I have been experimenting with different ways to do a rattlecan basecoat/clearcoat application.

Keep in mind I haven't done alot of reading up on this so at this point don't take anything I say to heart as being factual. I'm just looking for what is the "right" way of doing things.

I bought two cans of VHT high temp paint to be used on my plenum and runners. One is gloss black rated at 250F and the other is a clearcoat rated at 550F. The gloss black is actually an epoxy paint and the can says it can be handled after 3 hours and takes 7 days to fully cure. It makes no mention of a heated curing process. The clearcoat is an enamel that says it dries after 1 hour and cures in about 7 days but is recommended to be baked in the oven after it dried for 1 hour at 200F.

What is the proper way of applying these? The gloss black says to apply all coats within 1 hour, allowing 10 minutes between each coat. For anything after that you have to wait 7 days. One method I tried was to spray 2 coats of gloss black, wait 10 minutes and then apply the clear. The methjod to my madness was that hopefully since the black hadn't dried this would provide for a stronger bond between the two paints, and also so that I wouldn't have to wait a week to apply the clear and then another week ontop of that to install the pieces into the car (To keep from risking a chip). I waited 3 hours and then baked the test piece at 200F for one hour. The paint is still scratchable as it has only been 3 days and it is still curing but it becomes stronger every day and takes more and more effort to scratch it.

It is worth noting that by using this method, as soon as I sprayed on the clear the entire paint job immdiately turned a white cloudy color, and remained this way for about 30 minutes until the clear had a chance to calm down. After this period, it turned back into a professional looking gloss black paint job, but with even more gloss now.


So what is the "right" way to do this guys? I'm looking to save some time, but if this will interfere with my ability to attain a strong bond and properly cured (strength wise) paintjob then certainly I can be patient.

Should I do it this way, or should I spray the black on as normal, wait 7 days, spray the clear then wait one hour and bake and THEN wait another week on top of that?


Thanks in advance.

 

You should never wait 7 days between your final color coat and your first coat of clear. Clear coat should be applied at least within 24 hours of your last coat of color.

 

OK. So the best approach would be to spray 2 or 3 coats of black, all within 10 minute intervals, wait 3 hours then spray on the clear. Then wait one hour and bake at 200F and then let cure for 7 days. Correct?

 

When it comes to baking, I would follow whatever the paint manufacturer suggests. I've never baked paint before. But yes, you should spray the color at intervals where it just has enough time to be dry enough to touch without leaving finger prints. After you lay down a couple of coats of color, start within a few hours on your first coat of clear. The clear will take longer to harden, so your intervals between clear coats will be longer.