Rattle can + Bumper = ??

[PieEyedPiper]

Turns out that in order to balance that equation the answer ends up being "I'm a douche."

My front bumper has 103k miles on it, and is (was) faded and pitted from rocks, salt, snow, dirt and other road debris.

I ordered a matched rattle can online to use on my center taillight piece. I got the idea weeks ago that maybe some light spray on the bumper would make it look a little newer. sure enough it was a fantastic idea. I've now been touching up my bumper whenever I scrape (often) with great results...until I got a little carried away.

Needless to say I kinda screwed up the finish on ~75% of the bumper from my "fixing" of the faded original paint.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get a more smooth and even coat? I can spray the shit red and it looks excellent, but it is somewhat dull and needs clear coat. The problem is whenever I try to spray on some clear it comes out blotchy and uneven.

Any advice other than "seek professional help" is welcome.

 

[VPrime]

high grit sand paper+ water..
Wetsanding should help with the clear coat.

 

[bmoha2]

might help might not depending on how deep your scratches etc go. Is that paint metallic? Metallic paint is super tough to do from a spray can.

 

[northendtrooper]

300ish grit should do it + water = eraser.

 

[ILLiCliPSE]

rattle can clear coat will not work. atleast from what ive used and seen before. go to one of your local body shops and have them order you some clear from whoever they get it from, and clear it yourself if you have a spray gun. if not, just go get it cleared it shouldnt be much if its already prepped.

 

[Locke]

I have primed, painted, and cleared fenders and doors in the past, all rattle can, (Duplicolor) no sanding, and they turned out awesome. I just followed the instructions on the can, and practiced a bit on old parts.

I have since graduated to a cheap spray gun, though. Much faster.

 

[roadrunner2176]

You need to clean the clear before spraying it. Otherwise its like oil and teflon. It will cover, but will slide around. Scuff it up with some 400 followed be some 600. Wipe it off, clean it up, add some primer or adhesion promoter if its directly to the clear, and follow the directions on the can. I've found it best to spray the clear wither 15 to 20 minutes after the last coat of paint, or 24-36 hours after. Just the way the paint bonds. After the paint and clear has dried, take a buffer, some rubbing compund and LIGHTLY go over it. Wash, wax, and go.

If your having trouble finding the matching color, go to any paint shop and give them your code, or have them scan your color. They can fill a spray can with your cars color in no time and its dirt cheap compared to having a painter touch it up.

 

[housegsx]

First off, you need to wipe any thing you are going to paint with a prep solvent. Then sand, then wipe again. Buy some bulldog adhesion promoter and spray the bumper, then prime and wet sand. Wipe down again then spray a few even coats of the base coat. If you want to clear it good and by yourself, either get Aerosol KK7 Urethane Clear Kit from http://www.expresspaint.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_P.asp?idCategory=2
or get the real stuff from a body shop/automotive paint store and mix it and spray it with one of these. http://www.prevalspraygun.com/ You can get them at Napa or most hardware and paint stores. I've seen them at Lowe's, Home Depot, and Napa.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I didn't expect all the responses, thanks so much for all the advice.

I'm going to set aside some time and remove the bumper, sand the shit down and do my base coats and either price out getting it cleared or do it myself as described by housegsx. I'll update with the results when I get around to fixing this.

 

[tonygk85]

I'm a painter for a living... if you live in tucson az I would paint it for like a 100 bucks. here is what i would do sand the hole bumper down with 320 sand paper ON A DA SANDER this will make it nice then make sure to blow off the bumper real good. THEN THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART WHIP IT DOWN WITH SOME KIND OF CLEANER I USE LACKERTHENER AT WORK THEN SHOOT IT AGAIN. and good luck

 

[bmoha2]

I filled in the whole back of my 2gb front clip with great stuff expanding foam. ya can't really do the insides of the sides but all of the area under the large center front opening and all of the area between the fog lights and the end ducts to the smic etc I all fille din with expanding foam. I cut and laid in a section of tubular aluminum into the back of the section right under the large front center opening and foamed it into place. It makes it alot more rigid and it doen't flap around in the wind. Plus if you spray the front clip with paint out of a spray can it doesn't have a flex agent in it. I don't think any of the aerosol spray can paints have felx agent in them. My front clip used to flap alot in the wind even with all the stock braces and inner fender clips etc installed. Paint out of a can will over a pretty short time start clracking all over the place. With the whole back filled in with the great studd expanding foam it is not rigid but it doesn't flap around in the wind and would probably take paint from a can alot better and keep it on for longer without looking all crappy.

 

[bmoha2]

i took my time and did it in a few coats so that all the voids were fuilled but still making sure that I was not blocking or cutting off any airflow to anything

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

I'm a painter for a living... if you live in tucson az I would paint it for like a 100 bucks. here is what i would do sand the hole bumper down with 320 sand paper ON A DA SANDER this will make it nice then make sure to blow off the bumper real good. THEN THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART WHIP IT DOWN WITH SOME KIND OF CLEANER I USE LACKERTHENER AT WORK THEN SHOOT IT AGAIN. and good luck

Where do you get such fine paper for a DA? I can never find better than 220 and get stuck using a block for anything but stripping.


I did my bike with rattle can. If you clean it, rough it up, clean it and spray a proper 50% overlap it comes out well. I'm still learning to paint well, but this seems to work for me. You want to make sure the clear makes a mice wet coat. If you try and touch things up with little bursts of spray it will end up making things milky and rough.

 

[roadrunner2176]

You should be able to find sandpaper just about anywhere, home stores, hardware stores, and paint shops. If nothing more stop at a mechanics and buy a few sheets. If you still cannot find any just get yourself a cheap 1/4 sheet hand sander.

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

I'm asking specifically about Dual Action Orbital pads with a finer grit than 220.