Paint Your Wagon - with a roller!

[gaz f]

Looks like you've done a really good job there Martin, are you planning on a 4th coat then cutting/polishing or are you (understandable!) happy with it as it is?

[catflaps]

Hello,

The light blue is veyr nice I'm going to start my next coat this weekend but first would like a bit of advice on tidying up the window rubbers. In places I got a small amount of paint leaking through the masking onto them and i'm looking for the best method to remove without bodging the whole thing. It's definitely a big giveaway to a DIY job!
thanks,
Cat

[CovKid]

Ok, here goes. Firstly, don't do around windows with a heavily saturated roller. I tend to do those just after doing a panel, that way you have just enough to paint without bleeding. Secondly, once its dry, you can use a stanley knife (dragging blade across rather than into rubber) to remove any paint. We cover this kind of thing in the new video too.

[catflaps]

Cheers! Yes i realised the saturated roller issue but only after i'd made the mistake I'll use this method to tidy it up this evening. thanks a lot

[martin t25]

Looks like you've done a really good job there Martin, are you planning on a 4th coat then cutting/polishing or are you (understandable!) happy with it as it is?

yes 4th coat then a bit ot smooth hammerite i found in the shed for the door handles

[Cruz]

On the subject of foam brushes. I have never seen them in any poundshop I have been in over the last 2 years. I go in any I pass up and down the country on my travels. I got mine from fleabay.

I wish they did the mini rollers with rounded ends on both sides but you can't have everything I suppose

[boatbuilder]

Just a question about the hardness of this paint guys. I got mine in the post and painted a bit on the lid of the tin about a week ago... I had a look at it today and I can easily make a mark in it with my fingernail..... does it get much harder?

[CovKid]

Week nowhere near enough. Paint (almost any type but particularly car paint) takes at least a month to harden (sometimes sooner if it gets baked by the sun). This is why I specify in the WIKI that you shouldn't be trying to sand paint a week later.

So yes it does get harder but needs time to do that. It'll skin enough for it to be driven, but proper curing always takes time.

[HarryMann]

Needs being outside in fresh air and some sun to speed it up a bit, nor is the lid a particualrly good surface unless you flatted it down.

Rustoleum figures?
2-3 hours to skin/touch (rain + drive OK. 'cept)
4-8 hours to handle
16 hours to overpaint (no flatting)

My guess:
3- 4 hot dry days (Min) to flat with wet and dry 320/400 ish
(being careful not to clog/drag/burn)

Author says:
A month to cut and polish nicely ???

=====

I've just dry sanded a small locker door after 48 hours or so from 1st coat, but it's had some good sun and a hot air gun for half and hour (50~60C surface temp)

I used 240 dry but very high quality 3M paper, vacuuming surface and paper frequently, as soon as paper was blocking...

I only did this as it was a bad coat of paint with air bubbles and not covered well enough, so I wanted to get another coat on fast... (240 went through topcoat in a lot of places, I didn't just lightly dress it, I wanted 95% well back to flat)
If not careful you would always damge paint/blur thocker buildups doing this so soon.

4 hot days with a 320 or finer wet and careful flatting is probably the minimum to retain a good coat and go forward. I got a good flat surface and a good second recently doing that...

Authors say they sometimes whack a second coat on (to get more coverage) within same day... ?

[CovKid]

Would agree with above but when you get baking sun, the whole scenario changes. What I would say, is don't paint on very hot days, even if its great for drying. Elevated temperatures also (unfortunately) inhibit the 'flow' period (ie the few minutes needed for Rustoleum Combicolor to level out) and you can soon end up with a 'powdery' surface that gives you major orange peel. This is why I strongly recommend April/May (again see WIKI) to do this job. If Rob and I have to paint on particularly warm days, we add more thinners and turn the side we're working on away from the sun. If the position of the sun doesn't allow for this, we wait until the sun has moved or get in the shade somehow.

My instructions are based on the April/May period where its not cold but is often slightly overcast and in my view the beszt conditions under which to paint, plus its a low dust and insect count during those months. In an ideal world you want overcast to paint then the sun (right on que) to come out and bake it dry, but its sods law you won't get that. This is another reason why a fixed ratio of paint to thinners just isn't possible and indeed why drying times are not written in stone.

I'll be adding a short clip from the new video which shows a completely flatted, cut and polished rear quarter panel to youtube in next few minutes. It demostrates the finish possible if you get stuck in. Will paste link when its live. Basically the DVD is split into introduction, prep, masking, painting, finishing, along with various tips such as how to handle awkward areas and ways to avoid problems. For those scared to jump into this project, the new detailed video will prove invaluable.

And yes you can get a second coat on same day, but we've got rather good at judging just when we can do that. Get the timing wrong or not understand the properties of the paint, and you'll get artex.

[HarryMann]

And yes you can get a second coat on same day, but we've got rather good at judging just when we can do that. Get the timing wrong or not understand the properties of the paint, and you'll get artex.

Don't think I'd risk that on anythibng than a small panel

[CovKid]

You can only do it where you've turned the panel to the sun for an hour, and even then you have to work quickly.

However, heres a clip from the final chapters of the new video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYIEAEHnomU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[gaz f]

What was it that was sprayed on?

[CovKid]

That was a canuba wax-based polish to finish. Won't mention brand but quite a few of these treatments shown on shopping channels. Repels road tar and allegedly, the work of graffiti artists when not wanted.

[gaz f]

Makes sense now..