Michael,
I did a lot of research on paint before painting my own car. Laquer is
actually one of the easier paints to work with because you can correct
your goofs as you go along. The reason you see such a wide variation in
the number of coats is, once the car is prepped, you apply a thin coat,
let it dry, then apply another thin coat. Once that's dry you wet sand
with 400 paper. Repeat the process with another of these "double coats"
of paint. Then do the same 2 more times, but switch to 600 paper for the
wet sanding. I did 10 double-coats, or 20 actual coats, on my car. The
final coat can be sanded first, but I simply polished it out with a
medium, then a fine grade of polish. The result is a paint with a lot of
"depth" and no "orange-peel" at all. Over time you can restore the gloss
with polishing and waxing ( a good carnuba).
Other considerations: the body of the car must be in very good prep.
Even minor waves and repairs will show through. This is because the
paint does nothing to disguise problem areas. The building up process
and sanding does fill minor pits and scratches.
Once the body is as straight as possible, use a good sandable pimer
(after all bare metal has been "etched" & surface rust "killed", see
your paint store, phosphoric acid, I think). Put on a couple coats with
400 or 600 sanding in between. Then you need to put on a "sealer"
primer, there are different types for different top coats. Laquer is a
"hot" paint, meaning it will activate many other types of paints under
it. Not a good thing. Use a sealer. (Note: sealer does not refer to
preventing moisture from reaching the metal underneath. Most primers do
not seal out moisture. I wince when I see a primed car sitting outside
for any length of time, even in Calif.)
Finally, the finished paint job will be very hard over time. It is
easily chipped, but also easily filled and repaired. I am stripping my
20+ year old paint off now & having to use a paint remover to get
through the top coats (which are actually quite thin, after all the
"hand-rubbing"), even 40 grit paper hardly dents it. Once I'm into the
primer, I go back to sanding.
Because it's so hard, laquer can crack. (especially if your nephew let's
his 75 lb. dog sleep on the hood when you have the car covered up in
storage) Once it cracks, moisture can get under it & compound the
problem. Then the only solution is a bare-metal stripping and start from
scratch. Cracking can happen from lack of attention, too. Nearly
invisible pinholes in the paint allow water to get under & eventually
you've got problems. This is where a good carnuba wax comes in,
frequently applied, sealing up the paint.
Good luck. I suggest you go to the library and do some research. There
are lots of good publications on auto painting. Oh, and be prepared for
lot's of overspray and strong paint odors if you are doing this at home.
Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 #CT1702
fergie@ntplx.net wrote:
> How many coats of "hand-rubbed lacquer" is sufficient? Always heard
> about cars with 20-30 coats, but wondered if 8 was enough. Any
> opinions?
> Thanks.
>
> Michael Ferguson
> Vernon, CT
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MZ
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