I'm repainting some of the metal parts on my old beat up

The parts that you're painting should be smooth before you paint them. If they feel rough then you've not properly sanded/grinded them, or you've completely fucked up with the primer

I've usually used two layers of primer for normal painting, and three (anti-rust) if I've been painting things for the suspension or anything on the underside that comes into contact with roadsalt

And remember; light, thin layers instead of heavy, droopy ones

>>13837550
Allright, thanks. So I goofed when I didn't sand the parts after removint the paint with steel brush? To what grit do you think I should sand the metal before applying primer? Isn't too smooth a bad thig since paint won't stick?

>>13837711

I've used K60 to remove paint and rust from carparts, and with that I've been able to get a properly smooth surface

Try something like P400 wet paper if you want an extra nice polish before you start

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Refinishingfag here, been doing this shit for my entire working life.

DA the paint back with 80, go over it again with 180, and then prime after applying panel wipe, and a THOROUGH tack. After that, while your primer is still wet apply a light dusting of black aerosol to use as a guidecoat, rub off by hand with P320 pads, get it nice and flat, tack it, panel wipe it, tack it again, and then paint. After painting it, you can take out any dirtnibs with wet&dry (I prefer P1000, but some people like P500, all about preference), DO NOT go too far back, or you're looking at a repaint.

Now polish the whole thing with compound, and an orbital polisher. Wax by hand.

I'll have to do a tutorial on this shit for /o/ one of these days.

>>13838331
Hey man, not OP here but I'm also just starting out, what do you mean by tack it? And I agree with the p1000, it looks fucking smooth! The black aerosol thing pissed me off before I understood its purpose, the older gentleman teaching me at the time didn't explain it and said "Sand it off" .. it became self explanatory later.

>>13838331
Shit man thanks for that. I'm not a native speaker so same quetstion as the guy before me, what do you mean by tack it? Can I use any degreaser or is panel wipe some sort of special product?

>>13838331

You seem to know a bit about this, so I've got a question

What is the best way to clean polishing pads/caps for an orbital polisher? I've used water and it works "ok", but I'm wondering if there exists a better way

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>>13837504
Depends on the type of primer. If it's sealer and I'm doing the next coat on the same day I don't sand before the next coat. As long as you paint the next coat right after you are getting a chemical bond and don't need the chemical bond from sanding. If it's sealer I shot a day or more ago I'll scuff it with a red scuff pad. For old sealer I'll DA it all with 180 and spray Bulldog in hard to sand area.

Build primer is different because it's porous, you can get a mechanical bond even after a few weeks. If you sprayed build primer you probably want to sand it anyway though or you wouldn't be using it.

>>13838365
Tack coat = light coat that doesn't completely cover the panel just to help the wet coat stick.

>>13838365
>>13838379
Tack rags, Google them. They can sometimes save you from turning a good job into the worst fucking catastrophe in the entire universe. You wipe stuff down with them after using panel wipe.

Also, another tip for beginners: Dry your panel wipe with a cloth as you go along. I know it's tedious, shit, and seems pointless (as it dries on its own), but trust me; It isn't. Avoid streaking at all costs.

Happy painting Anons.
>>13838384
The soft blue 3M pads are impossible to clean. Once they are worn out, get a new one, it's fucked, game over. More firm pads (like those memory foam feeling ones) can be cleaned by shaving them down using a piece of 80 grit sandpaper, or even an old DA disc will do the job. That's what I've always done anyway.

>>13838702

Alright, thanks for the info

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If you use a tack rag be really careful with it, bunch it up and use it super lightly just to grab whatever you are getting off the surface. If you really wipe them across the surface some of the wax can get on the panel, I saw a guy do this a few weeks ago and it got a solvent pop looking part through the color where he rubbed the tack rag too hard, had to reshoot the panel.

>>13838451
>primes 3 panels
>suddenly an expert