"Dulling Down" Door Jambs, Etc.

[Chuck G.]

OK, guys (and girls), Memorial Day weekend is here, and I've got some time to fool with the 63. Had it painted in single stage urethane. Looks FABULOUS. TOO nice, especially in the jambs and gutters.

I'm looking for a quick and easy way to dull down the paint. What are your tricks?

0000 steel wool works great in the gutters. A "microfine" scotchbrite pad also works well. I believe this is 3000 grit. I used these in the hood and decklid gutters. Worked very well.

Any "chemical" methods? I tried wiping lacquer thinner....no luck. Tried wiping urethane reducer....no luck. I will be TOUGH to hand sand/dull the jambs. I'm looking for a "down and dirty" trick. Any thoughts? TIA. Chuck

[Dick W.]

Re: "Dulling Down" Door Jambs, Etc.

It would have been a lot easier if you had done it in the first week after painting. Urethane unlike lacquer or synthetic enamel, hardens rapidly. At this point in time it is somewhat akin to concrete. I would probably use 1000 grit wet or dry paper to knock down the gloss, and then use red polishing compound to remove the sanding scratches. I would not make any effort after the compound to polish the finish. Hope that you have plenty of skin left on your fingers because by the time you are done most of it will be work off

[Dave F.]

Re: "Dulling Down" Door Jambs, Etc.

If painting the car has yet to begin, what would you recommend on a bc/cc application for achieving the desired results on the door jambs, etc. ?

[Tracy C.]

Re: "Dulling Down" Door Jambs, Etc.

Add some flattening agent to the clear coat to shoot a these local areas first. Then close the doors, hood and deck lid and finish up with regular unflattened clear. When everything is dry, compound anything shiney off the areas that should remain flat.

tc

[Chuck G.]

Re: "Dulling Down" Door Jambs, Etc.

I missed that golden window of opportunity, Dick. The car was painted in late September/early October, 2004. The painter kept it for a few weeks before buffing it out. I got it back at the end of October.

What I'm doing is working well, BUT it's a very labor intensive job, and it just goes against the grain to take nice shiny paint and make it dull...or duller. Again, I used single stage urethane, NOT base coat/clear coat. Chuck

[Dave F.]

Re: "Dulling Down" Door Jambs, Etc.

Thanks TC. This seems to jog my memory now, as I think you told me the same thing last fall when I thought I was ready then

[Dick W.]

Re: "Dulling Down" Door Jambs, Etc.

We would start color sanding the cars no more than three days after painting. Used 3M pads on a DA. Would do the whole car and immediately start rubbing it out. I made the mistake of waiting four weeks before we started on the first car we used urethane on. Had to water sand the whole car with 600 grit. Was harder than concrete. Probably took an extra 40 or so hours to finish the paint.

[Dave F.]

Re: "Dulling Down" Door Jambs, Etc.

Ah yes, the price we pay for "durability". I'll take this info to the shop Tuesday. Thanks for the advice Dick.

[Tracy C.]

Re: "Dulling Down" Door Jambs, Etc.

Chuck,

Just a thought but maybe you scotchbrite the door jams, then mask off the adjacent body panels and dust a light coat of "flattened" paint of the same type already on the car over the jams.

This isn't a "high traffic overly exposed to the elements" type of location and I think the paint would adhere just fine. You might also talk to your paint jobber about using adhesion promoter prior to painting the flattened material. When dry you can wet sand the mask line out with 1000 grit paper and compound to blend the edge and it will disappear

I think this process would leave a more uniform "egg shell" surface without scratches left from the scotchbrite pads. .

You could always paint a test panel, let it dry and then come back over on top of it and try this trick to see if it works OK. Take the panel to the car wash and see if you can blow chunks off of it to test the durability...

It's fun to experiment!
tc

[John L.]

Try Krylon Satin Clear on a test piece *NM*

[Chuck G.]

Re: Try Krylon Satin Clear on a test piece

I think I'll try the Krylon trick. It was pretty simple to scuff the gutters, but scuffing the door and body jambs, hinges, etc. would be a monumental undertaking. I'll try the "aerosol overhaul". Chuck