If we are content with the sealed car, we are now ready to shoot paint. I will assume we are going to use single-stage paint, which I feel is the best for classic British cars. The product I use is catalyzed for durability and color-fastness, while still “looking right” on the car. [link to base-clear rant] We should know how much to mix, since we just shot one coat of sealer. In the case of a top-quality paint job, I plan on color-sanding and buffing the paint. In this case we will plan on removing about an entire coat of paint during that process. Single stage paint requires a minimum of two coats, up to four. I like at least 3 coats, so I plan on shooting four full-wet coats, over one dry one. Using these numbers, we mix, all at once, enough paint to do the whole shoot.
The first coat I put on is not a full-wet coat. I put a rather light coat all over the whole car. This will flash off more quickly than a wet coat and allow the subsequent coats to have something “sticky” to lay onto. After about 10 minutes, the first coat will have flashed off and I can begin laying on full-wet coats. The idea is to lay on as much paint as possible without causing a run or sag. This is done by careful application, watching the “wet line” ahead of the previous pass and spraying enough overlap so that there is a moving “front” of wet paint traveling across the car, rather like breaking rainstorm. This full-wet coat will take from 15 to 20 minutes to flash off.
When the previous coat is ready, a second full-wet coat can be laid on, the same as the first. This process is repeated twice more. By this time. The final color will be brilliant and glossy.
We now clean our paint gun, and set the booth fan on its lowest setting for an hour or so. Then we can shut it down for the night.
In the morning, the paint will have cured enough to touch, but is still soft enough to damage. Now we can inspect the paint job for any flaws. Knowing that I am going to sand the paint and buff it, I am not concerned with minor imperfections, such as orange peel, but I am looking for flaws that might take longer to fix, such as a sag or a speck of dust. Dust in the paint will look at this point to be an enormous flaw, sticking up like a little volcano. They are actually quite easy to remove with a razor blade, and will buff completely out. Sags or runs in the paint need to be taken off now, while they are still soft, with either a razor blade or a nib file. The idea is to remove as much of the flaw as possible, while leaving enough to sand flush. If not cut off, drips or sags will take longer to cure, and will not sand evenly. If we are happy with the finished product, and any flaws trimmed off, we can move the car out and do the same process on the doors, boot and bonnet, plus any other small items, such as hinges or brackets.