[net.auto.tech] Laquer vs. Enamel

rosberg@ihuxi.UUCP (Rosberg) (12/16/85)

Thanks to all the netters that reponded to my Saab oil problem...
it was the turbo. As the beast had 89,000 miles, and the struts
were shot, et al, we traded it in. Oh well, it was truly a
nice car, no drama at high speed, but it cost too much to 
maintain. I certainly won't be buying any more Saabs until
they get their prices buck down to the stratosphere. The turbo
5-door is a sweet machine, biut 23,0000? come on.

Anyway, it is now time to paint the other four-wheeler in the
family, the '66 GTO...

Through a friend, I can get the whole shot (paint, reducer, primer
sealer and color coats) free, so long as it is enamel.
I've heard that with enamel, though, what you spray is
what you get, i.e., not wet sanding of color coats, no 
rubbing out to improve the finish. I've paint four or five cars 
before, but always used laquer. I like the ability to "improve"
the paint-job after the fact, and m curious to know
if youp can, in fact, sand and rub-out an enamel finish.

Thanks for your help.

John Rosberg
AT&T Bell Labs--Naperville
ihuxi!rosberg

ksbszabo@watvlsi.UUCP (Kevin Szabo) (12/17/85)

Get Acrylic Enamel with catalyzing hardener.  The `King of Paints' according
to my book on bodyworking.  You can also wet-sand this enamel if you
make a run, but it is not necessary to colour sand to get a nice shine.

Regular synthetic enamel is difficult to wet sand because it
takes almost a month to fully cure.  Regular enamel is also a little
hard to work with because it goes on wet and stays wet for nearly
12 hours.  Any dust in the atmosphere will end up on your paint job,
so leave it in the paint booth over-night. (Do NOT drive the car home
the same day; it makes a mess out of the paint).

I did all the bodywork on my wife's car and then took it to a body-shop
for the paint job.  I gave it to him sanded and masked, he gave it back
to me painted in acrylic enamel.  I am very satisfied with the quality
of the paint.  The price for paint & labour was $175.

Acrylic Enamel is also a `tougher' paint; it stands up a little better
to stone chips, weather, etc.

				Kevin
-- 
Kevin Szabo' watmath!watvlsi!ksbszabo (U of W VLSI Group, Waterloo, Ont, Canada)

marc@haddock.UUCP (12/19/85)

Remember that it is strongly recommended that unless you are going to strip
all of the paint off the car that you paint over the top of it with whatever
is already there (ie. enamel on enamel, laquor on laquor).

Personally I prefer to spray laquor for the reason that you stated, wet
sanding, dry sanding, and compounding are all recommended. With laquor, what
you are spraying is all of the coats at once (not including the primer).
Therefore any sanding or compounding will only result in a duller looking
paint (you scratch and remove the clear layer). I have known some people
which have been able to get away with using an extreemly fine paper and
wet sanding enamel (800-1000 grit and alot of it).

I recommend that the car be striped and built back up with laquor, if you
feel that it is really worth doing a good job.

-- Marc, WB1GRH

marc@haddock.UUCP (12/19/85)

/* Written  8:48 pm  Dec 18, 1985 by marc@haddock in haddock:net.auto.tech */

> Personally I prefer to spray laquor for the reason that you stated, wet
> sanding, dry sanding, and compounding are all recommended. With laquor, what
                                                                  ^^^^^^

OOPS! I REALLY MENT TO SAY ENAMEL!

-- Marc, WB1GRH

ksbszabo@watvlsi.UUCP (Kevin Szabo) (12/20/85)

In article <105200001@haddock.UUCP> marc@haddock.UUCP writes:
>Remember that it is strongly recommended that unless you are going to strip
>all of the paint off the car that you paint over the top of it with whatever
>is already there (ie. enamel on enamel, laquor on laquor).

You can paint enamel over laquer without any problems, unfortunately
the thinners in laquer will cause enamel to lift; hence you cannot paint
over enamel with laquer unless you use a sealant (check with your auto-paint
shop).  Acrylic Enamel is a really nice paint which doesn't need to be
colour sanded or polished.  It is also a lot tougher than Laquer.

>I recommend that the car be striped and built back up with laquor, if you
>feel that it is really worth doing a good job.

I think stripping and repainting is only justified when:

	a) The paint already on the car is of extremely low quality
	   (cracked, peeling)

	b) You want to make a show-car.

	c) You are doing a ground-up total restoration

Most people who strip a car's paint end up wishing they hadn't.
Quite often there is good bodywork underneath the paint; the stripping
action destroys it.

