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I'm goinn to be painting my mirror caps tomorrow to match my truck. Anyone have any tips to make the paint look good and professional?
Make sure your work area is clean and dry, then right before you start to paint make sure you hose the area down to take care of any dust in the area. Use a good quality lint free tack rag to get the all of the dust/fibers from the scuffing process off of it. make sure you use a good stripping wash to remove any trace of wax. Paint won't stick well to wax. Make sure your prep is done right or it will look really bad. Use several light coats instead of a few heavy ones. Give the paint time to "flash over" before you hit with the next coat. That's when it's not wet but not dry. Read the paint instructions or recommendations for proper mix and average flash times. Then let it dry completely before handling it. We're talking hours, usually a couple but can be days, until the paint sets up and is safe to handle. Again check the paint manufacturers recommendations. Then you can do your wet sanding before you hit it with the clear coat if it's a two or a three stage paint. Use a good quality prep tools and paint or you will regret it. If it were me I'd check with the local body shops and see what they would charge you. Something that small usually isn't that much to do. I remember working with my dad at the Wilcoxson Buick, Cadillac and GMC body shop when I was a kid. He went to the GM body shop school when he got out of the Army way back when and he taught me. I still do some painting every now and again but just my own stuff. Barrett could point you to his guy. I've seen that work and it is nice. Abbeville isn't that far. Sorry for rambling but I still haven't slept yet stupid insomnia.
01-30-2014, 12:22 AM
