Can Lacquer = Deep shine? Possible or not??

[Jay07]

Hey People!

Ive just finished respraying the repaired area on my bonnet and i was wondering is there any way of getting a deep shine using the spray can lacquer!?? I bought the paint from the stealers and it comes with the lacquer.

Obviously I dont expect to get it like it was out of the factory but Is there a method to getting the best out of the can stuff so it looks less Matt/cloudy??

Cheers

Jason

[harry_p]

yes it's possible to get a showroom quality finish from rattle cans, although it never seems to b as tough as proper paint so tends to need more regular polishing to stop it going dull.

firstly you need to make sure there's a nice thick layer of lacquer, and make sure it has set properly. i.e a week or so at a reasonable temperature.

also spray on a warm dry day, and try and protect from moisture for a good few hours after it has been painted or the finish may go milky.

then, if the finish has a lumpy / rippled finish, use some fine grit wet and dry paper (i tend to use 1200 or 1500 as it's all i can seem to find locally, 2000 grit would be better for finishing), allong with a bucket of waterand a good squirt of washing up liquid. it helps lubricate the paper so it glides over the paint. be carefull though as it's fairly easy to get a bit of grit under th epaper and start scratching, so keep the area wet and well rinsed.

now you'll probably have a smooth to touch, but cloudy to look at finish. it will need polishing with a proper polish rather than a wax.

for repairs / small areas, and using a hand finish rather than a machine polisher, i've still yet to find anything that works as well as good old fasioned T-cut. go for the standard finish stuff even on metallics as its slightly more abrasive, but the next step gets rid of any swirls it leaves.

then use a normal polish. something like autoglym super resin polish, and top off with a protecting wax if you wish.

i resprayed the rear door on the car bellow using a specially mixed colour aerosol and standard off the shelf halfords aerosol lacquer

[Jay07]

Wow harry now thats the kinda response i dream about getting!!
Your lying right that door was not done with cans!!!

Top Job my Friend!! I need to post up the pics of my spray job at some point! But not before i give it a few more coats looking at your results i definately didnt go the distance with it!

As far as the sanding goes i did pretty much what you said which is great news... so far i am really happy with the result was just hoping for a better lacquer finish, im working on the wing now!!

I need to get my hands on the polish... and ive always wanted to try t-cut but if heard some horror stories that put me off until now!

Thanks again Harry

J

[harry_p]

expect a tired arm, but have patience and it will be worth it. a lot of people who say you can't get a decent finish with cans is only saying so because they couldnt use them properly. the only real problem with t-cut is if you havent got enough paint on and / or you rub too hard over an edge, as it's quite easy to ub right through your fresh paint! i've also found it important to renew the cloth you're using to stop it getting clogged with onld tcut and lacquer. the real trick is not to try and use it like a wax. i tend to work on a foot square sort of area at a time. just keep rubbing and working the t-cut untill you can feel and hear the paint starting to smooth off. keep going and the t-cut will start to clear itself as the surface starts to get too slippery for it to stick to.

a lot of people rub it on quickly, then leave it to dry like a wax, which just leaves you with dry t-cut on a rough paint finish which is a complete nightmare to remove.

dug up a few more pics, first one is the first fitting of the door ( i bought a spare and painted that up, then swapped them over) the second is with the whole car rinsed and dried to compare the colour match.




actually, (and i shouldnt admit it) my metro got an ultra cheapo rattlecan full respray, simply not a car worth spending lots of money on. finish isnt perfect, i spent a lot less time on it than that lancia door.

first pic is just starting, you can see the roof is still blue, then part way through - sanding down the lacquer on the roof, bonnet wings doors etc already done, then a finished pic.

[m3ben05]

Sorry to go of topic, but i love that integrale! I know nothing about them - which version is yours?

Stunning work with the spraying btw

[harry_p]

cheers Ben

mines a normal integrale 16v (not an evo) but has a few evo bodywork bits - adjustable rear wing, bonnet and front lights.

owned it for 3 1/2 years now, and is the reason i knew i'd be able to cope with a lhd m3. awesome cars. feel a bit underpowered and understeery as standard, but a set of strut and diff braces and a chip will give 250+ bhp and get the chassis and diffs all working properly.

if you ever get the chance, take one for a spin. i don't know a single person who has been dissapointed after a drive, and you won't find any other car with power steering that has such amazing steering feel and feedback.

[Dannyboyb]

Haha the metro o' doom! How's the old girl going?

Cracking work harry, remember seeing the project thread as you did it

[march109]

Where is the thread on the metro of doom?

I'd love to see pics and a diar of the home spray job, If thats really done by a can then my hat off to you sir, I've seen bodyshops with worse work with the right tools! Thats awesome I'd love to do something similar.

[harry_p]

lol, it was on a thread i did on another forum. if i can find it i might copy it and put it in the pub talk section as it's definately not e30 related, and i don't want to spoil someone elses thread!