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Well I just finnished a long stroll through the archives about lacquer and it's "alternatives" so now I have a question. I read that urethane can be made to look like lacquer so would someone be able to explain how this is done? Is it flattened first and then buffed, over reduced, etc? Thanks.
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Re: "Lacquer Appearing" urethane
The urethane paint needs to have a flatting agent added when spraying door jams, hood surounds and truck surounds. This does not get you away from the heavy edges on sharp edges like the doors etc. The flat areas need to be "soft" masked so you do not get a sharp edge between the gloss paint and lower gloss paint. Hard to find a shop that understands what you are looking for unless they have experience doing NCRS cars. I have one that was just painted last week. Ended up using lacquer again just to make sure it looked right. No problem with door jams and such with lacquer. Only hard part is keeping the painter from over doing it when wet sanding and buffing. -
Re: "Lacquer Appearing" urethane
Greg, only the jambs, hood gutters, and other "sheltered" areas should be flattened to simulate lacquer, and then NOT buffed, but left semi-flat(?). This derives from the fact that the factory did not attempt to buff out the lacquer on unexposed areas of the body, i.e. areas not visible when the doors, hood, etc. were closed. Color sanding and buffing of urethane on the exterior body should be limited to preserve some orange peel.
There is more to making urethane "appear as lacquer" than just flattening the hidden areas, and I don't claim to have the experience...only in listening to what others have said. Gun pressure/setup will effect the character and amount of the orange peel. I have heard experienced painters say that BC/CC can not be concealed because of the depth of the finish. I suspect single stage urethane is probably a better choice than BC/CC.
Tom Ames of the Texas Chapter regularly makes seminars on making modern finishes appear as lacquer, and has written an article in The Corvette Restorer. I don't have the exact issue of the magazine, but I know it's in the archives because I've posted it there (maybe twice). I recommend attending one of Tom's presentations; the paint seminar is almost standard for the Nationals, and is also given at some regional meets.Comment
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Re: "Lacquer Appearing" urethane
I have fun with people looking at my `31 Cadillac(all black). The fenders are un-buffed urethane and the body is buffed lacquer. You really cant tell the difference. The jams would be a little more difficult, but I think I can do it without flattner. Last week I repainted the door on a `68 international blue, that I painted in lacquer 12 years ago. I didnt have any lacquer clear so I used urethane. You cant tell the difference. Again without clear it would have been more difficult, but I think it is possible.Comment
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Re: "Lacquer Appearing" urethane
Wayne, are you thinking of applying a dry coat to flatten it? My experience with flattener is that no matter how carefully I measure and mix, gloss level is unpredictable. It may be that I am trying to mix and spray too small quantities.Comment
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Re: "Lacquer Appearing" urethane
Yes, More or less. That is basically what I do with the body. I shoot the color to cover, let it dry for a couple of days and sand it smooth with 600. Then apply a couple of coats of well thinned overcoat. This lays with a grain that looks much like lacquer. In the jams you would have to apply very light and thin to tone down the shine.Comment
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Re: "Lacquer Appearing" urethane
Thanks for your thoughts guys. Any idea how much flatener to add to each US gallon?Comment
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Re: "Lacquer Appearing" urethane
Major paint manufacturers should have product bulletins that tell you how much flattener to use. See link below for PPG's bulletin for DX 685 urethane flattener.
This product (and probably other manufacturers' as well) is prone to separating into a heavy pasty substance on the bottom of the can, with all the diluent solvents on top. I recommend first using a stirring stick to dig the goop off the bottom, and hand mixing to get it fairly uniformly distributed, then using a paint shaker to mix it well before measuring out a quantity to add to paint.
Note that the bulletin only specifies three levels of gloss...in their dreams! As I posted to Wayne, I have not had good repeatability working in "micro" batches; in fact I have had the gloss level vary while I sprayed. You will not actually know what gloss level you have achieved until the paint cures...it all looks pretty much the same when it goes on, but flattens as it dries.
The flattener may work better as you mix larger volumes. But, don't think in terms of a gallon. You can probably paint all the jambs and ledges and still have a pint of paint left over from a quart.
AutoBodyDepot DX685 Product BulletinComment
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