Rockabilly flat white

Hello there...

Not sure what to do.... Maybe someone has been through this: I'm painting a fender in a flat white primer. I want to get this as soft and perfect as possible. We all know that the flat colors show EVERY imperfection in the sheet metal. Well, I was wondering if anyone has any tricks or tips... I've been spraying and sanding (with fine sandpaper) over and over... but I still have many fine scratches... Filler isn't doing the job either (although my body filler tech is not perfect!)

Hey man, any advice, taunts, welcomed if all else fails just punch me in the face (it'll make the bodywork seem more fun!)

IRIE...

What grade of paper are you sanding with? Try some 400 grit paper, and make sure the primer that you are using is a primer surfacer. There are primers that don't have any "filler content " in them. You need what is called a primer surfacer, as this has 2 functions---the primer makes it adhere to the substrate, and the surfacer (which can be powdered chalk, or talcum) fill in minor imperfections and sand scratches.

Well, i'm using 220 grit... That should be ok, right?? And the primer i'm using is the sandable "Home Depot" kind...Yeah I think it's got the "filler" (I forget what it's really called) in it...

So if i'm ok with that stuff - let me ask you this: How many times should I sand/primer/sand before I get some smooth results??? 5 times?? 15 times?? 100 times??!!?! (and the sheet metal although rounded, is very nice, no gouges or deep pits) I must be doing something wrong...

IRIE...

Like I said---400 grit paper. Let it dry about 3 days before you sand it. Try using waterproof paper and some water with just a bit of liquid dish soap in it as a lubricant. The rattle can primer is awfully thin crap, make sure that you are shaking the can for about 5 minutes before spraying (al the filler will cake into a solid lump in the bottom of the can and you won't be spraying it) You should only have to do this 5 times maximum, if your initial preperation on the fender was sanded with progressivly finer grits. Rough in any bondo work with 36 grit, smooth it out with 120 grit, finish sand before spraying with 220 grit.

220 sandpaper is way too coarse for what you want. You can hit the first coat or so with 220, but you need to kick it up to 400 pretty quickly. I even push to 600 grit for a smoother look.

Buy 3-M Wet or Dry paper at your local auto supply store. Wet sand it after it dries thoroughly. Dry it completely before the next coat.

With a primer that fills very well, you may get it to your liking after 5-8 coats. That depends on how many scratches were put in it during the bondo fill and initial sanding. If you use too thin of a primer, you may never get there.

Final thought. Flat paints show flaws much less than polished, glossy paints.

Henry---Damn, I just love it when somebody agrees with me.

Oh i'm sorry I had my sanding grit #'s backwards!!! 400 is alot more fine than what i'm using...oops!

It's been a while since I needed to get really detailed with my bodywork... Thank you for the advice!!! That was just what I was looking for!

IRIE...