Clear coat over Carbon Fibre

[Mattwarner]

I am a bit unsure as to what clear I need, ive been told NOT to use laquer and have read U-pol is recommended however they do two version of "clear coat" one in a silver can and seems to be easily available and one which is triple the price but in the description on both says its laquer?

upol1.jpg

The second is a red can and is x3 the price and is there are only two companies in the UK which seem to sell it.

upol2.jpg

My local auto parts centres sells this brand which again is laquer? being in the UK most of the brands i here mentioned such as duplicolor are not available.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-400-ML-Carplan-Acrylic-Car-Clear-Lacquer-Spray-Paint-/120712576213?pt=UK_Body_Shop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item1c1b07bcd5

[Mattwarner]

I bit the bullet and brought the more expensive red canned version x2 fingers crossed!

[srislash]

That's the stuff Matt.I love it.Go easy on the first coat or two then use a heavy coat.Tip,use lots of light in the room and watch because it(the clear) can get heavy then run.I had a hard time with one side cause I didn't have enough light and it would run.I was gonna use the rest of the can but the last coat didn't get any runs so there she sits.You can always wetsand the runs out and recoat though.

[Mattwarner]

Thanks, i brought 1500 grit but have been told this is too fine? they only had a choice of 800/1200/1500?

[srislash]

I used 400 and 600 to sand the runs,might have had some 1000 too.I used the 1000 to sand the whole hull.I was trying to smooth out my decals.The coarser stuff is fine for small areas. I wonder if we could get Gimp to chime in on this since he had some polishing ideas in mind.I know I'd like to hear them as well.

[Mattwarner]

Hydrojerry also cleared his carbon hull too so would be useful to know what he suggests

[srislash]

His granfather is a body guy as I recall,my boat hasn't hit the water yet so if I could sand & polish I may try to smooth those decals.It'd be worth picking his brain.

[dana]

The red can is better. Gray can dies back. The red can keeps that "wet" look

[Mattwarner]

Thanks Dana good job i went for that one!

[Gimp]

I went over mine with 1000 wet, then 1200 wet. After that I just used a little polishing compound (by hand) and went over the whole thing (in sections) a total of 3 times. You only want to sand just far enough to get the orange peel out of it, you'll be able to see it because the low dimples will still be dark.

You'll want to wait about a week after painting to do this, just to be safe. After the compound, I used a sealer/glaze, then a nice coat of wax.

[srislash]

That's the kind of info I was lookin for.Thanks Gimp

[Gimp]

That's the kind of info I was lookin for.Thanks Gimp

No problem, glad I could help

[Mattwarner]

Thanks Gimp! So what should i use to flat the hull before applying clear coat?

P.S congrats on winning best Single Cat! I am planning next years entry already!

[srislash]

I sanded mine with 400 grit and even managed to get the seams smooth.

[Gimp]

P.S congrats on winning best Single Cat! I am planning next years entry already!

Thank you!

I sanded my color with 1000 before laying the clear, but that's because I already smoothed the hull before primer.