Am I barking up the wrong tree with this rattle can 2k?

[TheGreatRedDragon]

Hey y'all, planning my entry into the Partscaster world and doing a lot of thinking about finishes.

My first, perhaps misguided instinct, is to DIY. It sounds like an interesting challenge backed up with lots of research.

My research has led me to this: direct gloss 2k. It seems to hit all of the check points:

1) Available in the classic car colors I want.
2) Dries rock hard within days.
3) Rattle can.
4) Available in Canada
5) Two-in-one formula; I don't have to apply a separate clear coat.

From the looks of it, for $50 I can get a glossy finish in the exact color I want without having to wait weeks for it to cure.

The cons... not sure, but there has to be some. Hoping you folks here can lend your insight. Any takers?

 

[BroccoliRob]

Yo that sounds like two in one shampoo-conditioner. Sure, it 'works' but it never works near as well as a separate 'poo and 'ditioner. I have a hard time imagining this being much different. I bet 50 money can get you a can or two each of color and clear. If yo gon do it, I say do it rightly.

 

[Seamas]

Have you seen any results from people who have tried this product on guitars?

 

[Cagey]

I haven't used that stuff on a guitar, but I do have some experience with it on cars. Works as advertised in that case - cures up looking like wet glass. Some drawbacks might be it doesn't dry/cure as fast as lacquer so you need a real clean place to shoot it - if anything settles on it, it's in there for good. Oddly enough, there's a lot more crap floating in the air than we realize, and that finish won't sand/polish like lacquer. Blemishes are more or less permanent, which also means you better have your spray technique down pat - you won't get a chance to fix it later. Also, it's very toxic, and I'm not talking whine-baby eco-evangelistic toxic like some kind of California regulator, I mean it can make a real mess of your lungs. Once the catalyst mixes into the paint, it starts to cure into a solid. You're essentially breathing in a self-hardening liquid plastic + poison. If you opt to use it, add the cost of a good respirator to the project, not one of those paper drywall dust breathing filters. But, they're not terribly expensive - figure between $35-$50.

 

[TheGreatRedDragon]

Have you seen any results from people who have tried this product on guitars?

All I've seen is people using SprayMax 2k clear over Duplicolor lacquer, with apparently good results (I hear the Duplicolor clear stays soft for months).

I haven't used that stuff on a guitar, but I do have some experience with it on cars. Works as advertised in that case - cures up looking like wet glass. Some drawbacks might be it doesn't dry/cure as fast as lacquer so you need a real clean place to shoot it - if anything settles on it, it's in there for good. Oddly enough, there's a lot more crap floating in the air than we realize, and that finish won't sand/polish like lacquer. Blemishes are more or less permanent, which also means you better have your spray technique down pat - you won't get a chance to fix it later. Also, it's very toxic, and I'm not talking whine-baby eco-evangelistic toxic like some kind of California regulator, I mean it can make a real mess of your lungs. Once the catalyst mixes into the paint, it starts to cure into a solid. You're essentially breathing in a self-hardening liquid plastic + poison. If you opt to use it, add the cost of a good respirator to the project, not one of those paper drywall dust breathing filters. But, they're not terribly expensive - figure between $35-$50.

Interesting, I was under the impression it will dry faster than lacquer. Well I'm sure I'll be able to think up a reasonably sterile environment. I'm not looking for super perfection.

I've heard about how poisonous it is, and I'll definitely get a respirator. Really don't like the sound of plastic hardening in the lining of my lungs.

 

[Cagey]

It doesn't really dry, it cures, which happens fairly fast, but still takes time. Nothing dries as fast as lacquer - you have to watch it doesn't dry leaving the gun.

 

[TheGreatRedDragon]

So taking all of this into consideration, do you feel this would be an advisable course of action for a rattle can finish, as opposed to other popular options?

 

[Cagey]

As appealing as the possibility is of getting a "wet glass" finish without the finish sanding/buffing/polishing work sounds, I still don't use that material and don't intend to. I've done enough finish work to know that if anything can go wrong, it will, so I don't want to deal with a finish I can't deal with after the fact. It's just too much work getting to where you can expect a good finish to risk it with something that's going to eat my life if I make a mistake, or make me regret that I did a DIY finish job that looks like what it is - a DIY finish.

If I had a proper paint booth and enough experience to be highly assured of success pretty close to 100% of the time, then I'd be all for it. It IS a good way to get a fantastic and highly durable finish for substantially less work than damn near anything else. It more than justifies the higher cost of the material itself. But, I know me. At least with lacquer or polymerized oils, there are recovery moves you can make at just about any step along the way. I don't do oils out because they're usually not durable enough for my taste, but at least I understand their appeal.

Production shops can use trick paints because they're set up for it and have people who can shoot masterpieces in their sleep, and if things go bad recovery isn't as debilitating for them as they are for an individual. That is, they an afford it. For them, it's actually cheaper/faster to go that route by a substantial margin. But, not for the DIY guy. But, again, that's just me. Done right, you could end up way ahead of the game.

 

[TheGreatRedDragon]

Mulling it over a bit, I've got a project in mind that would be a perfect guinea pig. I think I'll take a leap and give it a go. If it works out, great. If it doesn't, no big deal. I'll report back either way.

 

[Cagey]

Good idea. Practice and sample parts greatly increase your chances of success. Be aware that regardless of the material you end up using, prep is everything when it comes to finish work - don't cut corners when preparing the part for finish.