Clear Coating Metallics

[75nut]

Hi

Paint questions again.

I'm getting a good finish for small sections with ratle cans. But I find when I am laquering metalics I lose the "sparkle".

I use 800 to key the base coat and then apply the laquer. But then I find I ge tmore of a flat colour than the factory finish withou the glittery sparkle or metallic

But in experimenting I the sparkle remains if I don't key the paint first, but have then sometimes got a kind of frosting in the laquer after a couple of days drying.

I presume there is no keying in the factory process, so do they add the laquer straight after colour (in the same way you apply the colour in coats ever 10 -15mins of going off)?

[cobblers]

You shouldn't be sanding the metallic base at all, despite what the back of halfords rattlecans say!

Put the lacquer on once the base coat has flashed off (like you say, within about 15-20 minutes) so that most of the solvents have evaporated but it's not gone completely dry, so the lacquer can properly bond with the base.

[akku]

WHS. Never sand basecoat unless you are applying more basecoat

[steveo3002]

yep never sand it

[75nut]

Cheers guys

[eddp]

Also learnt this the hard way, that's why the front of my car has no depth..

[Bob the Fish]

Don't sand metallics, it chops up the particles. If putting 1k clear onto 1k basecoat, no need to sand, the solvent will make them bond. The clear does change the appearance a bit, it probably flattens down any metallic particles that are standing up. You can try and preserve more sparkle by doing a drop coat - light coat from distance, the particles show up more.
If putting 2k clear onto 1k basecoat, a straight colour i.e. non-metallic or pearl, can be scuffed to give a key. But usually you try to squirt the clear on within a certain time window to avoid need for that.