Ok I Am gettin ready to actually spray my zuk. i alrady got the paint and reducer...the reducer is rated 60*-75*

How does humidity effect drying time and surface finish when spraying a base coat/clear coat finish. i know its recommended to spray the clear coat within 24 hours of the base coat but with time constraints and the complexity of the paint scheme it wont be possible to do that....the zuk is garage bound so driving it is not an issue...im just worried about humidity....

any ideas?

Humidity will kill the paint job, believe me. It happened to me on my last paint. You've gotta do it when relative humidity is lowest if at all possible. And make sure the comp. air is DRY!!!! That can't be stressed enough. I never used base/clear separately so I can't help you with that. After my buildup, it'll be an epoxy industrial primer followed by industrial grade paint. Won't look as good as yours but it will hold up longer. Good luck [img]images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Cheers,
Steve

High humidity can cause blushing in a basecoat/clearcoat system, but rarely happens. I paint daily, not cause i'm a painter, but b/c i am a research and devlopment chemist for an automotive refinsh company. The type reducer used isnt really a big deal this time of year, only when its extrmemlty hot or cold. When dealing with clears the most common problem when using the incorrect reducer is solvent pop. Solvent pop occurs when solvents trapped under the top coats are still trying to evaporate. Therefore if you use a slow reducer, wait a little longer before applying the next coat.

Most basecoats can be topcoated within an hour. Rule of thumb, as long as the base is dry enough to wipe down with a tac cloth and not rub off any paint, its dry enuff to clear. [ this is not the case for single stage paints! ]

Just outta curiosity, what brands are you using for:
Primer?
Basecoat? [what color also?]
Clear and hardener?
This would help, some paints are diffrent that others, as far as recoat times and final dry times.



The paints we make here are sold to body shops across the good ole USA. The ones I have visited in the past normally use the following method:

1. Prep car and finish all body work
2. shoot primer [normally takes from 1 - 2 hrs to dry]
3. lightly sand [400 wetdry paper]
4. spray the basecoat [color] [1/2 hour to an hour to dry]
5. spray your clear, the clear will take the longest to dry, most clears are dry to the touch in about 1 - 2 hours depending on shop conditions, but no where near being totally cured. I have been making some new clear in the lab taht is buffable in 3 hours, but thats another story. I would recommend starting in the morning, once you clear is on, shut the gargae door and dont go back in untill the following morningto wetsand and buff. Hope this helps.

kardol quality products

The webpage is cheezy, but i think you can order online now.

Just a tip when painting wet the garage floor down to keep dust at a minimum

based on my experience, rustoleum in a spray can works pretty good. that's my highly technical input... enjoy your weekend,
steve o'

rustoleum is bad...very bad....does some funky stuff when you try to paint over it....i dont like it...


Nolan.....to answer your question the stuff i got is made by Sherwin Williams...Western Automotive Finishes BC/CC

i am using jet black...no pearl or metalliac....then its going to get striped....first white then blue on top of the white...white is plain...no pearl or metalliac. the blue is a heavy pearl.....then its getting pinstriped in orange....then wet sanded and clearcoated

I can get is locally for a very good price....primer....paint....clear...all the same brand to be sure of compatability. With autopainting i dont like mixing manufacturers cause it can lead to crackling or other funky effects..