	Kevin Szabo'
-- 
Kevin Szabo' watmath!watvlsi!ksbszabo (U of W VLSI Group, Waterloo, Ont, Canada)

garyw@ihu1h.UUCP (Whalen) (12/23/85)

> In article <105200001@haddock.UUCP> marc@haddock.UUCP writes:
> >Remember that it is strongly recommended that unless you are going to strip
> >all of the paint off the car that you paint over the top of it with whatever
> >is already there (ie. enamel on enamel, laquor on laquor).
> 
> You can paint enamel over laquer without any problems, unfortunately
> the thinners in laquer will cause enamel to lift; hence you cannot paint
> over enamel with laquer unless you use a sealant (check with your auto-paint

   You can paint over acrylic enamel after it has cured or if has been
factory oven-baked. I have done so many times.
						Gary Whalen
						Bell Labs
						Naperville, IL

garyw@ihu1h.UUCP (Whalen) (12/23/85)

> 
> 
> Remember that it is strongly recommended that unless you are going to strip
> all of the paint off the car that you paint over the top of it with whatever
> is already there (ie. enamel on enamel, laquor on laquor).
> 
> Personally I prefer to spray laquor for the reason that you stated, wet
> sanding, dry sanding, and compounding are all recommended. With laquor, what
> you are spraying is all of the coats at once (not including the primer).
> Therefore any sanding or compounding will only result in a duller looking
> paint (you scratch and remove the clear layer). I have known some people
> which have been able to get away with using an extreemly fine paper and
> wet sanding enamel (800-1000 grit and alot of it).

   I feel that you are mistaken. The fact that you have to buff lacquer
is due, in part to the painting process. The uneven "flashing" of
the thinner causes blushing to take place. I like to paint with lacquer
too but lets not lose site of reality. What determines the amount of
gloss or shine is how smooth the paint is (along with buffing). You
can paint the car with DUPONT's acrylic enamel (CENTARI). This paint
can be color sanded and buffed and it looks good. It also allows you
to do striping or two-toning in the same day(after approximately 4
hours). You mentioned 800-1000 grit paper----3M makes a ultra-fine paper
that is 1200 grit. You won't have to use alot if you add a little dish-
washing soap to the bucket of water you are dipping your paper in. I
have painted with both lacquer (including candy and pearl) and
acrylic enamel. I like them both but feel the enamel gives you more
durability which is important if your car is an everyday driver(read
that salt in the wintertime).
						Gary Whalen 
						Bell Labs 
						Naperville, Il.
						

ronc@fai.UUCP (Ronald O. Christian) (12/26/85)

How about Urethene?  Will it go over either laquer or enamel, or
do you have to strip the previous paint off first?

A related question:  What do you use, if anything, to paint those
plastic bumpers you see nowdays?  My own feeling is that any paint
you use on those parts would have to be very elastic to keep from
flaking off.

Any opinions?

				Ron
-- 
--
		Ronald O. Christian (Fujitsu America Inc., San Jose, Calf.)
		ihnp4!{pesnta,qubix}!wjvax!fai!ronc

Oliver's law of assumed responsibility:
	"If you are seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it."

ksbszabo@watvlsi.UUCP (Kevin Szabo) (12/30/85)

In article <44@fai.UUCP> ronc@fai.UUCP (Ronald O. Christian) writes:
> How about Urethene?  Will it go over either laquer or enamel, or
> do you have to strip the previous paint off first?

Don't know the answer to that one ... ask a local paint shop
or the supplier who sells the urethene.

> A related question:  What do you use, if anything, to paint those
> plastic bumpers you see nowdays?  My own feeling is that any paint
> you use on those parts would have to be very elastic to keep from
> flaking off.

Apparently there exists a 'flex agent' which, when added to paint,
makes it flexible enough to go over the plastic trim.

I suggest you buy a cheap 'how-to' bodyshop manual from your
local bookstore.  These books usually contain a generous dose
of basic info.  The info will probably be of higher quality than
that found on the net :-)

	Kevin Szabo'

-- 
Kevin Szabo' watmath!watvlsi!ksbszabo (VLSI Group, U. of Waterloo, Ont., Canada)

garyw@ihu1h.UUCP (Whalen) (01/03/86)

> 
> How about Urethene?  Will it go over either laquer or enamel, or
> do you have to strip the previous paint off first?
Dupont makes "IMRON" polyurethane that is designed to be used as a top-
coat for enamels. For years many people, including myself, have been
using "IMRON" to topcoat over custom "lacquer" paint jobs also. Now,
Dupont has come up with a clear polyurethane (580-S) that is made
to be used over lacquer. I just painted my truck with black lacquer
(Dupont's Diamond Black), striped it in lacquer, then cleared the whole
truck in 580-S. I like the product and feel it is the answer to many
problems with custom paint jobs that have to withstand harsh
climates.
					Gary Whalen
					Bell Labs,
					Naperville, Il.
> 
> A related question:  What do you use, if anything, to paint those
> plastic bumpers you see nowdays?  My own feeling is that any paint
> you use on those parts would have to be very elastic to keep from
> flaking off.
> 
> Any opinions?
> 
> 				Ron
> -- 
> --
> 		Ronald O. Christian (Fujitsu America Inc., San Jose, Calf.)
> 		ihnp4!{pesnta,qubix}!wjvax!fai!ronc
> 
> Oliver's law of assumed responsibility:
> 	"If you are seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it."

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