I painted my truck last weekend, BC/CC using PPG Deltron. I am not satisfied with the clear coat. I got in a hurry and have some runs and pitting, I think due to not letting the clear flash before the next coat. Can I sand the clear smooth and re-clear?.
Thanks

You should be able but that depends on how bad the pitting is and what it is. Does it look like holes in the clear or bumpy like orange peel? If it is holes or looks like bubbles popped that is called solvent pop or could possibly be fish eyes, whether you can sand and reclear depends on how deep the solvent pop or fish eye is. If it is orange peel you should be ok, BUT, whether or not either can be sanded out also depends on how much clear is there also. You dont want to sand into the base again as that will require more work. If it is just on the surface, sand and reshoot. If it is solvent pop, sand it, and let it cure in the sun a day or so to make sure it doesnt get worse before you recoat. Do you have some pics of the problem, that would help to see what is going on and how bad it is.

I will shoot some pics tommorow, this was my first attempt at painting and it looked real good until my last coat of clear. I attempted to sand the places out but it looks like there are spots of clear still left. Maybe you can tell me more when I post the pics.

Here are some pics, couldn`t wait untill tommorow to post. I put on 3 coats of clear, and I guess I didn`t wait long enough for the coats to flash. What are my options?287016

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Thats just orange peel. Sand it with a sanding block till the shiny spots are gone to level the surface again. 3 coats of clear should be enough as long as you didnt spray thin coats.

That`s a relief, how do I avoid orange peel the next time. Was it due to rushing the job? If I get into the base coat in a spot or two can I just touch up the spots then re-spray the clear?

That`s a relief, how do I avoid orange peel the next time. Was it due to rushing the job? If I get into the base coat in a spot or two can I just touch up the spots then re-spray the clear?

Outlaw is right, by the looks of it, you should be able to block sand that out with some 1500 grit, then buff it. Most likely the clear dried before it could level out. Maybe it was hotter outside than expected when you painted? (assuming that you didn't use a booth) Using a clear hardener with a higher temp range will slow down the dry time, allowing it time to flow out. The drawback is that it has more time to run, and more time for dust and trash to stick to it. Another thing that I do is add about 10% reducer to it for better flow.

Using a clear hardener with a higher temp range will slow down the dry time, allowing it time to flow out. The drawback is that it has more time to run, and more time for dust and trash to stick to it.

I dont think it slows down the drying time if its used in the proper temp range. It is supposed to dry at an equivalent rate as if you were using a fast reducer in 70degrees, or a slow reducer in 85degrees. I dont know, maybe Im wrong.

So I never used a clear coat either. Is it supposed to look dull like that until he buffs it out?

Thats what Hugger is saying, Use a higher temp catylist above the temp range called for which causes the clear to cure slower due to it being "below" the cats "recommended" temp range and flow out better. Same goes for reducer. Thats an old trick with metallics so they flow out or stay "wet" longer and look better.
Rule of thumb is.
peel is fluid and runs are air.
Spraying clear is a fine line between peel and runs.
Reducing the clear 10% will help but if you don't have the air cranked up above what you shot the paint at,it will peel everytime reguardless.
Reducing and shooting over your existing clear will go better and slicker but, it will also have a tendancy to run easier so watch your tricky areas where the clear can build with multiple pass's.

I see... when i read it initially, it sounded that he was saying something different.

Thanks Guys,

So I need to use higher temp catalyst and increase my spray to help avoid peel? It was fairly hot when I shot the clear, late afternoon. I had the air on in my shop, but when I was spraying I had my roll up doors lifted with fans sitting under them, to pull out the fumes. It worked ok but it also pulled all the cool air out and heated the shop up quickly.

What products are you using BTW?
Something to watch out for with shop or garage doors and having fans under them is the TOP of the door where it folds back. BIG area for TRASH to get pulled in and float down to the project.
Clear usually requires about 10-15# more air into the gun to atomize it as clear is much thicker than base paint. So open your fluid about a 1/2 turn more and up the regulator some and do some test pass's on some c'board till you get a nice pattern and make a pass on it as well and SEE what ya got.

I am using PPG Omni base and PPG DCB 100 clear. Didn`t think about the top of the garage door. I don`t think I had any problem with that, the door was only lifted enough to clear a box fan and the truck was pulled up and away from the door, but definitely something to look out for. I`ll make sure to check my test patterns more thoroughly before I spray the clear again. Hopefully I`ll get a chance next weekend. I really appreciate all the advice, I figured I would run into a few problems with my first attempt, and it`s nice to get answers to what may have caused my problems.