Finish process for single stage paint?

[ckissick]

I'm about ready to put the color coat on the hood of my pastel green 1950 VW beetle. After 20 years of searching, I finally found a correct hood for the car.

I bought a few cans of single stage rattle can paint from a company called Temple. They are the best source for good color matches, but they only sell their paint in rattle cans.

I painted the inside of the hood and the color match looks very good. The finish is pretty good, but it needs to be shinier on the outside.

So what's the process?

Just keep adding coats until I run out, only waiting for flash times between coats and therefore no sanding between coats?

Wet sanding/buffing: What series of sandpaper grits before buffing?

[962porsche]

been restoring a number of VW's myself lately just did this 63 not long ago.
it was painted in RM's uno single stage and the color was a spot on match to the OE finish under the trunk lid in the trunk and dash. this was a true barn find stilling in a barn from the early 80's the down side was the barn swallow's crapped all over the car to the point the paint couldn't be saved at all.
using a paint with a hardener would really be the best way to go and if needed a paint store should be able to match the color with out a problem.
I have used Temple enamel paint's the past for some small parts interior pieces and the paint is OK.
I don't know why your paint wasn't as shinny as it needs to be? I didn't have this problem when I used it but I also didn't use it on any large parts.

when it comes to prepping for paint prep sand using 400 grit wet sand.
with all enamel's they can fisheye very easily so use a good quality pre paint cleaner.
and before you start spraying wait for about 30 minutes to be sure the solvents from the cleaner is 100% dried off the panel.
when it comes to spraying your going to want about 4 to 5 coats because your looking to color sand and buff you will be sanding off at least 1 coat maybe even two coats.
before you can color sand you will have a long wait time you will have a even longer wit time being there is no hardener in the paint. so don't be surprised if you can color sand the hood for 8 weeks or even more. the enamel will have to be 100% cured.
to see if it's cured you take your finger nail and push it into the paint if it leaves a finger nail mark it's not cured yet.
once it is cured you can do your sanding with 1500 wet paper then go back over the hood with 2000 grit.
then you can start your buffing.
again because your using a none hardened enamel you have to be easy buffing not to build much heat into the finish. if you do build to much heat the paint will move on you and could wrinkle easy.
enamel with out a hardener is a reversible product meaning it will want to turn back to a liquid state with solvents or heat in this case.
so the trick to buffing a none hardened enamel is to go slow and easy most of all be patient getting a shin back in the finish.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by 962porsche

been restoring a number of VW's myself lately just did this 63 not long ago.

Gorgeous!

[jjeffries]

That’s a very expensive way to paint (custom mixed enamel in spray cans, and as 962 mentioned, without the benefit of a catalyzing hardener). My son lovingly did a Sears garden tractor this way and got his heart broken when some spilled gasoline took the shiny paint right off.

I’d think that by definition, a paint jobber could mix what you need either in something like Limco (see 962’s other posts) or a similar lower-end urethane system. This assumes, of course, that you could gain access to good compressed air. Harbor Freight’s mid-line HVLP guns give decent results. Many ways to approach this but going thru all that work and expense for such a fragile finish sounds like a frustrating plan.

Best of luck to you Sir,
John

PS: 962, that Bug looks great. Perfect color for such an organic shape(s)