I PMed Daylite on some painting help an here's what I got back.
Hey Mike,
First my disclaimer. I am a hobbyist who continues to learn by trial and error. There are certainly more experienced painters out there who have different opinions and undoubltably better practices than me.
That being said, I'll try and answer your questions below.
Q. I want to remove all of my old paint. Do I simply grab some 400 and go to work on it to remove it?
A. Removing ALL the old paint seems like a lot of extra work. I usually just do my best to make sure everything is sanded and scuffed up and smooth. But if you are intent on really removing everything, you might want to use a vibrating sander and a sanding block. Not seeing (and feeling) your hull it's hard to tell you what grit to use. you may want to use something a little grittier than 400 if you have some edges to smooth out, then go back with 400 to sand out the scratches. Just be careful with power tools, they can burn through a paint job and into the fiberglass pretty quick.
Q. Would this be a dry sand or wet?
A. It could be either. Wet sanding tends to make paper last longer because the water cleans out the paper and helps it from clogging things up. Try both and see what works for you.
Q. Can I use a small orbital sander or should I do it by hand with a sanding block or by hand with the sheet-in-hand only?
A. Real painters say to always use a sanding block because your fingers will run grooves into what ever you are sanding. And again, power tools are helpful, but can take too much off if you aren't careful.
Q. To wetsand with soapy (Dawn) water, do I put the mix in a sprayer and spray a section while I sand it or do I dunk the sandpaper in a small bowl of soapy water? How much water do I use?
A. I have a 5 gal bucket that I fill 3/4 full with a good squirt of dawn in it. You want to be able to put the sand paper in there to clean it off so a good amount of water in the bucket is a good idea. I'll use a sponge or green pad to get some extra water in areas that I want it or to wash off the "dust".
Q. You wipe it down with laquer thinner. How do you apply the thinner? Do I put the thinner in a sprayer and spray it on and wipe it off or simply dab some on a cloth?
A. I use the laquer thinner as my degreaser and final cleaning solution. I just get a paper towel wet and wipe everything down. Think of it like using a squeegy.
There are lint free cloths out there that can be used for this too. A wet paper towel has worked for me.
Q. The bottom of the hull has numerous scratches. Do I load up on coats of epoxy primer or go with a feather fill primer, fogging coat, and 320?
A. I have stopped painting the bottom of hulls because they'll get scratched again. It may be worth using a body filler on some of the deeper scratches. A filler primer would work well too. You could brush on a gelcoat too, gelcoats are pretty thick.
Q. What degreaser do you use?
A. laquer thinner works pretty nice. I am sure there are other things out there, but it works for me.
Q. How long do I let the base coat dry before I go to clearcoating?
A. Base coats should dry pretty fast, all depending on how fast the reducer flashes. They are a one part paint like rattle can paint so dry is dry, you don't need to wait for a chemical reaction to finish before painting over the top.
Q. Do I wetsand the basecoat prior to clearing? How many coats of base?
A. No, don't sand the basecoat. How many coats? enough to cover and show a solid color I suppose. I do illustration stuff, some of my "coats" are really thin to show transparency and such, so there is no real rule here. If your color is solid then you have enough coats. Work in light coats, don't try and color it all at once, this will let the earlier layers flash before another wet layer is applyed.
Q. I would like to put some Imron down , put the decals on , then clear. Can I put the decals on with the non-stick spray on my tacky paint or will that be bad for the base coat?
A. I have NEVER done it that way. I don't know if it would work or not. I would suggest clearing first then lay down your stickers then clear again.
Q. Can I clear over factory Yamaha decals?
A. I don't know why that would be a problem. I clear over stickers all the time.
Q. What respirator do I want? What sprayer do I want?
A. I have a turbine hvlp setup that came with a gun, it also has a forced air respirtator so I am not sure what kind of equipment to suggest.
Q. Can I build a booth in my garage with plastic and 2x4’s?
A. I don't see why not, it has been done before.
Q. I'm going to paint my engine bay, do I need to clear it as well?
A. Yes the fumes from the gas will lift the paint if it isn't sealed in the clearcoat.
I sincerely appreciate the assistance.
