Well, yesterday, for the first time, I finished a rod with automotive clear-coat. It's a 2-part spray-on finish, acrylic polymer with a hardener mixed in.
Sprayed it with an auto-detailing HVLP spray gun, 2 coats about 10 minutes apart. Supported the rod horizontally, and sprayed left-to-right, turning the rod
3 or 4 times to cover the whole rod. Held a sheet of cardboard a couple inches behind the rod to catch overspray and minimize back-spray. You need good light
to see how much spray is going on - if it's eggshelling, it's too light -slow down and let the coat "flood" smooth. I had a turning motor on
one end of the rod, and I turned it on after spraying was complete. Used about 2 oz, so a $30 quart should cover more than a dozen rods...
Looking at the rod today, it picked up a few specks of dust but only a few (the clearcoat tacks up in only about 10 minutes). Looks like it pulled away from the corners a bit. I might try just one coat next time.
This morning, with a popsicle stick and 600 grit, I lightly flattened the finish on the flats and took out the specks.
Hand rubbed it with Finesse-it and Perfect-it, and overall, I'd say it is now as good as any dipped spar finish I've ever gotten. I generally don't think my finishes are world-class in any case, but I feel pretty good about getting this good on the first try.
A few comments:
Note that the finish was plenty dry enough to sand and polish 15 hours after spraying - try that with spar!
This stuff is absolutely clear and supposed to stay that way, so it should not yellow over time as spar does - some like the "amber spar" look, others don't. I often color-preserve for bright colored wraps, so I don't think I'll mind the clarity.
It polishes out beautifully, and I suppose it should since 3-M made all that stuff exactly to work this finish smooth.
You need a ventilated spray booth, respirator, goggles and full-clothing to use this stuff - NOT something you'd want to breathe.
I'll have the rod at CRR in July, if any of you guys want to get a look at it. (I find that rod finish is one of the most difficult things to express in photos: either you make the rod look worse than it is, or you make it look better than it is, but you rarely get to make it look like it really is!)
All the best,
lee
Looking at the rod today, it picked up a few specks of dust but only a few (the clearcoat tacks up in only about 10 minutes). Looks like it pulled away from the corners a bit. I might try just one coat next time.
This morning, with a popsicle stick and 600 grit, I lightly flattened the finish on the flats and took out the specks.
Hand rubbed it with Finesse-it and Perfect-it, and overall, I'd say it is now as good as any dipped spar finish I've ever gotten. I generally don't think my finishes are world-class in any case, but I feel pretty good about getting this good on the first try.
A few comments:
Note that the finish was plenty dry enough to sand and polish 15 hours after spraying - try that with spar!
This stuff is absolutely clear and supposed to stay that way, so it should not yellow over time as spar does - some like the "amber spar" look, others don't. I often color-preserve for bright colored wraps, so I don't think I'll mind the clarity.
It polishes out beautifully, and I suppose it should since 3-M made all that stuff exactly to work this finish smooth.
You need a ventilated spray booth, respirator, goggles and full-clothing to use this stuff - NOT something you'd want to breathe.
I'll have the rod at CRR in July, if any of you guys want to get a look at it. (I find that rod finish is one of the most difficult things to express in photos: either you make the rod look worse than it is, or you make it look better than it is, but you rarely get to make it look like it really is!)
All the best,
lee
Will
