How do I get a mirror finish?

[slamdunk]

I spray my cars with auto paint in a rattle can. I can get a reasonable finish using these, especially if I finish with a lacquer spray and cut back using cutting compound. But how can I get a mirror like finish, especially over contours? I get scare having tried to cut these areas by gentle rubbing using a cloth and taking the spray back to the primer on the edges. As you can see on my other posts in the "under glass" section, the large areas look OK, but the fenders look orange peeled.

Please tell me your secrets!!

Slam

Edited October 30, 2008 by slamdunk

[Pete J.]

I spray my cars with auto paint in a rattle can. I can get a reasonable finish using these, especially if I finish with a lacquer spray and cut back using cutting compound. But how can I get a mirror like finish, especially over contours? I get scare having tried to cut these areas by gentle rubbing using a cloth and taking the spray back to the primer on the edges. As you can see on my other posts in the "under glass" section, the large areas look OK, but the fenders look orange peeled.

Please tell me your secrets!!

Slam

Piece of cake actually Well not really. It is a 5 step process.

Step 1: Lay down the clear in very thin layers and build up enough to start sanding and rubbing. How much? Well that comes from experience. Most people will tell you enough.

Step 2: level the paint. Get a very fine sanding stick and wet sand it until you have a very even surface. THe key to getting a mirror finish is getting a perfectly level surface. Otherwise you get uneven reflection which destroys the illusion of the finish.

Step: 3 Start sanding with progressively finer sanding media. I prefer Micromesh sanding pads but anything with a fine enough grain will work. I start with 3600 grit and go through the grits to 12000. Get rid of the scratches completely from each sanding before moving on to the next level.

Step: 4 Now start with the polishing pastes. I use both Novus # 3 and Tamiya fine polish. Take a clean cloth (an old t shirt will do fine) and gently polish the final scratches out of the finish. I also use a cloth wheel in my Dremel tool but that is very dangerous for a novice. Easy to burn through. Not recommended.

Step: 5 Finish it off with a good wax. There are a lot of them, but I use Pledge in the non-aerosol version. Works for me.

General tips : Mask off the edges. Paint naturally recedes from edges and is thinner. By masking off about 1/32" of an inch will keep you from sanding through. That last little bit doesn't need the full treatment, just the final polishing. Stay away from things sticking out. Those burn through equally badly.

Before you start all this, make sure the paint is well cured. 24 hours minimum and in some cases two to three weeks. Doing it too soon will just create a mess.

Get an old body and practice. When you are done, practice some more. That way you won't screw up your masterpiece.

This takes time to learn but the learning curve is pretty steep so it won't take you long and you will have exactly what you are looking for.

Good Luck

Pete J.

Edited October 30, 2008 by Pete J.