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Lambent Darkness 7 · 08-27-08

Hi, Everyone

I want to thank everyone that looked at my project and took the time to give feedback. I got some more work done on my case.

Here is a quick supply list . You also need lots of patience and time if you want it to look better that normal and like a new car. Prep work is the key!

Supplies:
1) Sandpaper (duh), I used 3M brand. various grits, (80, 220, 400, 600, 1500, 2000), automotive kind. Available at your local jobber.
2) Tackcloths, like DuPont™ Sontara® cloths. various ones of different tackiness. for the varoius stages of coatings.
3) Wax/tar/greese remover , like Prep-Sol cleaning solvent.
4) Paint/surface cleaner - like DuPont™ Final Klean
5) Sanding block - i used a flexable one since the cases surfaces were so irregular.
6) Shop towels - for what else but to clean up and wipe the panels and case.
7) Gloves- vinyl or latex doesnt matter.
8) Buffing pads and terry towels

Paint
1) Self etching primer - DuPont™ Variprime -If surface is taken down to bare metal.
2) High build primer/surfacer -- DuPont ChromaSurfacer or use primer/sealer if not stripping old paint off. Sealer prevent problems from reactions to the old finish
3) Base coat - DuPont™ ChromaBase® I used cause of its quality, easy use, value and appearance. doesnt give me any trouble durring application.
4) Clear coat - DuPont™ ChromaClear® I use for its gloss an outstanding durability.
5) Finishing compound - 3M™ Finesse-It™ Finishing Material takes out those 1500 and 2000 grit scratches.
6) Polish material - 3M™ Perfect-It™ Ultrafine Swirl Mark remover / Turtle Wax polishing compound makes it like glass and takes out all those swirl marks from the buffing.

The most labor intensive part is the sanding, its over 50% of the job the second longest part would be the masking and that's what you pay for if you had a professional do it. But in the end its worth it if you do it yourself.

NOW FOR THE UPDATES !

I was able to get alot done this morning and afternoon and will be getting more done later.

Primed the one panel while that panel was drying I did the other panel. I have to sand all the panels and pieces with 400 grit to begin with then 600 grit to leave a nice level smooth surface with just enough bite for the base coat to adhere to.

For the plastic parts, here is the procedure I used. For all the plastic, I cleaned it first with SEM Plastic/Leather Prep several times and then I washed it with warm water and scuffed it with plastic cleaning paste using a gray Scothbrite™. I used SEM Scuff and Clean for the paste. Rinsed it off and made sure it did not dry on the surface. I repeated the steps until it is dull and no water beads up on the surface. It is crucial to clean the surface to get good adhesion. You need to use care when sanding or scuffing plastic parts. There is a possibility the plastic parts might be damaged during the scuffing/sanding process.To prepare the surface and make the primer stick I used Plas-Stick® 2330S™ Adhesion Promoter and used one coat, I applied it right after cleaning. I allowed that to dry for 25 min. I then applied the high build primer/surfacer allowed a 5 min flash time between coats and used two coats. Allowed the primer to dry for 1 ½ hours, then sanded it with 400 grit to start with and finished it with 600 grit to make it smooth.

Looking good.

Here's all the little plastic pieces primed. The one piece has a black tint to it because I sprayed a guide coat on it as I did all the panels so I had a visual guide to a smooth surface. Sand the guide coat until its gone or you stop sanding when you see no more of it left.

The other panel primed

Allowing them to dry there for at least a hour before I can sand it or mask it. Perfect conditions in my house 80 degress with 45% humidity to dry.

Here is the test panel again just so you can see the color it is going to be.

Oh such a beautiful blue. I can not wait to paint it to see it on the case.

Thanks for viewing everyone. Leave your feedback I like to know how I am doing. Going to get more work done tonight.