Question for you shade tree painters
- Thread starter oldford
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J Franklin
Well-known member
One is glossy, the other is gross. Just kidding! I think you should ask where you plan to buy your paint. Coach black is the old time black. There are many modern versions of "black"
old ugly
Well-known member
i guess that folks are gonna ask what it is that you want to paint.
but
i truely do not know what boulevard black is.
things like fenders and aprons would have been shiny so that would be the high gloss.
i would not use laquer on frame and suspension parts if that is what you are painting with it.
but
i truely do not know what boulevard black is.
things like fenders and aprons would have been shiny so that would be the high gloss.
i would not use laquer on frame and suspension parts if that is what you are painting with it.
Will paint fenders. There used to be dupont 99 or something like that that had a nice rich tone to it but they are not making it anymore. The new blacks I've found do not look right, either shinny or not shiny. One fellow told me they are using a brown tint in the paint instead of a light tint. I was just wondering if the boulevard black had a light tint which would come close to 99.
Keith True
Well-known member
Is there a reason you want to go with laquer? Is it because you want to do it as Ford did it? If so,remember,Ford didn't use laquer on the fenders,they were dipped in shiny enamel.Or,having used it in the past you would feel comfortable using it again.
Marshall V. Daut
Well-known member
If you do spray lacquer - and good luck finding any these days - don't make two common mistakes that will condemn it to crack into turkey tracks sooner or later.
First, use ONLY a lacquer primer, not an enamel primer or any rattle can primer. Secondly, allow the primer to cure for at least a month to allow the chemicals to escape. The longer the better. If you spray lacquer over uncured primer, the primer will continue to shrink and emit chemicals as it cures beneath the lacquer. As lacquer has the strength of an eggshell, this shrinking of the primer will stress the lacquer, which will cause it to crack.
There are probably more lacquer no-no's, but these are two main culprits for lacquer cracking later.
Marshall
First, use ONLY a lacquer primer, not an enamel primer or any rattle can primer. Secondly, allow the primer to cure for at least a month to allow the chemicals to escape. The longer the better. If you spray lacquer over uncured primer, the primer will continue to shrink and emit chemicals as it cures beneath the lacquer. As lacquer has the strength of an eggshell, this shrinking of the primer will stress the lacquer, which will cause it to crack.
There are probably more lacquer no-no's, but these are two main culprits for lacquer cracking later.
Marshall
old ugly
Well-known member
i really like single stage urethane. i stay way from clears. it will outlast lacquers and enamels. it can be polished in a few days if you need to do some fixes to it.
it is not cheap $$$ as you will need a good primer/filler, a final wash, the paint, hardener, reducer, and good safety equipment. it will kill you if you don't prepare properly for it.
Lacquer is a quick choice for do it yourself in your home garage but it has lots of issues as noted above.
an enamel will work too but dry times can be long. and i don't know if you are going to find and automotive enamel anymore.
it is not cheap $$$ as you will need a good primer/filler, a final wash, the paint, hardener, reducer, and good safety equipment. it will kill you if you don't prepare properly for it.
Lacquer is a quick choice for do it yourself in your home garage but it has lots of issues as noted above.
an enamel will work too but dry times can be long. and i don't know if you are going to find and automotive enamel anymore.
Werner
Well-known member
That is exactly the kind of botched work done on my car!
After two years, more and more fine, speckled cracks appeared year by year; then the cracks raised up and burst open.
I’m just currently sanding it all down, and that’s countless much more times more work than just slapping on a quick coat of paint!
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Bob Bidonde
Well-known member
Acrylic lacquer is a poor choice of paint. It dissolves in gasoline. Use a single stage urethane instead.
Marshall V. Daut
Well-known member
Traditionally before the catalyzed acrylic enamel paints became available, it was very tricky spraying enamel because it was almost impossible to lay it on smoothly without orange peel. The depth just wasn't there, either. But it was durable. Lacquer's advantages included an easy spray job that even an amateur could successfully perform and a cheap price. The lacquer that Ford used in the 1920's and 1930's must have been different than what paint stores sold in the 1960's because I don't think I ever saw an original factory paint job on a Model A that had cracked. And that paint was HARD to remove!!!
The major lacquer advantage perceived by restorers for years was the deep gloss that resulted from 17 coats, hand sanded and rubbed out. A ton of work, but the depth and sheen were impressive. Then along came the catalyzed acrylic enamels that could be color sanded and buffed - and suddenly lacquer wasn't such a good choice. And these acrylics did not crack over time. Lest one think even today that lacquer gives a better shine and depth, take a gander at these three photos of paint jobs I did with PPG's Concept catalyzed enamels. I have posted these before, but this topic bears showing them again.
If the OP changes his mind and goes for an acrylic enamel or equivalent, keep four things in mind in addition to the usual painting precautions: (1) spray gun nozzle size to match the paint selected; (2) sufficient air pressure to minimize orange peel; (3) correct mixing proportions, not too thick, not too thin; (4) and use the appropriate reducer to match ambient temperature. The last item is critical to avoid paint drying too quickly = rough texture, or drying too slowly = runs developing.
Marshall
The major lacquer advantage perceived by restorers for years was the deep gloss that resulted from 17 coats, hand sanded and rubbed out. A ton of work, but the depth and sheen were impressive. Then along came the catalyzed acrylic enamels that could be color sanded and buffed - and suddenly lacquer wasn't such a good choice. And these acrylics did not crack over time. Lest one think even today that lacquer gives a better shine and depth, take a gander at these three photos of paint jobs I did with PPG's Concept catalyzed enamels. I have posted these before, but this topic bears showing them again.
If the OP changes his mind and goes for an acrylic enamel or equivalent, keep four things in mind in addition to the usual painting precautions: (1) spray gun nozzle size to match the paint selected; (2) sufficient air pressure to minimize orange peel; (3) correct mixing proportions, not too thick, not too thin; (4) and use the appropriate reducer to match ambient temperature. The last item is critical to avoid paint drying too quickly = rough texture, or drying too slowly = runs developing.
Marshall
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Because as marshall said, lacquer is very easy to spray, never any runs and easy to touch up if a scratch happens .
rotorwrench
Well-known member
Body shops used to use the acrylic lacquer for it's ease of use for both repairs and full spray jobs. It was easier to color sand and buff out but it was never as durable as acrylic enamel and especially when the hardener was added to make it an acrylic urethane.
I changed over to poly urethane after using acrylic enamel with hardener many years ago. It's getting harder now to get a good source for a quality acrylic urethane or a straight poly urethane and it's expensive when you do find it. It's mostly used for fleet equipment and in aviation now days.
I changed over to poly urethane after using acrylic enamel with hardener many years ago. It's getting harder now to get a good source for a quality acrylic urethane or a straight poly urethane and it's expensive when you do find it. It's mostly used for fleet equipment and in aviation now days.