WET SANDING AND BUFFING ACRYLIC ENAMEL

[1968_Charger]

I PAINTED MY CAR A FEW WEEKS AGO WITH GLOSS BLACK ACRYLIC ENAMEL AND TRIED TO WET SAND AND BUFF THE TRUNK LID TODAY TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE. WELL AFTER WET SANDING WITH 1500 GRIT VERY LIGHTLY AND BUFFING WITH MEGUIARS #2 THE PAINT LOOKS LIKE IVE SANDED RIGHT THROUGH TO THE PRIMER(ITS LIGHTER AND DULLER THAN IT WAS BEFORE). I PUT 3 COATS ON THE CAR WHEN I PAINTED IT. IM JUST WONDERING IF MORE BUFFING IS NEEDED OR IF I HAVE DONE TOO MUCH. AFTER BUFFING IT GETS SHINY AGAIN BUT A CERTAIN WAY THE LIGHT HITS IT MAKES IT LOOK DULLERR AND LIGHTER.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

[restoman]

Get out your spray gun.
Acrylic enamel is really not meant to be cut and buffed - once you sand through the resins on the surface, the colour and shine go away very quick, and as you already found out, three coats of acrylic enamel is not very thick.

If you're looking for something to cut and polish after painting, best to go with either a single layer urethane or base/clear.

[1968_Charger]

everyone else ive spoken to about it said that it could be wet sanded and buffed. ive even read that it can be wet sanded and buffed numerous places on the internet. so you are saying it cannot be done with acrylic enamel?

[Silver R/T]

Only if you were to spray clear coat over it. It's not meant to be buffed. It's to be used on machinery, steel structures, etc that doesn't have to look good.

[restoman]

No, what I said is it's not meant to be buffed. I've lightly wet sanded and polished AE many times over the years, most times with good success. But I've been painting for 25+ years and pretty much know when to stop and what I can get away with. Trust me, I've ruined more than one paint job before getting the hang of it.
Are you sure you've gone through the paint and are not just seeing not-quite-final-polished scratches? They do show at different angles.
Really, anyone who will tell you it can be done numerous times is either A) talking through their hat to make themselves look better. or B) won't have to fork over the dough to re-do it.

Got any pics?

[1968_Charger]

no, no pics. ive spoken to emplyees at two different paint stores and no one ever told me that it couldnt be wet sanded or buffed.  i guess ill leave it as is is and have it repainted down the road. i cant believe no one told me that it couldnt be done.

[restoman]

Did no one give you a tech sheet with the paint? Were these employees painters or just counter guys? Some people will tell you anything in order to make themselves look better.
Again, it's not that it can't be done, it's just not meant to be polished.

[1968_Charger]

i didnt get anything with the paint stating what to do after spraying. i seemed to have cleaned up what i wet sanded with a little more polish by hand. im done trying the buffing and wet sanding. i had much better results doing it by hand.   next tme ill go with a base/clear. thanks for the info   

[elitecustombody]

no, no pics. ive spoken to emplyees at two different paint stores and no one ever told me that it couldnt be wet sanded or buffed.  i guess ill leave it as is is and have it repainted down the road. i cant believe no one told me that it couldnt be done.

because it can be wetsanded and buffed,as long as there is plenty of paint to work with and it's a solid non-metallic color, just try to buff it some more, you can't screw it up if you already have, so just try and see if buffing it more will fix it. 1500 grit is not very agressive, so it should be fine .

Stefan

[oldrock]

the last acrylic enamal I shot, the sheet said it can be wet sanded but the sandable portion on the paint is very thin compared to a traditional base coat/clear coat so you have to be oh so careful not to sand too deep. I've never had any luck making it work so when I shoot it, I just prep it as well as I can and don't try to wet sand at all. I just do a thorough polishing job to make the most of the finish. I've never got it to give me that wet look like a good base/clear can but then again it is alot less work and alot cheaper too.

[hemi-hampton]

I use to sand & rub Centari all the time in 80's, early 90's. Never had a problem. You will definately have a problem if you skip or skimp on the Hardener. Non Catalyzed Acrylic enamal will only air dry on the surface & not fully harden underneath, creating a problem similar as your description. LEON.

[superbirdtom]

Ive been painting since 1973 and you can buff out acrylic enamel just fine. people use it cause its cheap.  but you have to put at least 4 coats on.  sounds like you didn't put enough on. just sand it out with 1000 3m and reshoot 4 coats. usually it turns out much nicer on the second paint job as you have a hard shell to paint over. and use catalyst with it.  If you want single stage I would use ppg concept single stage it turns out awesome.  But if you didn't use catalyst your first paint job could lift or krinkle.  Make sure its set up real good if you are where its sunny  let it set out in the sun for a week and fry.  but if you go the same acrylic route just make sure you put enough on to wetsand and buff as wetsanding will take an entire coat off if you block all the orangepeel out.   good luck

[TylerCharger69]

I agree....if you have good coverage...you can wetsand acrylic enamel....Its easier to just wetsand it and clearcoat it if you ask me though

[Highbanked Hauler]

   What you have sounds like its not cured thoroughly. Also black takes longer to cure than light colors   You can buff acrylic enamel and it will bring the shine up but urethane  is a lot more forgiving when you have problems.

[69DodgeCharger]

I agree....if you have good coverage...you can wetsand acrylic enamel....Its easier to just wetsand it and clearcoat it if you ask me though

Or you can skip the work and expense involved and spray the clear right over the enamel after it tacks/flashes. Yes this is possible, at least with Dupont Centari. My buddy did it with his car last year and I did it with mine about 6-8 weeks ago with no issues. (lifting, dulling, bubbling, etc.) In fact his still looks pretty much like it did the week he painted it, and it's stored outside year round with no cover. I did two color coats about 20-25 minutes apart and then sprayed the clear on after 40-50 minutes. It's a bit "shiney" for an old car but so far....so good.

[hemi-hampton]

Looks Good   LEON.

[69DodgeCharger]

Pictures always make things look better than they really are. If you saw it up close you can tell it's a rookie job but I figured the outside can always be "repaired" If I don't like the end results. Thats assuming the color coats go on without a problem. The first couple times I sprayed clear it was very hard to see and I had massive runs. My lighting isn't the greatest either, or my eyes anymore for that matter! If you're wondering how I ended up with this method it's what happens when you try to go with cheap enamel but want a base/clear type shine. Hard to do, especially for an amateur like me. I 'm pretty sure I spent as much or more in the end anyways....and did a lot more work. My buddy tried to convince me to use a solid color instead of metallic. I didn't listen.

[hemi-hampton]

When you get to the exterior you might have to worry about zebra stripping, blotches, mottling, ect if not real experianced with spraying metallic acrylic enamel. Good Luck.  LEON.

[69DodgeCharger]

When you get to the exterior you might have to worry about zebra stripping, blotches, mottling, ect if not real experianced with spraying metallic acrylic enamel. Good Luck.  LEON.

I kind of have that going on now with some of the pieces I've painted, especially the back of my trunklid. It seems like I am spraying the color coats on too heavy. Any tips for the novice?

[hemi-hampton]

Yeah, if your going to clear coat it to obtain a gloss then apply paint lighter & drier. You cant do this (use this method) to a metallic acrylic enamel that you do not want to clear & still try to obtain a gloss.  LEON.