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Wet Look Clear - Hot or Mild?


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Returning to my WLC discussion, Bill, when you shot this hood, did you color sand the green prior to TWLC coat? I am currently testing getting the color dull up to about 4000 before shooting the clear. In the hope that I won't have to sand / polish the clear. You got that gloss level and hard reflections right out of can and I'd like to do that.

No sanding of the Duplicolor green. Actually, I got the green to slick out almost that good, but it didn't have that level of gloss.

Being a metallic / pearl, I didn't sand or polish at all pre-clear for fear of getting blotchy. Just gave it about ah hour or so and shot the clear.

There WAS some very minor blushing of the green, as I shot it on a quite humid day. I didn't do anything to correct it, as I learned long ago it would disappear on lacquer when cleared.

I just pulled the Olds build out and looked at the hood...there's been absolutely zero gloss dieback or shrinkage in, I think, over a year.

After that photo was taken, I DID sand and polish to see how it would look, and it's like glass. Still.

I''m impressed with that combination of materials.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
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No sanding of the Duplicolor green. Actually, I got the green to slick out almost that good, but it didn't have that level of gloss.

Being a metallic / pearl, I didn't sand or polish at all pre-clear for fear of getting blotchy. Just gave it about ah hour or so and shot the clear.

After that photo was taken, I DID sand and polish to see how it would look, and it's like glass. Still.

I''m impressed with that combination of materials.

I forgot that yours was metallic. Both of my colors are not so I work at getting them flat. That's very impressive results out of the can. Sometime, post a shot of it polished out here.

Snake, we do what works best for us. I learned on my 1:1 that there is benefit to color sanding non-metallics before clear for show-quality paint. The smoother that the substrates are, the harder the reflections of the top clears are. That paint is now 24 years old and street used but still looks like it just came out of the gun.

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I learned on my 1:1 that there is benefit to color sanding non-metallics before clear for show-quality paint. The smoother that the substrates are, the harder the reflections of the top clears are. That paint is now 24 years old and street used but still looks like it just came out of the gun.

Yup.  :D 

Orange peel or dry-spray on a solid color under the clear can definitely have an effect on how good the final finish looks. It can be a particular problem when doing a blend after repairs. Dry-spray under clear can cause a "halo" effect that makes the blend as visible as if you'd painted it with a roller.

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A further update;

I have drilled the trunk lid for the luggage rack feet. On a hunch, I took the lid's red down with several grits from 1200 to 4000, then shot the TWLC. As a further test, I took the trunk down as well.  I can emphatically say this; the clear imparts a 'brightness' to the color making it more vivid than the Duplicolor clear had previously done. The red is more vibrant with a 'crystal' look to it. Although all four fenders are done to Dupli clear (but not rubbed out yet) they are now distinctly different in coloration than the trunk. No problem because I will scuff the fenders and shoot two coats of WLC to even the look.

As Bill showed, the WLC also flowed out very well. I shot two coats with 2400 only between. It is smooth, flat and more glossy than the Dupli. I will not have to use polishing grits for the finish I want. It's not 'Oakland Roadster Show' finish but it is very good 1932 Rolls finish. I am most happy that it will work over both Kry and Dupli chemicals.

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