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One problem with leaving it to harden and flatten is that I have borrowed the garage it's in so I only have a week to do this It's a questions of getting the paint on and sorting it out in my drive a few weeks down the line.
I have painted with a roller.
My advice is to make sure the roller is loaded and no air bubbles.
Apply light pressure to the roller on the tray until all bubbles have gone before you start to apply to the body.
The paint on the roller will last longer than you think and rolling one way and then again at 90 degrees helps remove deep texture.
I have painted our Yacht hull a couple of times. I use the foam roller and also a foam brush for the parts you can't get the roller into.
I found it best not to put the paint on too thickly but to give it a second coat when the first was just becoming tacky. The roller and foam brush leave no brush marks and I have managed to paint it twice over the years with no paint runs or marks. The paint is however especially for a boat hull and is designed to flow out but also not to run as it is always applied to a vertical surface.
Would be interesting to see how it worked on a car as the hulls on boats are often polished when hauled out of the water so if painted onto a car body shell they should also be able to be polished. I have always used International Paint as it is designed for boats.
I don't think there is any chance of random lorry drivers asking if it is an MX5 now.
fatbloke wrote:
...I have borrowed the garage it's in so I only have a week to do this It's a questions of getting the paint on and sorting it out in my drive a few weeks down the line...
I think this is what needs to be taken into account more.
It is not that you are ignoring the good painting advice given on here.
It is more that you are not in a position to follow that advice and need to compromise.
Either way, I am looking forward to seeing this on the road.
As stated earlier in the thread, what has he got to lose? I hope it all works out, like you say, determination carries a lot of sway, and time to correct.
Thanks all - took your sage advice and cut the first coat back with a wet sand before applying the second coat and it looks much better, much less lemon peel.
Tomorrow will be coat three and the paint is hard enough for a wet sanding after being left overnight. There is another advantage with a bit of sanding as it's easier to see where you are applying the new paint on the flat finish (well durr!)
Oh, and the flies are easily removed with 600 grit wet and dry.
Today's top tip: If there is likely to be a cloud burst shut the garage door. The heavens opened as I was painting the front of the car and by the time I got to the back the soft paint was wet and covered in crap which had kicked up off the drive way.
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!
Ah well, I'm going to leave it to dry under a heat lamp tonight and see what the damage is tomorrow.
On the road, took it to work today. I'm going to leave it a few weeks before even thinking about flatting it back. I also need to invest in a polisher and some different compounds.
