Ghost stripes and hard lines.

RobS

New member
G'Day, Today I had a go at painting some ghost stripes using the "paint conditioner" method. They came out too dark and solid so I'm assuming I used too much flattener. (my fault) Three other things have me concerned though. 1. How long should I wait for the base coat to dry before I start masking ? I am using Glasurit 55 line paints.
2. I want to get a good finish. ( I saw a you-tube clip saying to put down 5 clear coats to allow safe cut back ) Glasurit recommend 2. On my test panel I tried 3 coats and got runs after the paint started to flow out. The recommended flash time is 2 - 3 minutes. Obviously this is just to allow the paint to flow. How long could I leave the wet clear coat to set before I add extra coats without getting a build up or frying , in the corners etc ?
3. With my masked line I seemed to get a very fine dark line between the two shades. The "level" between them is negligible ...Clear filled it easily. I'm using 3M fine line tape.........The House of colour recommendation was to clear coat, clean up all nibs & runs, rub with 800 - 1500 then respray with clear again. I can do this, its time consuming and labour intensive but it's only one job on my car. How long after you spray and dry before you hit it with clear again ? Too much you-tube and too many opinions.
 

chopolds

Member
Sorry, I'm not familiar with the term "paint conditioner" method. Also, why are you putting flattener in the paint for a ghost effect?
As for your other questions, I don't use Glasurit, but whenever I do use an unfamiliar paint, I follow the tech sheet instructions. You can get tech sheets where you buy your paint, they have more detailed instructions than the side of the can. Especially dry time, tape off time, and flash coat time (2-3 minutes seems WAY too fast!)
I usually wait about 10-15 minutes between coats, but always check the paint before doing so. I stick my finger on a masked off area, close to the paint. If it's wet, wait! If it's almost dry, but still a bit sticky, GO.
I usually put 4 coats of House of Kolor clear as a final finish. That's enough to sand and buff it in the end. But different brands have different solids content, so go by the instructions. Put an extra coat or 2 on if your painting techniques aren't the greatest, or if you get runs. Now you have enough extra to sand and buff.
When doing mask offs under clear, try to keep the amount of paint thickness to an absolute minimum. Just enough to get complete coverage. Too much paint film thickness, or a dirty edge will give you a dark, or too defined line.
The HOK suggestion is if you want the job to look great, and possibly not need a sand and buff afterwards. It can be done, but I never bother. The paint usually shrinks and dulls a bit anyway, plus get a bit of dust nibs, so I always sand and buff for a perfect finish.
 

RobS

New member
Paint conditioner is another name for Flattening base, Flattener. Adding 10% to an already mixed base makes the flakes lay a different way...the stripe is very faint.
I have downloaded all the tech sheets from Glasurit...the 2 - 3 minutes is the recommended flash time with normal hardener for the clear coats. Like you said..waiting 10 - 15 minutes is what I used to do with acrylic lacquer. I'm not too familiar with two pack paint techniques. Glasurit are pretty secretive as well...They want you to attend one of their 3 week courses.
What I've learnt from my previous job yesterday. Is to treat it exactly like acrylic lacquer.
I'm still not sure about how long I can leave the basecoat to dry before I start masking for stripes. The tech sheet says 10 mins. at 20 deg C or till flat before clear ...I waited 25 mins and that seemed to be ok. It took about a further 10 mins to lay the tape and masking.
Thanks for your reply. Every bit of info helps.
 
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