughened paint.

How long between wetsanding and polishing? When you get to the final step four.. you will be doing a series of wet sandings, increasing the grit with each sanding. Then you will have to again give the car a thorough wash down. So again it is worthwhile to let the car dry for 24 hours if for no other reason than to give yourself a break and so that you can be 'fresh and wide awake' when you begin the polishing stage.


How long between polishing and waxing? Once you complete your polishing to a level of shine and gloss that is acceptable to you... you can proceed to the wax stage almost immediately to seal up all the work you did.

Hope this info helps...

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