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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Spraying advice

Advice on paint please .
I have sprayed a fibreglass boot lid with aerosols and got a a pretty good even coverage . I flatted off before each coat with 1200 wet paper. My final coat has dried with a slightly rough texture a bit like overspray and I have run out of paint . Should I flat off with more wet sanding , then T cut and polish or use a rubbing compound any other ideas welcome
I am not after a perfect finish just presentable
Mike Fairclough

I used 1500, 2000 an then polish, with a perfect finish.I had to wait till the paint was really hard. that took a few weeks.

Flip
Flip Brühl

I tend to use 1200 followed by Farecla G3 compound.
Dave O'Neill 2

Yeah-Block it off with 1200 with warm soapy water ,works good
If you're not sure how far to rub it back you can give it a real light dust over with primer first and then when you've rubbed that off you're done- Try to stay away from the edges so you don't rub through

willy
William Revit

Thanks all for the advice I will have a go with some wet 1500 paper at the weekend and see how I get on .
Mike Fairclough

I must agree with Dave - that Farecia compound is great, powerful stuff. Well worth investing in, in my opinion
Graham
Graham V

There are a lot of products in the Farecla G3 range aimed at both consumers and professionals. Dave/Graham, which one do you use?
AdrianR

the best way i find to approach this sort of job is based only on home user experience, and that would be to start with the mildest stuff you have, this way you can see a gradual result an be comfortable that you are not taking off too much paint/lacquer.
Frecala, do a finishing compound which is a step up from using a silicone style polish, and so it gets to work instantly but isn't abrasive enough to be scary !
As has been mentioned, be cautious around the edges, but taking your time is really the key with this job in my opinion.
P Bentley

Thanks for all the advice , I went for very wet 1500 , T cut and Turtle wax , all stuff I had on the shelf . Quite pleased with the result . Hardtop next , that's a different proposition .

80 grit on an orbital sander to start ?

Mike Fairclough

Adrian
What I have used, as it was recommended to me, is G3 advanced liquid compound
Graham V

Looking good-You'd have to be happy with that
William Revit

Thanks - my car is due a complete respray (currently has faded 20 year old DIY finish with various dents and scuffs), but the guy who will do it has a backlog of work that doesn't seem to be getting any shorter so I was wondering about giving it a polish in the meantime.
AdrianR

bingo, that looks very good Mike
and yes something like 80 grit on a DA will be the way to go on your roof. Good luck with it
P Bentley

Are DA grit scales different then? I saw 80 and thought that will just tear the paint straight off. Then thought maybe a typo and it was supposed to say 800, or 1800 ?
GuyW

Perhaps i have misunderstood your question Mike.
The lower the number the coarser the grit, so 80 isn't going to hang around stripping anything !
I have assumed that you were looking to go back to the surface on your roof. So if not, and you just want to flat it ahead of a repair and paint, then you should start with something milder.
When i have prepped panels i usually start with 400, but its all down to personal preference, what initial surface defects you are working with, and time of course.
Over the rebuild of a couple of cars you get stocks of these supplies, so switching around depending on what work you are doing is straight forward.


Pop a picture of your roof up for better advice.
P Bentley

Also bear in mind there is a difference between 80 and P80. 80 is the US system and P80 uses the European system. IIRC the European system has less variance in grain sizes allowed so is effectively slightly finer.
David Billington

I use an 80 grit flapwheel for reshaping metal and dressing welds. It removes steel pretty fast in a shower of sparks. I wouldn't go anywhere near paintwork with it unless l wanted rid. Even for flatting runs l would start with 600 and go finer. Pre Farecla G3 l would be down to around 1200 or even a 2000 flour paper.
GuyW

Hi thanks for the advice on the roof all of you, more welcome please. The roof is covered in pock marks presume where moisture has come through also lots of scratches presumably down to the white gel coat hence me thinking I will need to get all the paint off . I got some rough sanding discs for OS the coarsest being 80 I agree it looks a bit savage . The pack has some 120 and 180 in as well. What do you think ?

Mike Fairclough

Mike, Looking at that picture I think I'd be inclined to use paint stripper.

It looks like black paint over white gel coat. My bonnet and boot have some similar blips and over the winter the hard top acquired some too after being under a tarpaulin in the garage where condensation is a major problem.

I tried 'domestic' paint stripper from a DIY store but it wouldn't touch the paint. Starchem Synstryp did the trick - it's more like proper old fashioned Nitromors. Not cheap at around £23 from a trade supplier and it might take two or three applications to get through the layers but it took my door down to bare metal with no problem.

NB - I am NOT and expert, but a very ham-fisted/ignorant amateur. People with more knowledge and experience might be able to provide a better answer!

Colin
C Mee

Noooooo!!! Everything that I have read concerning fibreglass repairs says don't use paint stripper. Too risky that you will damage the gelcoat.
Simon Wood

Indeed. Paint stripper will eat fibreglass.
Dave O'Neill 2

IIRC you can get paint stripper suitable for fibreglass but when a mate stripped his Renault Alpine A110 back to the gelcoat he sanded it and the paint debris was impressive as he reckoned at least 17 different paint layers. DA sander used and coarse pads and time and care.
David Billington

looking at the pic i would start by using something relatively coarse, in particular where the DA will be awkward to get into and see how you get on.
There isnt any better way than taking your time with these sorts of things, so plenty of patience and cups of tea !
P Bentley

I did point out that I'm an ignorant amateur!

Thanks for the warning, I've checked all the spec. I can find and there's nothing to say Synstryp's OK for fibreglass. Only H & S / COSHH type info on the container.

I'll set the DA to work when I get round to starting on the roof!

Colin
C Mee

Ok it's the orbital sander at the weekend if it's dry, I'll let you know how I get on Colin
Mike Fairclough

This thread was discussed between 04/06/2018 and 14/06/2018

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