Clearcoat finish; buff or scruff?

[Guest]

I've been painting my tank after my first bout with bondo, and I must say it's turned out quite nice. I can't wait to show you guys.

I picked a satin black for the paint, and I want to make sure I keep that kind of finish. I've got the clearcoat on now, should I buff it up and the satin will shine through, or scruff it up with some sctochbrite to just keep the finish rough.

If I do go the scotchbrite route, would I be able to wax it still?

Thanks,
Mike

[Brandon]

If you want a suede look for your black, you will need to add a flattening agent to your clear coat. They sell this at most automotive paint supply stores.

John Deere makes a nice "Blitz Black" that is a two-part epoxy paint that is durable and semi-gloss...look for it at John Deer places.

[UncleMike]

Sorry, this is for a spray-can job.

[Brandon]

Then try to get a semi-gloss or satin finish paint. The Krylon and Plasti-kote ones are decent....look for a semi gloss clear coat also. But if you are just spraying them with a can, I wouldn't mess with the clear coat, just put three good coats of color on. If I'm not mistaking, they make the John Deere black in a rattle can that is supposed to be good stuff. A lot of hot rodders use it...seems like Blitz is the preferred choice.

I've painted whole cars with spray paint, and if done right and if prepped correctly, it looks good. Just keep it wet all the way down with even strokes to avoid the streaking look. The only drawback to cans is that they are not catalyzed and are not as durable..they fade quickly and do not withstand the elements and gas.

One thing while I'm thinking about it....if you want color, and a shine, use the Boyd model paints. They hold up well, and have a ton of clear coat in them, causing a really nice shine, better than other paints. I painted a pedal car for my oldest son last year with the metallic blue, and it has seen plenty of abuse including a summer in Bakersfield and it still looks great.

[UncleMike]

Nice.

I did go with the satin black. I came out nice. I've put one can of clear coat on the tank already and it looks nice with some 2000 grit wet sanding done.

I'd like to protect it further with some wax, but not sure how it'll react to a surface that hasn't been buffed to a mirror shine first.