LOL.....Mazda 34K Crystal White Pearl!! I painted my 2011 ZX-10R in it last week (variant 1). You might want to add some matting base to the effect layer to get the pearl to be coarser. I didn't do it, but wished I had:
You can't base your opinion of a paint system on just one colour match. Where one colour might be great, another might be nowhere close.
DeBeer paint is regarded as 'bottom of the barrel' here, with most of the good shops using PPG, Standox and Glasurit.
I could be wrong, but DeBeer might be cheaper because they don't have as many tinters in their system, so there's colours are a 'closest match' based on that limitation.
Also, what sort of support are you going to get from the manufacturer? Read more...
if you add a hardener to a clear it cannot be used after a half an hour, because it starts to harden.
Well, thats not exactly correct. I am unaware of any catalysed clearcoat system that becomes unusable after 30 minutes!
Even using a PPG D863 accelerated hardener, my potlife is 3 hours at 20 degrees celcius. With normal hardener, it extends to 6 hours at the same temperature. Read more...
With deeper recesses, first, I'll shoot a tack coat in there and let it flash for 10min or so. Then, I will turn my fan in, fluid in and air pressure down slightly so that it becomes more of a narrow jet. Then, you squirt the clear in there with a medium-fast pass. Also, too much air pressure and you'll create positve pressure in the recess and the clear will bounce back against the wall of air, giving you a dry clear finish.
Test spray the jet on some paper first so you know how it's going to lay down. Even practice on some old bumpers first. You don't want runs on curved recessed surfaces!
I have a small air-powered 3" DA handheld sander, and I use that with the Farecla 1500 and 2000 discs, or the 3M Trizact discs in 2000 and 3000 grit. I also have a 3M hard block that I use with normal wet and dry paper. I always soak the paper in warm water for 30 min minimum before use, plus add a couple drops of liquid dish soap to the water. Read more...
As what Wydir wrote, suggest you consult the technical datasheet (TDS).
Typically, it's 2-3 coats with anywhere from 5-10 minutes flash off between coats. You need to choose the correct hardener and, if applicable also the reducer to suit the environmental conditions you are painting in. Sometimes, the flash off can be a lot longer than 10 minutes (if it's really cold and your panel temperature is low).
The above said, if you need to ask how many coats of clear, do you really have the skill to be clearcoating something? Read more...
Absolutely. I'd say it's a combination of the polishing system (incl. pads, compound and machines) and the technique.
Here's a '04 Maserati hood I refinished last week. The hood was denibbed with 2000 grit on a 3" DA sander, then hit with 3000 trizact on the same sander (wet, both times). I then used Farecla G6 Rapid on their 6" yellow pad at 1500rpm, finally followed up with Menzerna 106 Final Finish applied with a Cyclo dual head random orbital polisher and green pads. It looked this good in the booth, but when we took it outside, it popped even more! Read more...
I always use the Dupont Sontara wipes. They do a good job of getting the cleaner off the panel while not linting very much. I also always wipe with one rag and dry with another.
I concur that welding is the way to go, but I have had really good luck without welding.
First, I chamfer the top of the hole(s) back to bare metal with an angle grinder (just to make them a little low, and I'll feather out the surrounding area). I take an old drum of reducer, and cut the bottom out with tin snips, which I'll then cut into appropriate sized strips to cover the hole with about 0.75" overlap over the hole. I rough it with 80grit, and rough the backside of the panel too. I then use Lord Fusor 108B metal bondline adhesive which glues the two pieces together at weld strength. Let it cure, follow up with Kitten Hair filler, sand back, then finish with either U-Pol Fantastic, or Dolphin finish filler. Highfill and your done......ready for top coat.
