I went to my local auto body store and they said they dont carry Lacquer paints, are Lacquers out of date or somthing? Mabey the paint store just sucks... And he was talking about a base and clear mix, does this just mean you apply primer then when you spray the base coat the clear is mixed in with it? and i know i have to reduce what i spray. But do you reduce it with paint thinner? or is paint thinner and reducer somthing different?

I went to my local auto body store and they said they dont carry Lacquer paints, are Lacquers out of date or somthing? Mabey the paint store just sucks... And he was talking about a base and clear mix, does this just mean you apply primer then when you spray the base coat the clear is mixed in with it? and i know i have to reduce what i spray. But do you reduce it with paint thinner? or is paint thinner and reducer somthing different?

Lacquers are not out of date, I think the store my not be good, or just decide to carry other kind of paints. The base/clear sort of thing sounds like a one stage paint job. Basically you spray primer, then the base/clear mix and you're pretty much done. Thats what it sound like by what you have described, so Im not 100% sure if thats it or not. The result isnt as nice, but its cheaper.

Paint thinner is usually for cleanup. Paint reducer is used to reduce the paints to a spraying consistency. Certain paints require certain reducers because of the chemical make up. So use the correct reducer for the correct type of paint.

Hope that helps.

is it ok to have the same brand primer/base/clear but have a different brand reducer? Or would the results suck?

another question, Do Lacquers need hardener?

is it ok to have the same brand primer/base/clear but have a different brand reducer? Or would the results suck?

Each Paint, each clear, each primer has their own reducer and hardener. i.e. PPG Duracryl 468 Base requires DT105 Reducer.

Does that help?

When repainting a car, you you have to spray sealer over the old paint before you spray the new paint?

The old paint should be stripped, or at least sanded and roughed up with some 320.

Lacquer paints are becoming out dated and has been for along time, Base/clear is a 2-stage process, you spray a colored base coat followed by a hardened clearcoat. Lacquer was easy to use but had terrible durability. Its still popular with custum guys and DIY hot rodders but for qaulity and durability you want a good 2-stage urethane. The only problem is you need a good paint booth for the urethane cause its not the saest or easiest to work with.

Lacquer paint is not "outdated", it is being replaced to due the atmosphere. It lets off too much fumes. Good paint, and easy to fix. :biggrin:

Can i wet sand enamel base coats? if so with what grit?

You can wetsand enamels, they just take a little longer to dry up. 1000-2000grit usually works best.

Whens the best time to wetsand? Like, 1 hour after it drys or 1 week? I have a fender iv been practicing my painting on and i wetsanded enamel like a week after i painted it and it took the shine away from it and it was dull. I though mabey i waited too long to sand it...?

Enamels take forever to dry. They need to go on in thin layers. When you wet sand it will be dull until you clear coat it.

I went to my local auto body store and the guy there told me that i have to wait 1 week after painting enamel to put a clear coat on. Is this true? and do i have to wetsand the base before i apply the clear?

Enamels take forever to gas out. Dont ask me much about enamels. I hate them.

Lacquer paints are not available because they voc laws. They were already on their way out in the early 90's. They had me dump all the lacquer paint on the mixing system at the dealership I worked at in 1992. Lacquer paints do not have a hardener with them. They are air dry. You don't really want to use a lacquer anyways. Not real durable and chemical resistant. Lacquer primers are still available. Enamels can be mixed with or without a hardener. But without a hardener, they won't truely dry all the way through for many many years. It is possible that the enamel is suppose to sit a week before clear. I don't think that is the case if it has an activator. See if you can find the product sheets for the enamel if you want to use it and see what they say. Urethanes and polyurethanes are the best as far as durability goes.

Most of your enamel questions can be answered by the guy behind the counter. Or, at least by asking him for the correct info sheets. Any reputable paint manufacturer supplies hazmat sheets, but they also supply instructional flyers that will answer all the Q's yopu've asked. Each manufacturer will have slightly different advice because their chemical formulations are a bit different. There are a few rules of thumb regarding enamel. Most suppliers will tell you that if you sand before clearing, you'll have to add another layer of paint before the clear. They'll tell you a certain time frmae with a minimum cure time and an end time before you have to spray another layer of paint before clearing. For instance, you should wait let's say 18-24 hours before clearing, but no more than 7 days. Also, as with any layer of paint or clearcoat, if you spray too many or too thick a coat you'll see blisters eventually appear because of the trapped solvents trying to outgas as they evaporate. I learned a lot from reading these sheets when I worked on cars 20 years ago (not professionally). Lastly, laquer uses thinner, which can also be a strong grease and wax solvent, but not necessarily a good CLEANER. And reducer is used to reduce the viscosity of enamels.