I thought I would do a series of help articles on painting to help those that are thinking of doing there own projects. The first part here will be a paint 101 basically going over the types of paint pro and cons and basic use. Later I will do step by step projects from small parts to a full car.... The products I will talk about and use will be from http://www.tamcopaint.com/ they have great products and have and will be donating products for these tutorials....

Part one

There are three types of paint used in auto restoration, they are lacquer, enamel, and urethane.

Lacquer. is a non-hardened paint requires many coats and sanding and buffing to look good. today it is mainly used for older classics that need to be original for shows. durability is not that great for a daily driven car. Cons cannot be top coated with most hardened primers, enamels, or urethane's, and would have to be removed.pros about lacquer are that it is cheap, easy to apply... and example of lacquer would be duplicolor.

Enamels. most enamels can be used with and with out a hardener, adding a hardener will increase durability and gloss, and when hardened will protect against solvent spills on paint such as when filling you gas tank and over fill. it is easy to apply and can be refinished with most other products

Urethane. vary durable, vary hi gloss and is hardened. most are hi solids products which means there is less solvents and more paint by volume. so less coats are needed to cover and achieve film build needed.

I the next week i will have the first step by step project up which will be either refinishing/painting a v6 air cleaner and or deck lid air grills using hi solids urethane black gloss and satin single stage, the gloss i will also clear coat for more depth/shine

If there are any projects or ideas you have please let me know.

What about waterbourne paints? Primers?

quote Originally posted by BlackEmrald: What about waterbourne paints? Primers?

good question.... I personally don't have much experience with them, though it is starting to look like it is the future of refinishing. If you or someone has info on them and would like to share please do.

I'll be watching closely!

quote Originally posted by mark1970: good question.... I personally don't have much experience with them, though it is starting to look like it is the future of refinishing. If you or someone has info on them and would like to share please do.

Sure, I have lots of experience with them. I'm DuPont certified in WB, but I'm more of a answer specific questions guy, than a explain everything step by step. I went to school for that, haha

quote Originally posted by BlackEmrald: Sure, I have lots of experience with them. I'm DuPont certified in WB, but I'm more of a answer specific questions guy, than a explain everything step by step. I went to school for that, haha

cool, you are welcome to add or comment to anything in my future tech projects to come....

by end of this weekend i should have three projects completed one just got moved ahead. it will be spot part repair on car with base coat clear coat on a friends car.... two side mirrors , a molding, and door handles

I dont know where you got some of your info, but Ive used lacquers for 50 years. I own my own custom shop. You can put ANY kind of paint on over lacquer (although not most spray can stuff). You cant put lacquer over anything, at least unless its aged. Its true you do have to put more coats on...maybe 4 instead of 2, but thats because its shot thinner, thus smoother. While its also true you have to buff it with compound to get a gloss, it really dont have to be sanded if you dont want to. Every basecoat/clearcoat, acrylic enamel job Ive ever done (thousands) also needs sanded and buffed to look good to me. In fact basecoat/clearcoats need sanded more than lacquer because it will not go on without orangepeel. Even new Mercedes factory paint has orangepeel these days. I just repaired a brand new black one. I didnt sand out the orange peel in my paint before buffing so it matched the rest.

This is always a pick one fight like the VCR wars....VHS vs Beta. Even thought Beta was far superior quality, MARKETING killed it in favor of VHS. Each have their own pros and cons. A laquered car is ready to drive 20 minutes after you spray it...even if its raining. Fixing a boo-boo while painting can be done in a few minutes where urathane one has to wait overnite to fix, and a day or two more to reshoot. I will def concede that enamel systems are easier to care for and more weather friendly. It takes a bit of dedication to keep a lacquer job looking good for 30 years...but collectors do that. So for a daily driver, lacquer is def not the way to go. I do most cars finish paint in basecoat/clearcoat right now. After next year, ONLY waterbourne paint will be manufactured. All others will only be sold till the supply runs out...so says both of my paint suppliers.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 08-27-2013).]