So I stroll down to my local Napa today because I heard they make custom paint.

I walk in and basically tell her I have absolutely no idea what Im getting into and she tells me everything I would need to do a car my size, first she gave me a quote of $450 but in the end she only ended up charging me 375 because she thought it was cool I was doing it myself and had interest (canadian money)

So heres what I bought:
2 Quart Dupont Graphite Grey Effect (Lexus Is300 Gunmetal - 1C6)
2 Quart Dupont Fast Dry Urethane Clearcoat
1 Quart Low Temperature Reducer
1 Gallon Dupont Basemaker (Low Temp)
8 Ounces of Dupont Activator

I really have no idea what the reducer/basemaker/activator are for or how they are used so I will need someone to shed some light for me on how to mix them and when and so-on

Im using a basic Mastercraft Paintgun that I borrowed from a friend

Also what technique are you supposed to use when actually painting the car? Should I start at the front hold it full throttle and walk to the back of the car? I heard your supposed to go 50% over your last layer?

Or am I just painting in sections? Like go from the front of the fender to the gap where it meets the door and just stop and repeat til I finish the area?

Any descriptive sites would help.

Im hoping to paint my crx this Sunday

 

up

 

bump fo ju
i love to paint, SEARCH buddy
peace

 

I did search, found nothing on how to mix and when on this stuff

 

Heres a little help, cant really tell you how to paint, It just takes practice.

The basemaker mixes 1 to 1 with the base (grey graphite) meaning, if you use one pint of color you need one pint of basemaker.

You will need to spray this base in many directions to allow the metallic to lay evenly. Good Luck

On the clear you will need to mix it 4 to 1, 4 parts clear and one part activator.
When you clear you want to make good smooth strokes, not too dry but not too wet. If you plan on sanding and buffing make sure you get enough clear on there.

Again I will say, painting is not easy, it takes time to paint good. But good luck with your project. This is just a little something to help you with the process.

 

ohhhhhh, basemaker is 1:1 with the paint eh, will it lighten it up? I havent openned the basemaker bottle yet but I am really liking the color of the base they gave me but was wonderring why they gave me a gallon? I only got 2 quarts of paint?

Since my paint is in a 1gallon can but only filled half way (2quarts) and the mixture is 1:1 can I just fill it to the top with basemaker? Or does it have to be mixed just before it is applied (mix it in the spray gun can)

What do you mean by different directions on spraying?

And am I supposed to walk down the entire car without letting go of the nozzle?

 

From what you put down that you have purchased it sounds like you're using the Chromabase system. (a good one at that).
What is the part number of the Clear they gave you. (i.e. hc-7600s, v-7500s...) there are probably about 20 different dupont clears and each have different ratios. The one you have is most likely intended to be reduced as well as catalyzed. Your gallon of base maker(7175s i'm guessing) is for the paint in a 1:1 mixture. And you clear will be 4:2:1 or 8:2:1 depending on what clear you are using. That's why you have an extra quart of a different reducer. From what they sold you i'm guessing you are going to use the 4(clear):2(reducer):1(activator/hardner) ratio. Don't mix it all at once, or you'll be screwed. potlife is usually about 1 hour and if it's one of your first paint jobs you'll take a bit to get around the car and don't want the **** to harden up on you before its on the car. so like the paint mix in small amounts(i.e. 16 ounces clear, 8 ounces reducer, 4 ounces hardner) that' will give you just about a full quart in your gun and last you a bit(few panels.)
The paint itself "can" all be mixxed at once but it's better to mix only what you can fit in your gun(most likely a quart). For the base you want 2-3 medium/wet coats. allow about 5-10 minutes between coats for it to "flash"(become dull looking and "dry" to the touch. After the base is done you'll do 2-3 coats of clear, depending on how much you want to cut and buff. same deal here 10-15 between coats(for most people you'll just basically have time to get around the car and fill your gun again and then start over where you did the first time.) Keep a wet edge and spray with a plan(left fender to door/mirror to roof to quarter panel to bumper to trunk to right quarter....). Go somewhat heavy on the base, it's hard to get it to run, but the clear be careful, you'll see it start to wrinkle if you're going to heavy, and you'll see a sandy texture if you're spraying to dry(far away).

You'll get the hang of it by about the end of the car. lol

 

2 Quart Dupont Graphite Grey Effect - M0016K
2 Quart Dupont Fast Dry Urethane Clearcoat - 7000S
1 Quart Low Temperature Reducer - 7560S
1 Gallon Dupont Basemaker (Low Temp) - 7160S
8 Ounces of Dupont Activator - 7525S

Theres the codes on them, hope you can give me some accurate ratios

Im still unsure on exactly how to actually apply the paint to the car

And yes its the Chroma system

 

 

uppity up bump

 

 

bump

 

would love to see the finish product..

 

 

lol there wont be a finished product if I cant figure out how to actually spray the paint if Im walking down the whole car every stroke or just in sections

And the proper correct ratios for mixing this stuff

 

go watch american hot rods, they just did a whole painting thing yesterday on the discovery channel... I think it gives a very good overview of the painting process... or processes... prepare for alot of work!

 

your fucked..


haha j/k ..let us know how it turns out with pics!

 

Well I was hoping to paint the car today but cant get a hold or anyone to confirm the ratios given above

 

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by W O T &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">2 Quart Dupont Graphite Grey Effect - M0016K
2 Quart Dupont Fast Dry Urethane Clearcoat - 7000S
1 Quart Low Temperature Reducer - 7560S
1 Gallon Dupont Basemaker (Low Temp) - 7160S
8 Ounces of Dupont Activator - 7525S

Theres the codes on them, hope you can give me some accurate ratios

Im still unsure on exactly how to actually apply the paint to the car

And yes its the Chroma system</TD></TR></TABLE>
It should have all the mixing ratios on the can. Why dont you just ask the guys that sold you the paint? Im not familiar with the clear system youre using, but are you sure that the 7560S is the reducer and the 7525S is the activator? Because if it is, you dont have enough activator for the clear. Dupont clears mostly mix 4:1 or 2:1. 2 qts of clear will need at least 16 ozs of activator, you only have 8. But im thinking that you got the reducer and the activator mixed up. Im thinking that the clear you have mixes 2:1:10-20%. By the way, what kind of weather do you have over there? Kinda cold? I dont know why they gave you 7160S basemaker for a complete. To mix your paint and clear properly you need to get some mixing cups. By the way, what is your expectations on how the car is gonna look like when youre done?

 

**** I may have messed them up, I already dropped the stuff off today at my grandparents so I cant just go and look

Im not expecting a show finish lol, I just got rid of the rust with fiberglass and bondo and sansed is as flat as possible, the body work was not perfect so I dont expect the paint to be. This whole car is just a learning experience, Im young, just exploring different fields in the automotive career