Questions Regarding Clearcoat

[Quick GMC]

I am painting Scale Finishes base coat over Tamiya primer. There are some small hairs and some dust fibers in the paint. If I pull some of these out, it will leave a little line where the hair pulled the paint out. They are very fine, thin fibers. I can wet sand the paint lightly to smooth everything out. My question is, when I clearcoat, as long as the surface is perfectly smooth, will these fibers stand out, or will they blend in under the clear?

Also, I am using Harley Davidson Sinister Blue. It is a dark blue, but it is very thin and takes many coats to cover the primer and get an even color. Because it's a flat basecoat, I can see some airbrush streaks on the roof in certain lighting, but it's more of the sheen than the color. When I hold the body under lighting to look at the color, it is uniform and has no light patches. When I clear, can I expect this effect to go away? 

[fseva]

I am painting Scale Finishes base coat over Tamiya primer. There are some small hairs and some dust fibers in the paint. If I pull some of these out, it will leave a little line where the hair pulled the paint out. They are very fine, thin fibers. I can wet sand the paint lightly to smooth everything out. My question is, when I clearcoat, as long as the surface is perfectly smooth, will these fibers stand out, or will they blend in under the clear?

Yes - they will show up and much more pronounced than mere dust. This is one of the problems I mentioned in a previous post about SF's metallics requiring filtering before use, due to an abundance of garbage in the paint.

Edited October 30, 2015 by fseva

[Quick GMC]

Yes - they will show up and much more pronounced that mere dust. This is one of the problems I mentioned in a previous post about SF's paint requiring filtering before use, due to an abundance of garbage in the paint.

It's not from the paint, it's from the air. It's on top of the paint, not "in" it. So far I have not had any issues with Scale Finishes when shaking or mixing properly. 

[fseva]

It's not from the paint, it's from the air. It's on top of the paint, not "in" it. So far I have not had any issues with Scale Finishes when shaking or mixing properly. 

I find that "fibres" carried in the paint work their way to the surface. I just sanded another one out today; and these do not look like human or animal hair. They remind me of metal shavings. Regardless, if your fibers are transparent, I still think you would see them even under a ton of clearcoat. 

Edited October 30, 2015 by fseva

[Quick GMC]

Yes - they will show up and much more pronounced that mere dust. This is one of the problems I mentioned in a previous post about SF's paint requiring filtering before use, due to an abundance of garbage in the paint.

If I had to filter paint, what would I use? Would a coffee filter work?

[Ace-Garageguy]

If I had to filter paint, what would I use? Would a coffee filter work?

A coffee filter will most likely strain out any metallic particles the paint is SUPPOSED to have, as well as extraneous trash.

Auto bodyshop-supply stores have specific filters made for paint that allow the metallic and pearl particles to pass, but catch the trash.

I've used stocking-pantyhose material successfully in the past, in a pinch.

[fseva]

If I had to filter paint, what would I use? Would a coffee filter work?

Go to Amazon and do a search for "paint strainers". 100-190 microns is what I chose. I was able to get 50 filters for a little less than $10. It was money well spent!

Edited October 30, 2015 by fseva

[Quick GMC]

Thanks for the info. I sanded the paint lightly with 4000 micromesh. It isn't flawless, but it is perfectly smooth. When I get it wet and look really close, I can see a few spots here and there that aren't 100%, but it's not something that will stand out and be glaringly obvious. At this point, it is ready for clear, but I will get some filters for the next build. 

[fseva]

Thanks for the info. I sanded the paint lightly with 4000 micromesh. It isn't flawless, but it is perfectly smooth. When I get it wet and look really close, I can see a few spots here and there that aren't 100%, but it's not something that will stand out and be glaringly obvious. At this point, it is ready for clear, but I will get some filters for the next build. 

You probably will not need to filter Testors or Tamiya lacquers (it you decant them). They must be filtered by the mfr before they're sold. And you may not need to filter solid colors of automotive paints (Scale Finishes, MCW, Duplicolor).