Hello,

I'm looking for a bit of advice from those of you who use 2K paint. Dont want to sound cocky by what the title says, I just dont want any "Just use spray can from Halfords" comments.

I have painted various bits of my my98 classic to resolve some imperfections (Skirts, rear door, front/rear bumpers etc) with really good results from single pack acrylic. Now, I have no problem with achieving a good finish but I have issues with this type of paint.

1) Bugs mark the paint
2) It chips really easy
3) It dulls off and requires buffing far too often

So, I want to use 2k to stop the above from happening. So the basecoat will be the same? so I assume its only 2k laquer I need.

What do I need to buy?
What breathing equipment do I need?
Whats the laquering technique?

Any help would be great.

Cheers,

Wayne.

 

no its not just the same basecoat..

I use..

2k filler primer (by U-pol)
Lechler (SP) basecoat with same make hardner.. or 'Hartner' as seems to be what they call it

I tend to use two to three light coats of basecoat.. too heavy and the metallic pigment will run of the panel.. or look wierd.. even if its a dusty even coat the lacquer hides it..

then two to three coats of decent quality 2k lacquer (I use Upol or have used standox, prefer u-pol) and activator / hardner!!, dont use cellulose laquers as they go brown / orange etc..

the lacquer is where the skill shows.. I can do it so it doesnt need compounding / flatting.. some people make a right mess..

Aerosols are ****.. fact.

breathing equiptment.. either big ***** or an airfed mask with carbon filters, (these need a big compressor) and can be had from machinemart.. 2k paint contains isocyanates (sp) which aint good.

Lacquering technique is the same as paint, however its harder to see due to being clear.. just ensure panel is clean, dry, pressure is correct (circa 30psi, depending on gun) fan width is correct etc..

paint wet line, overlap by 50%, start and stop off panel.. run down the panel, keeping gun parallel..

If the paint chips off.. then your prep was poor.. and thats it basically..

clean with a scotchbrite.. then degrease.. (panel wipe)

Plastic primer, then possibly a normal primer, then basecoat, then lacquer.

David

 

David,

Cant believe I have never bothered to use 2k before. Just done one of my spare wheels and it looks the dogs mate!!

I'm now looking at painting everything I can!!! Just love it!!

I did get a mask and made an extraction system for our old fellas garage and all seems to be well, cough, cough.

Many thanks for your guidance mate.

Wayne.

 

David,what can you do if you get a bit of crap or dust etc in the base coat? can you flat down again then clear coat or will i have to repaint base coat before applying the clear

 

Can only back up what David has already said to be honest, but must stress that 2k paint must be treated with caution. As David says, it contains isocyanates. For those that don't know/understand what this means, basicly it is cyonide. A VERY strong substance. You WILL need an air fed mask, although there are carbon filter masks available which you can use but you must change the filters every 20 mins (or less).
2K Paints acheive amazing results over cellulose/synthetic etc, but please be aware that you need to use the propper equipment. It really is deadly stuff and your average Joe public doesn't realise this. Sorry for the lecture but I've used this stuff for years and I know what it can do!

 

Done quite a bit of 2k spraying over the years and have picked up many tips along the way. Here are he main things i discovered about using 2k paints. The basecoat is the most important as once its covered by the clearcoat what you see is what you get,yes you can flat the base coat before you apply the clearcoat but make sure you use a very fine 1200 paper to finish it off with, ive even buffed the basecoat till it was shiny and then applied the clearcoat. Its nice when you get a good finish on your clear coat but if you dont its not the end of the world, most important tool ive ever bought is professional buffer (looks like a big angle grinder but runs much slower) the cheap buffers with the handles at either side are total crap and should be avoided, you can cut back your clearcoat with 1200 paper and then buff it till its like glass, it takes a long long long time to polish 2k clearcoat by hand after youve rubbed it down but with a buffer and some g3 finishing compound it takes minutes. I generaly give the paint 3-4 days to go good and hard before i put the buffer on it that way you dont have to worry as much about going through or burning the laquer (make sure you use plenty of water while your buffing, i use a house plant sprayer filled with mild soapy water and constantly spray the panel thats being buffed) . End result is a paint job better than the factory finish (not hard these days). Practice makes perfect and 2k makes it even easier. Do get a mask though as i made myself very very ill once by not using a mask.

 

Some very good words of advice. I hope my "cough, cough" wasnt taken the wrong way.

I bought a good quality mask from a place called Regency that supply all sorts of masks. I bought a SARI, full face mask and some SCOTT P3 Filters to use with it, after speaking to SCOTT, in Finland of all places. £150 the lot.

I never used 2k paint before for the reasons stated above and dont think that painting an entire car with the breathing mask I have is do-able. Small parts and panels in a well ventilated area are ok.

Better safe than sorry

http://www.regency-uk.com

http://www.regency-uk.com/html/scott_full___half.html