Clear coat application question

[BHChieftain]

Hi,
I'm painting a fiberglass tenshock mono1 hull and have a question--

I'm using Krylon spray paint (*not* Krylon Fusion paint)

Here's what I've done so far:

1) sanded off the gelcoat with 400grit sandpaper
2) applied 1 coat Krylon primer. Let dry 24 hours
3) sanded with 600grit paper
4) mist coat of base color, let dry 10 minutes, then wet coat base color. Let dry 24hrs
5) sanded base coat with 600grit paper
6) second wet coat base color

At this point the boat looks great-- I plan to let the paint cure for 3 or 4 days, then apply clear coat. My question is do I sand the base coat prior to applying the clear coat? I don't think so, but I thought I'd check... I plan to do a mist coat of clear, wait 10 minutes, then a wet coat of clear.

Thanks
Chief

[dana]

no ,you dont need to sand basecoat before clear. its ok if you really want to but if its metallice NEVER sand before clear, otherwise the sand scratches will show up and clear only magnifies whats underneath. only solid colors can be sanded before clear, but be careful not to burn thru if you do!

[Jesse J]

Chief, I would recommend going Duplicolor clear - automotive shop - and the metal flake is REALLY cool. Good quality protective coat on the outside. (tips from the Hydromaniac).

[BHChieftain]

Another question--

I painted the top half of the boat red, and taped the bottom half to keep it white (with the gelcoat). Should I just clear-coat the top half, or clear coat the entire boat? Will the clear coat stick to the gelcoat?

Chief

[dana]

Clearcoat should stick to gelcoat that's been scuffed or sanded. I would just clear the top half it it were me.

[BHChieftain]

Clearcoat should stick to gelcoat that's been scuffed or sanded. I would just clear the top half it it were me.

Yeah, I'm think'n the same thing... why mess with the nice finish on the bottom...

Chief

[JohnZ]

I painted my BBY O.M. 26 with krylon Fusion yellow. After curing I sanded the color coat with 400 wet/dry to level the paint. No matter how good you think you are , even the pros will level the color before applying clear using 600 wet.
I then applied Fusion Clear with 4 mist coats and then a wet coat and let it dry for 48 hours. I then leveled that with 600 wet, followed with Turtlewax Clear Coat polish and then a clear coat wax. I know this is labor intensive, but I was very surprised at the final result.
I discovered if you don't have an absolutely perfect color application it will show up under the clear coat. Any orange peel will definitely show.

[BHChieftain]

Nice!!!

Chief

[dana]

I painted my BBY O.M. 26 with krylon Fusion yellow. After curing I sanded the color coat with 400 wet/dry to level the paint. No matter how good you think you are , even the pros will level the color before applying clear using 600 wet.
I then applied Fusion Clear with 4 mist coats and then a wet coat and let it dry for 48 hours. I then leveled that with 600 wet, followed with Turtlewax Clear Coat polish and then a clear coat wax. I know this is labor intensive, but I was very surprised at the final result.
I discovered if you don't have an absolutely perfect color application it will show up under the clear coat. Any orange peel will definitely show.

i disagree about leveling color ( only solid colors should be sanded) i dare you to sand metallic, then clear over it and see what happens. as far as orange peel ,it really doesnt matter, as long as you put on enough clear coat, you can sand that flat and you wont see the orange peel in the color coat. but i will say you did a nice job john. looking good