Quote:

M2001 - it looks like your problems started with the very first coat. It didn't lay flat at all.

Did you pre-sand the hood to prep it? It seems like something on the original surface was rejecting the paint causing it to glom together instead of laying flat.

If it was me, and you've only done the hood, I would sand the crap out of back down to a smooth base coat, and start over. I'd go back to 800 or even 600 grit to make the work go faster. You'll probably have to let it dry for a day or two before you can sand it, if you put it on that thick.

Like was mentioned above, if you sand way back down (even to the point where you see a lot of red showing through), the next few coats will go on easier so its not as bad as you might think.




Quote:

M2001 - your laying that paint on WAY TOO THICK. Going from red to black, you should still be able to see the red thru the black coats until about the 3rd coat. From your pics you have full coverage after 1 coat, which tells me your painting very thick layers. You have to resist the urge to paint thick layers, thin layers are your friend. The thick layers are causing your excessive orange peel....
keep trying, less paint, continue with just the hood until you get the process down pat...



I thought I didnt add enough MS to the paint. There was an urge to not add so much MS to the paint...Im going to try a 50\50 and work from there.

Im going to use 800 then go down to 600...will this be enough to get back to the original paint?
I did sand the hood down before the first coat. although I forgot to wipe MS prior to the first coat.

major question: when i go back to sanding down to original paint, do I dry or wet sand?