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MG MGA - paint problem

My Iris blue A roadster has just been painted with two pac. The mobile painter rubbed back the origonal old Acrylic and applied the new colour directly to the old paint and applied two coats of clear. The finish is acceptable but there is a roughness [course orange peel] on the flat door panels and on top of one door.
Can this be wet sanded out ? or should I insist that it is rubbed back and redone.
Should I expect a reasonable result even though it is not a bare metal respray ?
Lastly ,will painting over the old Acrylic stand the test of time ? Thanks Sean
S Sherry

Unusual not to use a isolator/sealer or even a primer.

There should not be a course finish in the final coat, if this has been correctly applied over a correctly prepaired surface. Normally, if necessary the surface would be wet sanded before the top coat is applied.

The question now is whether or not there is enough clear coat to take a wet sand and polish. Best way is to try a small area where the finish is at its worst. If that's OK you (should be your painter) can do the rest of the car. It's quite a specialisede job but with care and patience (and a good polisher) can be done by the enthusiast.

Regarding finish, it is possible to get a concourse finish over old paint, provided there is nothing lurking hidden underneath and the correct isolator or compatable paint system is used.

The main reason for a bare metal job is to be certain that there is no rust, filler, poor repairs, pinholes or contaminants etc. that may cause paint shrinkage, crazing or microblisters etc in future.

Your painter should have informed you of all this and what kind of finish to expect. Should be better than "acceptable" in any case.
Neil McGurk

Sean,
I just painted my Healey with 3 coats of clear knowing that I would have to wet sand the final finish. I used 2000 grit wet sand and then used a polishing system named "System One". I would consider 3 coats minimum for wet sanding and maybe 4 coats especially if you want a real flat look. You do not want to sand thru the clear! I agree with Neil, the painter should have used a sealer to insure good adhesion between the old and new paint. Hope this helps and have a good day!

John
John Progess

Sean
Use water with a dash of detergent in it on the wet&dry, always use a flat flexible backing to the wet and dry, not just your fingers which will give distortion. Take a rubber blade and remove the water to see how you are progressing. When the surface no longer looks like a golfball then you can use the polish. Remember to read the instructions well as it is easy to go through.
Mask up all the edges, especially when using a machine polisher as it is very easy to go through at edges.

Good luck.

Neil
Neil Purves

Sounds like poor workmanship by your painter. He should fix his own screwup before you pay him. Either too dry paint application or orange peel. Either should be sanded smooth and reshot.
R J Brown

Thanks for the advice , I haven't paid him and after talking to the trade I'm going to tell him to get lost. He's too smart for his own good. Four hours on the job for $1005 ! ! No thanks. Sean
S Sherry

It should not be a big deal providing there is enough clear coat. If the rest looks good, I would cut him some slack and just ask him to sand and re-buff the door. Some times it's tough to see imprefections unless it is in the perfect light. Unless you know what your dong I would not attempt to sand. If you go thru the clear to the color, you will end up re-sprayng! Just my 2 cents.
WMR Bill

This thread was discussed between 07/04/2009 and 08/04/2009

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