I have had many requests regarding the type of clear coat that I use on some of my paint jobs. Generally, I use House of Kolor or Kustom Shop clears. Usually, the final question is "Can I just clear the part with spray paint?" A lot of members don't have acces to professional spray equipment. This is the answer..... I have used this product on a test only basis and will say that it is the ONLY canned clearcoat I will recommend for any paint job. It is a Urethane paint which means it can be sprayed over almost any base paint that is properly dried, and it is as professional as using a spray gun. You mix the hardner with the paint by depressing a button on the bottom of the can which activates the paint. You then have a limited time to spray your part as it is activated by the hardner and will actually harden in the can if not used in a timely fashion. I have never used this on cars or motorcycle paint jobs but have used it on smaller items. The finish is exact to a full spray system Urethane paint job. You should use a respirator with this because it is the exact smell of professional paint and the same chemical compounds. Read the reviews also on the page. Hope this answers some questions for the DIY'er
http://www.repaintsupply.co..._part_2k_aerosol.cfm

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 09-04-2010).]

Interesting, Ive never seen it. Duplicolor who makes laquer paints for sale at parts stores, also puts their clear in spray cans now. Yes it is laquer, and it can be applied over basecoat colors. I do it a lot for smaller parts like mirrors or trim pieces that I dont want to tie up the whole shop waiting for urathane to dry. With the laquer clear, I can put the part on in 30 mins and rub it out in a few hours if it needs it. Its great for something like a new gas door/lid, mirror, etc.

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Owner / Operator Custom Paint and Body...
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____________________________________________

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Roger, I know what you mean. I use lacquer as well as urethane depending on the job. The idea of this clear for the person who does not own spray equipment is that it lays on just like a spray gun finish. A lot of the members on here don't have the proper sandpaper for the final finish as well as a high speed buffer. This actually is a true urethane paint that flows like glass with no sanding or finish buffing. I have not used it on any of my paint jobs just because I own professional spray equipment but have tested it a while ago on some flat steel that I had to paint for a client. I didn't feel like wasting the automotive paint so I used this. I was pleasantly surprised.

A major thank you sir!

+ for you!

Thanks for the tip.

Have you had much success with House of Kolour paint?...I've heard nothing but horrid things about it...would love more input for my next paint project.

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Cliff's 610th Positive Feedback Giver.
#12 NYFOC Member
In recent times, the custom aftermarket car/automobile roadwheel has become a status symbol. These wheels are often incorrectly referred to as "rims". The term "rim" is incorrect because the rim is only the outer portion of a wheel (where the tire is mounted )

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: Interesting, Ive never seen it. Duplicolor who makes laquer paints for sale at parts stores, also puts their clear in spray cans now. Yes it is laquer, and it can be applied over basecoat colors. I do it a lot for smaller parts like mirrors or trim pieces that I dont want to tie up the whole shop waiting for urathane to dry. With the laquer clear, I can put the part on in 30 mins and rub it out in a few hours if it needs it. Its great for something like a new gas door/lid, mirror, etc.

DupliColor (I'm not associated w/them in any way) makes a paint in a spray can called "Black Effex (FX?)" which is basically a transparent black with rainbow microflake suspended in the paint. After standard prep you would do for any automotive paint job, I used it to do a repaint on my 35-year-old GT-750 Suzuki, after testing it on one of the side covers for reactivity to DuPont ChromaClear. The results were stunning...the paint looks deep, wet black until the sun hits it, and the effect even then is very subtle. When looking down directly at the surface in the sunlight, you see a rainbow halo effect, similar to the iridescence you see on a fish just pulled from the water. I would say using the product IMSA GT was referring to, along with this one, would produce some very nice results on smaller parts, panels, or projects like racing stripes, for people who don't have money or space for compressor equipment.

(I've also used ChromaClear over lacquer basecoat with good results.)

quote Originally posted by Hockaday: Have you had much success with House of Kolour paint?...I've heard nothing but horrid things about it...would love more input for my next paint project.

House of Kolor paint is basically a "system" of paints. They chemical compound is very harsh and therefore you need to use their line of paints from start to finish. If you decide to clear over their system with another brand of clearcoat, you may get bad results as well as using their clear over other brands of paints. You will probably bubble the basecoat. What is so nice about their paints if you wanted to do a candy finish for example is that you lay down the basecoat, let it tack, do a few more coats, lay down the candy in 7 or 8 coats depending on the shade of color you want, and then move right to the clearcoat without stopping. You treat the paint as one continuous paint job from start to finish with no wetsanding in between coats. You then have to wetsand the finished product and buff. If you are painting in a professional booth, you probably won't even need to sand and buff the final coat.

Ive had very bad luck with duplicolor clears even on small applications, it tends to turn yellow in the sun in under a week.

quote Originally posted by FieroFiend: Ive had very bad luck with duplicolor clears even on small applications, it tends to turn yellow in the sun in under a week.

That is the issue a lot of times. Canned automotive spray paint really isn't for long-term outdoor use and I believe if you leave it in the sun, the clear softens up. Basically, Duplicolor is canned lacquer paint. In painting, the slower a paint dries, the more glossy it is. Hence the orange peel in the Duplicolor paints. They dry too quickly, especially if left in the sun. That is why this product is so nice. It is a 2 part urethane that has a "pot life" of 24 hours in the can. When you spray the part, the clear dries at a specific rate allowing the maximum gloss without buffing or sanding. I still continue to do paint jobs with professional equipment but this product is more for the DIY'er or the bodyshop guy who needs to spray multiple small parts at 1 time. I don't think you could do an entire car with this stuff but it is good for smaller parts.

House of Kolors has nice colors. Their clear is garbage. It never wants to dry, always stays gummy. I sanded a car down that had their clear almost 2 years after it was painted. It gummed up #80 grit sandpaper in seconds. I ended up having to strip it with paint stripper. I havent used it since. BASF/R&M and Sherwin Williams also have introduced their own custom true candyapple colors. You can mix them up to come up with a rainbow of custom colors. They use regular urathane clear topcoat.

IMSA, the only downside I see is you have to use the whole can once its mixed. To me thats impractical for say a piece of body cladding. It def is good for someone say redoing the roof on their sunroofed car, or a rear wing, body scoop. By be using the Duplicolor clear, I can buy a quart and it lasts me months doing small parts.

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: By be using the Duplicolor clear, I can buy a quart and it lasts me months doing small parts.

Ahh. I thought you meant the Duplicolor spray can clear. You are absolutely correct. Their Paint Shop paints are great. I have used them many times and love the results each time and you gotta love the price. Just keep in mind Roger, I made this thread specifically for the novice or the people who don't own a compressor. You are correct, the paint that I posted has a pot life of only 24 hours so it would only be a one-time use can of paint but most of the DIY'ers just need enough to get by.

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 09-05-2010).]