I went to a paint shop today and they quoted me $375 for a gallon of paint and clear coat could be $75, 100, 200, and 290. The guy at the counter only knew that the more expensive is better, but he didn't know why. What is the differenc between cheap clear coat and expensive clear coat?
Cheap stuff will flake off in a year..been there done that...own a body shop. Go with a PPG concept series about $150 for the setup..stay away from the off name stuff 3rd demension etc...
That is a pretty wild blanket statement. There was something wrong in application to cause a clear to "flake off" in only a year, I don't care what clear it was. Sure "you get what you pay for" (maybe, maybe not) and I am a big believer in the top of line products. But there are plenty of pretty good quality "value line" products out there. Brian
The difference between cheap clear and good clear is that there are less UV inhibitors in the cheap ones, thats why they don't last as long as the more expensive ones that have more UV inhibitors in them. Hope this helps you out.
Several guys I've talked to don't notice a huge difference from PPG Omni clear and the Deltron clear. I've only sprayed Omni and was very happy with it....I'll have to wait until I spray the 'vert with the other to see if there is a difference. Bill
We use R-M in our shop and I know it may sound hard to believe, but we have usually had much better luck appearance wise with an inexpensive U-Tech clear than with the expensive R-M clears. (U-Tech 4.0 Select is about $16 to $18 a spayable quart, R-M 5100 CTR about $45 a sprayable quart). Of course we have one of those old Binks crossflow booths which is better than nothing, but far from adequate for most of the newer technology materials. The expensive clears are much less forgiving as far as sprayability and are designed to be used in a downdraft booth with alot of air flow and force dried. Usually if the expensive clears are used in a normal air dry manner, they tend to die back. The cheap clears are usually designed for use in a situation where there is limited air flow and conventional air dry. Not to say there are not drawbacks with the cheaper clears; such as they tend to be more yellow colored and are not good to use on whites. The expensive clears usually are near water white, so they don't yellow or darken a color as bad.
Here's my 2 cents: I have sprayed in and open shop all my life. Just in case you have no ideal what an open shop is it's a shop with no booth.I have sprayed the expensive stuff 90% of the time. I find that the cheaper stuff is ok but the shine will die out in a a year or to but it can be buffed back up. Like AA-Dale say the UV inhibitors are the reason for this. If your doing a nice job for a car you will be keeping for a longtime spend the extra money. If your looking to unload the car within a year or to use the cheap stuff. You can always buff that stuff up to look fresh. Food for thought.
I know we have been using U-Tech clear on 75% of the stuff we spray for about 2 years and have never had a comeback with it. They list all of the test specs in the tech manual such as accelerated UV exposure, gloss retention, yellowing, chemical resistance, hardness, etc., etc. So a person can compare clears somewhat with that information. The thing is if you sand and buff clear, you are at least losing some of the UV protection and some of the chemical resistance that is in the top surface of the clear. I will admit the cheap does not feel as "slick" as the expensive clear when you run the backside of your finger across it. But if you sand and buff the expensive clear, it loses some of it's slickness also. One thing to keep in mind, part of the price of the expensive material is all of the advertising and NASCAR sponsorship.
There is no real disadvantage to cutting and buffing the clear. That is as long as you don't cut it thin, THAT is the reason a clear will fail. The chemical make up throughout the film is the same. A nice cut and buff without going nuts is about .5 MIL, tested it myself. So if you apply two coats of your average "med solids" clear that provides 2.4-3.0 mils or so you can cut and buff it and have your 2.0 -2.5 typical recommendation. Brian Brian
Myself , I don't agree in that statement about there being no disadvantage to sanding and buffing the clear. Any time you can avoid disturbing the finish it's usually best. But in many cases it's necessary to achieve the appearance a person is after. I know that if you don't keep a sanded and buffed finish waxed, that something even like fly or miller crap will "etch" or stain the surface. You lose some of that "slick" feel when removing the top surface of the clear. From what we were told the UV screeners float to the top of the clear when it's sprayed.
Strato, you are absolutly right. I went and made a blanket statement. If you can leave it alone, leave it. However, the difference in durability from cut and buffed to not cut and buffed is hardly measurable. As far as the UV "floating to the top", on some clears this may be so to a certain degree I am told. But again, is it measurable? Most any car that is cut and buffed is going to sleep in a garage and be generally well kept. It will last many, many years. Your typical "driver" I totally agree, cutting and buffing is a major overkill. Brian
i run a paint store and the amount of cutting and buffing often has to do with how the clear flows and lays, along with the painter who is doing it. i know people who make cars that look like an orange grove and people who can make cars look like mirrors. the better lines of clears are usually the way to go, but the prep and time taken to do the job can make alot of difference. i sell dupont products, which i know some people like and dislike. to each is own. but i actually used a clear made by transtar which is half the price of the dupont clears, and i swear it lays better, and my car which was painted 5 years ago is still like glass with a little glaze here and there.(the statements i just left are just my opinions and are not ment to upset anyone)dan
Where can i find a tech manual with the specs? Is that something available online or would I have to go to a paint store? Thanks everyone for the replys. I am trying to keep myself from getting cold feet because of the cost. I figure if I'm going to keep this car it might as well look good, and I am definately going to keep it.
Well, first you could check with the paint store. I just did a quick search and didn't find their site. But if you spend some time you should be able to. Either that or get the site info off the can. Brian
PPG and OMNI spec sheets are here: http://www.pwpaints.com/ppg-p-sheets.html Sherwin Williams: http://www.sherwin-automotive.com/reference/ Sikkens: http://www.sikkens.net/default.asp?sid=65394&pid=405 :TU:
U-Tech Coatings The following is the contact information from our U-Tech Coatings Technical Reference Manual : Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc. 212 North Virginia Ave. Carneys Point, NJ 08059 Tel. # 1-800-618-1010 Fax 1-856-299-8339 I'm not sure if they have a website with the technical information, but I would think so. The following is the info. out of our manual for the U-Tech 4.0 Select HS Clear : Viscosity :- 17 seconds #2 Zahn Hardness : 2H - no failure Chemical Resistance : 1000 xylene rubs - no failure Flexibility: 1/8 mandrel - no failure VOC/Gal. : 4.0 lbs. Wt/ Gal. : 8.0 lbs. QUV weathering (5000 hours UVA 340 Bulb) 60 degree------- 93% initial 20 degree------- 85% initial 60 degree------- 93% final 20 degree------- 85% final They list 8 different clears in the manual, although the above mentioned clear is the only one we have used. I'm sure I could also get another tech. ref. manual from our jobber and mail it to you. Tim
