Color Sanding for dirt removal

[TLoz]

Hi,Just finished spraying the color on the hood and fenders. Went on nice and smooth followed the advice here and worked great. 2.5 coats of color smoothed out great. The HPLV worked nice. Only problem is, I got alittle-not much, but a little dirt on the panels. I'm spraying PPG DCC and I'm currently in the 2 hour dry window before I spray clear. Can I sand out the dirt with 1500-2000 grit in the dirt areas only then spray the clear or will that screw up the color? Also, can I do that after the two hours or should I wait? I'm not planning on sanding the complete panels, just the dirt specks. Many thanks, Tom

[turp mcspray]

Is it a solid color? If it is then yes, as long as it is dry enough. Without being there to touch it, I would think you would be ok after a couple of hours. It's been a long time since I used that paint. Use wax and grease remover instead of water. It will be slipperyer on the fresh paint. And be GENTLE! I'd try a spot somewhere that won't be noticed to "test the waters"

[britnjc]

how did it turn out. Pics please

[TLoz]

I called PPG tech line and they recommended that since the dirt/dust was minor to go ahead and spray the clear coat. It turned out pretty good. The dirt is still visible but should sand down okay. I only ended up with one run in the clear and no runs in the color. I'll post some pics after I figure out what's wrong with my camera.

[TLoz]

Here's some pics of the hood and one fender. I'm going to sand and buff after I install them in case I damage them.

[Prong]

Is that Cardinal Red? It looks alot like mine.

[TLoz]

It's viper red. The body is ready for paint. Just waiting for the weather to cool down. The shop isn't air conditioned.

[LONGHAIR]

Just for future reference, I would agree with the tech line people on the minor flecks, just clear over them......assuming that it is something the doesn't really show color-wise (it's just a nib) but if you have something that you really can't "live with", you can sand it out. Just don't go clearing over it at that point. Re-shoot some more base first.

BTW, runs in the color will always need to be sanded out, they will show, even if the clear is perfect.

[turp mcspray]

In the original post he said he was spraying DCC which is single stage. (correct me if this is wrong) Base coat is DBC. If you are spraying base coat with no hardner, you could let it set iindeffinitely and still clear over it. The longer it sets, the more chance you have for contamination of sorts. If they said there is no window, and some guy sprays the base and then 2 months later sprays the clear, and then has a problem he will blame the paint. The manufacturer must cover their a$$ from these guys. So they put a window on it. On a product like base coat or laquer you could let it set forever , and when you spray more base on or clear, as long as the surface hasn't been compromised, it WILL stick.
If you have a problem in your base, as soon as the paper won't stick, you can sand it and spray more base on that spot, then clear as you normally would.