I hope that helps,
Daylite
Hey Mike,
First my disclaimer. I am a hobbyist who continues to learn by trial and error. There are certainly more experienced painters out there who have different opinions and undoubltably better practices than me.
That being said, I'll try and answer your questions below.
Q. I want to remove all of my old paint. Do I simply grab some 400 and go to work on it to remove it?
A. Removing ALL the old paint seems like a lot of extra work. I usually just do my best to make sure everything is sanded and scuffed up and smooth. But if you are intent on really removing everything, you might want to use a vibrating sander and a sanding block. Not seeing (and feeling) your hull it's hard to tell you what grit to use. you may want to use something a little grittier than 400 if you have some edges to smooth out, then go back with 400 to sand out the scratches. Just be careful with power tools, they can burn through a paint job and into the fiberglass pretty quick.
Q. Would this be a dry sand or wet?
A. It could be either. Wet sanding tends to make paper last longer because the water cleans out the paper and helps it from clogging things up. Try both and see what works for you.
Q. Can I use a small orbital sander or should I do it by hand with a sanding block or by hand with the sheet-in-hand only?
A. Real painters say to always use a sanding block because your fingers will run grooves into what ever you are sanding. And again, power tools are helpful, but can take too much off if you aren't careful.
Q. To wetsand with soapy (Dawn) water, do I put the mix in a sprayer and spray a section while I sand it or do I dunk the sandpaper in a small bowl of soapy water? How much water do I use?
A. I have a 5 gal bucket that I fill 3/4 full with a good squirt of dawn in it. You want to be able to put the sand paper in there to clean it off so a good amount of water in the bucket is a good idea. I'll use a sponge or green pad to get some extra water in areas that I want it or to wash off the "dust".
Q. You wipe it down with laquer thinner. How do you apply the thinner? Do I put the thinner in a sprayer and spray it on and wipe it off or simply dab some on a cloth?
A. I use the laquer thinner as my degreaser and final cleaning solution. I just get a paper towel wet and wipe everything down. Think of it like using a squeegy.
There are lint free cloths out there that can be used for this too. A wet paper towel has worked for me.
Q. The bottom of the hull has numerous scratches. Do I load up on coats of epoxy primer or go with a feather fill primer, fogging coat, and 320?
A. I have stopped painting the bottom of hulls because they'll get scratched again. It may be worth using a body filler on some of the deeper scratches. A filler primer would work well too. You could brush on a gelcoat too, gelcoats are pretty thick.
Q. What degreaser do you use?
A. laquer thinner works pretty nice. I am sure there are other things out there, but it works for me.
Q. How long do I let the base coat dry before I go to clearcoating?
A. Base coats should dry pretty fast, all depending on how fast the reducer flashes. They are a one part paint like rattle can paint so dry is dry, you don't need to wait for a chemical reaction to finish before painting over the top.
Q. Do I wetsand the basecoat prior to clearing? How many coats of base?
A. No, don't sand the basecoat. How many coats? enough to cover and show a solid color I suppose. I do illustration stuff, some of my "coats" are really thin to show transparency and such, so there is no real rule here. If your color is solid then you have enough coats. Work in light coats, don't try and color it all at once, this will let the earlier layers flash before another wet layer is applyed.
Q. I would like to put some Imron down , put the decals on , then clear. Can I put the decals on with the non-stick spray on my tacky paint or will that be bad for the base coat?
A. I have NEVER done it that way. I don't know if it would work or not. I would suggest clearing first then lay down your stickers then clear again.
Q. Can I clear over factory Yamaha decals?
A. I don't know why that would be a problem. I clear over stickers all the time.
Q. What respirator do I want? What sprayer do I want?
A. I have a turbine hvlp setup that came with a gun, it also has a forced air respirtator so I am not sure what kind of equipment to suggest.
Q. Can I build a booth in my garage with plastic and 2x4’s?
A. I don't see why not, it has been done before.
Q. I'm going to paint my engine bay, do I need to clear it as well?
A. Yes the fumes from the gas will lift the paint if it isn't sealed in the clearcoat.
I sincerely appreciate the assistance.
I hope that helps,
Daylite
