Help With Black Paint Job

[929nitro]

Is there a trick to getting a real deep black finish or is it just the paint you use. I won't a high gloss Black for my sons 90 vette but want it to look like there is depth to it. Any help would be appreciated.

[jrm747]

usually its good clear coat. and if i want straight black, i use straight black. most all colors out there have something mixed in it. in other words, white just isnt white paint. it will have yellow, transparent black, green, etc in it to make it a certain tone of white. the only color i have on my system that i can pour straight from the can is black. it takes nothing else.

now, some of the guys on here may know better than i do, but i would say use straight black, and a good clear coat. i have heard you can put 2-3 good coats of clear on, let that cure for a while, then prep it all again and hit it with another 2-3 coats to build depth. they said it builds depth, but i have never tried it. seems like too much work to not know if it will add more effect or not. i have used a good single stage black before and on my last two coats mixed 50/50, mixed single stage/ clear, and it came out really nice. but you have to find a single stage that shares the same activator and reducer.

but like i said, some of the other guys on here may know a better way than what i described

[DUB]

Originally Posted by jrm747

usually its good clear coat. and if i want straight black, i use straight black.

now, some of the guys on here may know better than i do, but i would say use straight black, and a good clear coat. i have heard you can put 2-3 good coats of clear on, let that cure for a while, then prep it all again and hit it with another 2-3 coats to build depth. they said it builds depth, but i have never tried it.

The more clear coat...the more depth. BUT it comes at a price. Not only costing more....taking more time because your prep work when it comes to applying more clear on top of the cured clear is CRITICAL for proper paint adhesion.

Not only that but you have to worry about the rear bumper where it mounts to the rear clip...because you CAN NOT ( or should not) do this with the bumper attached without running into a possible "bridging" of paint/clear from one panel (rear bumper cover)to the other (rear clip) due to the fit being quite precise and tight. AND if you remove the cover and paint/clear the mounting flanges on the rear clip and rear cover...the excessive coats of clear will create such a build that when you go and install the rear bumper cover to the rear clip...that clear will "moosh-out" over time due to still being soft...and not yet totally cured....and create a buldge that will crack off in time when it cures due to it delaminating from the panel(s).

When I do custom jobs on Corvettes ...it is balancing act for me due to the "school of hard knocks" has taught me where and what to do so I can apply several coats (4-6) of clear so I can bury my designs and or metalflake or whatever and not have problems due to these excessive coats of paint and/or clear.

This is also CRITICAL when it comes to re-installing the outside door mirrors because they directly bolt to the door. There are tricks there also that prevent the "mooshing effect". The antenna bezel for some years is also an issue where the antenna has to be tight to hold its position...but yet not so tight that it causes the clear to come out from under it and "buldge" and create a slight wrinkle.

Also remember...when you have a paint job that is thicker in film thickness that a normal paint job....even if you use flex-additive or not in the clear coat for your urethane bumpers.....the paint has a higher than normal chance of chipping easily due to this excessive film thickness. And when it chips..and it will...unless you do not drive it....the depth of the chip is quite extreme and is really "fun" to repair and not be noticable when completed.

Welcome to my world....and when it comes to doing a custom job...many of the rules get thrown out the window or have to be SERIOUSLY fine tuned due to the numerous coats of product that require a different standard of respect and understanding. That is why custom work is so much highe rin cost than factory style re-paints.

A lot of times for me...as long as the body is straight and the clear is very slick and has no texture...a black paint job looks awesome....and the owners or others do not notice the depth...just how sratight and slick it is. Looking much like you dipped it in "baby oil"

Best of luck in your decision.
"DUB"

[Alex/plus]

'MAN' Dub.....That info. is priceless !!

[markids77]

Depth and reflectivity are largely dependent on the straightness and smoothness of the surface. Clear may slightly enhance the reflected light... definitely will for metallics, but the real key to a deep "mirror image" paint job lies in the final surface. If the body is laser straight and the paint surface is absolutely flat and polished to perfection, even a Krylon job can look two feet deep. Well, maybe not a rattlecan job, but most any true automotive finish. The best black paint job I ever saw for depth and reflection was an acrylic lacquer on a real Cobra owned by a doctor friend of mine... no clear just obsessive attention to detail from first sight to last microfiber polishing stroke. You could read a magazine page in full sun from the reflection.

[929nitro]

Thanks for the info guys.

[DUB]

Originally Posted by Alex/plus

'MAN' Dub.....That info. is priceless !!

Thanks. and I PAID DEARLY for that knowledge...not only in time to re-work my work...but also the cost of materials....and also taking a "hit" on my reputation. Very humbling to say the least. But at least the problem was found and a solution was put into place to keep it from happening again.
"DUB"

[joshwilson3]

What are you guys using for primer/sealer on a C4? I need to get mine sanded down and painted. Or do you just spray the base coat without a sealer/primer?