Spraying clear coat on a base/ clear paint job can be a daunting task, yet spraying clear is the most important part of the job as it is the final material you will lay down on the car. When spraying clear coat you ultimately want to lay down the clear in a fashion in which it has the appearance of being thick and wet without the appearance of orange peel (distortion of the resolution in which the clear appears to have texture) or dry spray (where the clear does not appear to have been laid on wet). In this article I will describe some ideas and techniques for spraying clear coat that will make the job a whole lot less stressful and more rewarding.
**Your spray gun–Your spray gun is one of the absolutely most important components of spraying clear coat. Even if you have a brand new Sata Jet or a Devilbiss you need to pay close attention to your tip size and make sure it’s for spraying clear coat. When spraying clear you want to be able to move around the car or truck as fast as possible to ensure that the clear has the presentation of looking wet and uniform. Clear coat tips should be 1.4 to 1.5mm if you are spraying un-reduced clear coat, most guns come with a 1.2 or 1.3mm tip so this is something you will have to check. Again you want to unload the clear coat on the car as fast as possible.
**Where on the vehicle to start?–This can be different from painter to painter when spraying clear coat, but you certainly want to spray the top surfaces first with clear (for a lesser chance of leaning into wet clear by spraying the sides first). Now there should be another method to your madness when spraying clear coat. If you are beginning on the hood (which is where I always, and most painters start) do not start spraying clear coat in the middle of the panel and make your way back to the fender closest to you. Rather, you should begin by spraying clear coat at the edge of the hood closest to you and carry your pattern to the middle of the hood in which you will then walk quickly to the other side of the car and continue spraying clear coat from the middle of the hood to the fender in front of you. This process should also be repeated on the top of the vehicle, sometimes the deck lid (on larger cars) and toneau covers for trucks. After doing this you want to walk back up to the front of the vehicle where you started (and where the clear coat is beginning to dry) and quickly hit the bumper and the fenders followed by the doors, rear quarters and the back bumper of the car with clear. Move as quickly as possibly so the clear coat doesn’t set up on you, of course having the proper gun tip will aid in this venture.
**What if I get a run?–Ah, the secret of fixing runs in clear coat, it’s almost an art form. If in the middle of spraying clear coat you accidentally trip or catch your air hose and create a run in a panel such as the door, the first thing you should do is not freak out. The second thing you should do is isolate that one panel and hose it down with another coat or two of clear, let the run…Run it’s course so to speak and allow it to flow down the panel towards the bottom of the door and then to the rocker panel. Once you have sprayed the clear coat on the door and the run as flowed to the rocker panel then hit the rocker panel with some more clear coat and use your finger to wipe off the dripping clear from the bottom of the rocker. This is known as “letting it run to the ground”.
**What if a bug jumps in the clear coat or I accidentally bump the car with the gun?–Remain calm and if you’re in the middle of spraying clear coatand a bug jumps in make sure you have tweezers on hand to pull it out, then hose down that small area with more clear and before your done with the car make sure to completely cover that one panel with clear again in the case that you have to wet sand and buff out the imperfection.
**Always lay on your first layer of clear coat on wet, contrary to what old timers will tell you about the clear adhering better all it does is distort the final reflection.
**Always turn out the lights to the booth or the garage when you’re done spraying. Do this immediately after you have finished, bugs and flies love to jump in the clear and walk around in your perfectly sprayed clear coat.
**Mix the clear coat the way the instructions say and attempt to spray at the recommended temperature. If it’s too hot outside then use a slow (or warm temperature) reducer. If it’s cold then mix in some fast reducer (cold temperature)
**Always put three full coats of clear on the car, it may look perfect at only two; but that clear coat is going to shrink over the next few weeks or days when all of the solvents evaporate and it will show imperfections like no tomorrow.
