Can somebody.....

[Padre]

.....school me on the use of laqs, uros? What can you do, what shouldnt you do?
Im gonna be paintin my fathers trike with Duplicolors new paintshop ($20 a quart) and theres NO way he can afford hok, or much else. Im guessin that the clears arent uv protectant so that leaves me usin transparents and opaques for his military themed artwork.
Ive sprayed uros over Duplicolor laqs then cleared with laqs with no probs, but this was on my practice panels and they dont see much sunlight

[Annie]

Not all clear are UV protectant...in fact, those that are are very expensive. They are often at the same time solvent and scratch resistant. They take a little longer to completely cure. There is so much information I could give you... I'll try to give you a bit of the basics.
Make sure you prep the tins the best you can. Degrease, sand or sandblast. If you can go back to bare metal, it's even better. If you do, put an epoxy primer and then a build up primer. Fix all that needs to be fixed with putty and shoot build up primer. I won't go further on the use of primer..I'm assuming you know. If not, lemme know I'll tell you all about it.
If you paint over the existing finish, make sure you sanded evenly with either a 600 grit wet sand paper, or a 500 grit dry with a rotative sander. You can use an interface pad to better contour the tanks and fenders so you don't go through the existing paint. Then, final wash and paint. Make sure you reduce your paint properly. If you don't have a booth, wet the floor to keep the dust down. Apply medium coats. Don't try to achieve full coverage at the first coat. Be patient. Wait about 10 to 15 minutes between coats. After your last coat of paint, wait for 15 minutes and clear.
Maybe I'm giving you way to much information...I don't know if you have a lot of knowledge in bodywork so I'll stop here... hahaha If you need anything else, lemme know!

Annie :D

[Padre]

Thanks for the reply, I should have been a little clearer, I dont know the rules for combining ex:laq primer, laq base, uro artwork, laq clear. Is this a bad combo?

[Annie]

To be on the safe side, I would do a test panel. But, as long as you make sure you give enough time for everything to dry, it should be ok. You will need to wet sand ur laq for the airbrush work in uro to stick and for the clear to stick too. 800 grit wet sand is the most agressive you can go and be able to clear without seeing marks. If I were you, I would check price for basecoat...it might not be a lot more expensive, depending on the color. But if you really can't go there, do a test panel with all the products you are gonna use from primer to color to basecoat and clear. Make sure nothing peels. It's easier to find a problem on a panel then when the bike is all painted!
:)
If you need anything else, don't hesitate!

Annie

[redanner]

I would check out this web site Padre! http://www.paintforcars.com (http://www.paintforcars.com/) if you use lacquer I would put 3 or 4 coats of lacquer clear on it for sanding! Make sure the lacquer has had a good time to dry and get all of the thinners out! Hot dry days maybe a week! Damp or cool days maybe 4 weeks! This all depends on the lacquer thinner you use! Hot thinner is rich and takes longer to dry its called slow dry thinner also! Then theres mid-temp thinners and cool temp thinners! Usually cool temp thinners are used for lacquer primer! Yes you must use Acrylic Lacquer Primer with Acrylic Lacquer Paint! Any good brand of 2 part urethane (clear & hardner) clear (PPG, Dupont, or Sherwin-Williams) can go on top after the lacquer is completely dry! I'm from the old school and would sand the Lacquer clear with 600 grit paper! First get the size of 600 sanding paper you want to work with then roll it so you can rub the grit sides together in a bucket of water! This will knock the sharp grit off so its not cutting into your clear to far! As soon as you think its wore out get a new piece and do the same before using! The debris that collects in the wet or dry sand paper will cause deeper scratches than the sand paper! I have used worn out 400 grit to the same thing! You could use a finer grit of paper as long as its wet or dry and used with water! Also put a little bit (sparingly) of dish soap in the water it will make the water slicker and help keep the sand paper clear of debris! NOTICE if the lacquer has not completely exhausted the lacquer thinners the urethane clear will wrinkle when the lacquer thinners try to escape in to the air! And it make take 3 or 4 weeks before it happens! I used lacquers in a time and so much that I could tell if the lacquer was dry from the smell of it when sanding! Also the lacquer paint will get duller as it drys completely!

Also there maybe something that will help here http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/72938_choosing_paint_materials/index.html

[Cowboy]

Padra About all I Sprayed for Years was Laqs till I couldnt get them No more. . But there Mde a lil diffenent these days I assume. You,ll Have No Problems putting laqs on laqs of coarse & Uro,s will stick to It fine as long as it hasa good Scratch. No Finer then 500 grit wet IMO.

The Problem is The Laq Clear Might posibly React badly with the Uro art. Something Ya need ta test Yerself on a Test piece. & See how it reacts, Because I Beleive Yer Laqs are Premixed & Might not have the amount Of Thinners Like I used to Reduce mine to .

Other Option is Putting A Uro Clear over it all. BUT Ya have ta make sure its got the proper bite. Because they Bond Totally different. I,m Only telling You this Because it Can Be done. But its tricky. I Wouldn,t want to put it on a paying Customers vehicle using this Method , But it can Be Done.

As Far As I know the Laq clears have Very little if any UV protection, Thats Why There Usually Garage Or Trailor Babys.


Just Tryin ta give Ya the info Providing with what Yer working With. If You Can afford to do it Right Then.

Annies information is Spot on & very good info. Its Up to You. I,ve got some Restorations That are all done with laqs, That still look like The day i painted them 30 plus Years later. But They dont see the Outdoors as Much as most. But the Weak link here will be the Uro,s Between the laq base & topcoat. Good Luck. Hope that helps Padre .

[Padre]

Annie, unfortunately its a verry tight budget, I have to stick with Duplicolor primer, base, and clear. total is $60 for all three. You should have heard him, retired Air Force MSGT, now disabled, he swears thats too expensive, hahaha.

Redanner, Thanks for the links, wasnt sure where to look for laq info, its kinda rare for someone to use it now a days.

Cowboy, they are premixed, fast drying, Six hours after final clear I can cut n buff

Thanks again, just dont want any issues down the road (rep killer)

[Annie]

I understand that budget is a killer sometimes! :) You have to stick to it. If it was a random client, I'd advise you to let the job go by...but it's your dad so it's a lot different! Make sure you do every step right and maybe allow a little longer for complete dry time so you dont have solvents trapt that will push on your artwork to get out.
You will be fine. Take all the precautions you can so you don't have paint lifting after a couple months!

Good luck!
Annie