Learn Auto Body Secrets Q&A 🏝🚗

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🟢🟡🔴 Learn Auto Body and Paint Q&A 🟢🟡🔴

QUESTION: Would a white pearl single stage have the same looking outcome as a two-stage pearl paint job? Like mixing the pearl in the clear over white paint?

Well, you might as well just do a base coat clear coat, if you plan on putting pearl in the clear coat. Because if you’re doing enamel, I mean enamel is good paint. It’s a thick paint, the enamel is a good cover-up paint like your body, your prep doesn’t have to get as tedious. It’ll fill up sand scratches a lot better than the base coat clear coat. 

You have a little bit more leeway, more play for error because it’s just a thick paint, it’ll cover everything literally. But if you’re going to be putting a clear coat on top of single-stage, you could mix it. You could do a clear coat on the last coat, just a clear coat, or you could mix 50:50 like have a quart of clear coat, mix a quart of your white single-stage, mix that together and then clear it. 

But if you’re gonna put in Pearl, why don’t you just do a base coat clear coat. That’s what I think. You could absolutely do pro in a clear coat over single-stage though if you want to go that route. It all depends.

QUESTION: ​What’s a good gun that sprays 4.5 CFM at 40 psi pretty much? What gun do you recommend to use with a 33-gallon compressor?

I think the ATOM, any of that low volume low pressure. ATOM spray guns will suit you well, and I don’t know what your budget is. But if you want to get a really good gun, I would definitely look into the ATOM X88 spray gun 

I sprayed a couple of projects with the X88 and so far I love it. Because you could see it sprays at a very low PSI like I sprayed the gate at 18 PSI and it was laying on very very nice.

And I think if I were to do a car, something I kind of up it a little bit to 22 to 24 PSI which is in the range of where you want to be when spraying single-stage, base coat, clear coat. You can up it up a little bit more 25-26 PSI but it consumes very low air.

QUESTION: So I just have to tack the car before spraying? After already spraying my first base coat that’s been sitting in the garage for a week. 

Yes, I would tack it and if it’s a wig you could just spray clear over it. if you have an extra base coat, I would tack it down, give it a fresh coat of base and then put your clear coat on top of it. You should be okay spraying clear coat right over that.

QUESTION: What primer gun would y’all recommend?

You don’t need to have the best gun. But like the ATOM X20 for my primers. It’s a solid build gun. It lays on primer really well. I use the X20s for my primer guns. I don’t want to go with anything cheaper than that because the fan patterns are nice and it lays on the paint really well. 

So I like the ATOM X20 (Low Volume Low Pressure). if you want to be shooting a base coat clear coat, I would get the (High Volume Low Pressure). But this gun here (from ZOOLAA) comes with the GunBudd Lightning system. And I think you get an additional 15% off that cart.

QUESTION: Here in Arizona we have a clear coat problem. Do you know which brand would be best?

I’m not sure what you mean by a clear coat problem. But I recently used Acme clear coat here from Sherman Williams. You could pick up a box, four-gallon kit for one-gallon kit for under 400 bucks. 

Literally, it’s a good clear. I sprayed the Honda Grom with it. And I let you know, I had the extra clear dry up and it’s still clear. Some cheap clears will turn yellow and you’ll have that yellow-tinged look to it. That’s really not a good clear coat when it’s yellow even if you mix it. 

But when it’s a clear coat like that, you know it’s a good brand. Well, it’s a good product. So definitely I would try one of those eBay, single-stage enamel kits.

I’ve tried them in the past and I haven’t had any issues, especially if it’s a car that you’re going to flip or something that you just want to attract or something you just want to get some paint on.

That’s what I’m actually planning on doing with this big-ass bus. I’m going to be getting cheap kits, I might be getting a white enamel kit, black enamel kit, and maybe color and we’re gonna three-tone this bus and make it look cool😎

QUESTION: What’s a better grit to paint over 400 or 600?

I like to use 400 because as you’re sanding, and as you’re using that 400 it’s going to turn to a like a 500 anyway, even a 600 if you keep on using it. So I like 400 hundreds of solid grit to paint over.

I’ve been doing it since back in the day. You know, that’s what I grew up on. And when I met Jon Kosmoski and we were hanging out in Dallas, he came to do a three-day event. I was there and we had a chat and he was recommended a 400 grit and this is the dude who created House of Kolor Paints. He’s like “400 grit is the best grit to paint over” and we agreed. 

I like 400 grit and I’ve been using it for over 15 years. People were thinking 600 grit, 800 grit too fine. With a single-stage, you could even go 360-320. You could paint over 320 grit with single-stage and it will cover. But for me, I just like to finish off with 400 no matter what I’m doing. Maybe I’ll go over a 380 if I’m rushing in. I just want to cut my primer down quick if I’m not spraying it a sealer. Hopefully, this helps guys. 

QUESTION: How many coats of clear is a good number? and how do you feel about spraying an extra clear coat over a single stage and if so would you shoot it wet or let it dry? Sand it with 800 then clear it?

How many coats of clear is a good number. I think two medium wet coat is good just like you would do single stage to medium wet coats. Your first coat is never going to look as good as the second coat. And if you lay your paint on well and you’re not afraid to put it on, sometimes you’re going to see an orange peel look on the paint. But you got to give it time to paint flows out. 

So that’s why you always want to use a slow reducer when doing complete paint jobs. If it’s super hot definitely, you want to use a slow reducer. And if it’s kind of chilly in the 70s I use the medium. If it’s chilly in this 65 to 75 I use a medium. Anywhere from 75 and higher, I like to use slow. 

Again, it all depends, but then how many coats? so two coats. If you’re doing custom, then you’re going to always put more, you’re always going to probably let that dry and flow coated, either you’re going to be putting candy on top of it or pearl or whatever you’re doing. 

I’m spraying clear over a single stage, I would just knock it out the same day, let your second coat of single-stage not harden, but tack up, tack-free. And then basically put your clear coat on top of it. You could also wait though you can also let it dry for two-three weeks. Whack it down with 800 grit and then just clear over the 800 grit.

QUESTION: ​If single-stage, what tip (since its base and clear together) and PSI at gun would you use?

You could use 1.3 or a 1.4 tip. Pretty much on all of my pain jobs, I use a 1.4. You could easily use a 1.3 for clear coats. It depends. Some people just use a 1.3 all-around, base coat clear coat. Some people use a 1.4. I just grew up and comfortable using a 1.4. I’m comfortable with the amount of paint coming out, in how it sprays. I like to have the options for the paint to really flow out if I wanted to.

I use 1.4 but that doesn’t mean I/you can’t spray with a 1.3 because you can. That’s the range you want to be, 1.3 or 1.4 for all-around automotive painting, no matter if it’s a base coat, clear coat. Mini flakes can come out of a 1.3 or 1.4, no problem. Just make sure you got no filter that will cause a flake blockage. So that means making sure that you have a neck filter in your gun and also if you’re using a PPS cup system, there’s no filter in there if you’re doing any type of custom candies or any custom painting. 

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Hope this helped you guys with your Auto Body works! Thank you! Mahalo! 🏝🚗

-TONY

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