# DIY Rust repair



## Brian' (Jul 22, 2014)

Hello everyone,

My Puma had a bit of rust on the left arch. So I've done a bit of DIY.

I've used filler instead of a new piece of metal, the reason for this is firstly I can't weld or know someone near to me that can and secondly is cash.

So I've sanded back the rust (I know, the rust is coming from the inside) to bare metal and from there on I've used a bit of filler to make it smooth and even. It's not as perfect as a professional but I can live with it.

After this I've done the whole spray thing (primer, base coat, clear coat). Let it dry for 24 hours. *It was done with rattle cans, 2K paint*

The problem I have is that my paint doesn't shine very well. It's dull. I've already tried wetsanding it with 2K, I've tried using a clay bar and I've done a bit of polishing with Adam's Fine Machine Polish but it doesn't shine..

Here are some pictures:
This was in the morning (the day after) :









This was after I've wetsanded it with 2000 and polished it with a DAP:




































I don't know what to do, Do I have to wait is it because the paint has to cure? Am I doing something wrong? Have I missed a step?

Let me know! - I need your help


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## Naranto (Apr 5, 2007)

You should have left the paint for a minimum of 2 weeks before wet sanding and polishing. 
Rattle can paint needs a while before it 'sets'.


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## Brian' (Jul 22, 2014)

Naranto said:


> You should have left the paint for a minimum of 2 weeks before wet sanding and polishing.
> Rattle can paint needs a while before it 'sets'.


Can I still save it by doing that?


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

I would have thought the paint would be acrylic not 2K.
2K paint requires mixing with hardener and only has a limited working time as it sets by chemical reaction. It is very tough once set.
Has there been sufficient clearcoat applied? You need an appropriate thickness of paint to work with.
Was it damp at all when the clearcoat was drying?
Is it the correct top coat for the basecoat or vice versa?
Are you sure it was gloss clearcoat and not something with a matting agent?
If the clearcoat has bloomed due to moisture then you will most likely not be able to polish it out as it will probably be be all through the paint. However if you are sure the clearcoat is gloss, it may be worth trying with an agressive compound to see if there is any shine under the bloom but it is not worth spending too much time on, just do a small area to see if there is anything to work with. 
You should be able to wet flat the panel re apply the base coat and then clearcoat again but to paint it properly it will all need to come off and start again.


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## Brian' (Jul 22, 2014)

This is what the rattlecan says. 
I've gave it 6 coats of clear, with waiting times of 15 minutes between each layer. It was not damp it was about max 21 degrees centigrade, I've painted it in a dry place in the shadow. 
If I have to believe my local paintshop the top coat works with the base coat. They mix up the paint themselves and only sell these type of clear lacquer/coat.
It's definitely not a matt coat, I'm almost 100% sure that it's a gloss finishing clearcoat.

It was not bloomed due moisture there was no moisture at all because I made sure my surface was dry.

I currently have one polisher to my exposal which is: Adam Fine Machine Polish. Don't know if this one is an agressive one? If this one isn't agressive enough which one do you suggest?

And yep, if that doesn't work I have to start again.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

That's not 2k its 2coat lacquer . Give it a bit of time then flat and polish it


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

Maybe it's because you waited 15 mins between coats. 

Did you literally do 6 thin coats? 

I do a dust coat, wait 5 mins, then hit it hard with 2-3 wet coats all at once. 

That's just the way I do it though, others may have other opinions.


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## Brian' (Jul 22, 2014)

Sicskate said:


> Maybe it's because you waited 15 mins between coats.
> 
> Did you literally do 6 thin coats?
> 
> ...


There are probably more than one method in this case. Maybe your right.. and I will remember it for the next time I'm doing something like this :thumb:

I will flat and polish it up somewhere in the weekend or next week. Hopefully the result will turn out better than it is right now.

Thanks for all the help anyways! Like Sicskate said; If someone has another opinion or a tip, Please put it here!


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

Did it look shiny when you put the final coat on?


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## Brian' (Jul 22, 2014)

Sicskate said:


> Did it look shiny when you put the final coat on?


It actually didn't, That's why I was like..


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

Did it look shiny with any of the coats?
Was the can really well shaken every time?
Be careful, if you are inexperienced, heavy coats of paint are asking for trouble especially over base coat as it can pick up the colour and leave runs and sag marks that are impossible to remove it also takes much longer to dry.
I do agree though that it gives a better finish once you have mastered the art, can paint without runs and are able to let it dry well before polishing etc.
If it was in cool and shadow, depending on the time of day, condensation can be a problem. You might not see it form and it may only last a very short time but the effect is that which you describe.

It does sound like there was an issue with the clearcoat perhaps a high amount of solids found its way into the tin.
It may be as simple as it actually being a two coat system and the extra coats have reacted with something in some way.

Something like Meguiars M101 or Farecla G3 on a hexlogic green or orange pad would be much more aggressive but if you have some 2000grit wet/dry paper then that should flat away the surface on a small area sufficient for you to polish, even by hand, to see if you can find a shine underneath.
Obviously be really careful and make sure there is no trace of grit on the paper and use plenty of clean water.
One particle of dirt rubbed around on soft paint can make it all worse.

It sounds like you have been unlucky. Sometimes it it is just not your day. It sounds like you did little if anything wrong. I would have been expecting a nice shine if I had done it your way.
I quite like rattle cans because the paint has always been reliable for me and for small repairs they are really convenient.


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## Brian' (Jul 22, 2014)

Sh1ner said:


> Did it look shiny with any of the coats?
> Was the can really well shaken every time?
> Be careful, if you are inexperienced, heavy coats of paint are asking for trouble especially over base coat as it can pick up the colour and leave runs and sag marks that are impossible to remove it also takes much longer to dry.
> I do agree though that it gives a better finish once you have mastered the art, can paint without runs and are able to let it dry well before polishing etc.
> ...


I did shake the cans really well everytime, 2 minutes as the rattlecan says. Maybe it was bad luck or maybe it was inexperience. I don't know.

Going to try a more aggresive polisher.
Can I already do that now or does the paint have to cure longer. It's been about 9 days since I painted it.


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

No problem with doing it now but if you use a more aggressive compound do remember it cuts much faster so only work an area for a little time before checking how much has been removed. Be particularly careful near/on any edges as the paint will naturally be thin there.
If the surface is like orange peel I would wet flat it using a block and paper, then polish it back to a shine once it is properly flatted. Overall you will lose less top coat that way and get a flatter finish if the shine does come back to you.
Have you shown the people that sold you the paint? Did you empty the cans? If not do you think it is worth painting something else to see if the result is the same?


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## Brian' (Jul 22, 2014)

Sh1ner said:


> No problem with doing it now but if you use a more aggressive compound do remember it cuts much faster so only work an area for a little time before checking how much has been removed. Be particularly careful near/on any edges as the paint will naturally be thin there.
> If the surface is like orange peel I would wet flat it using a block and paper, then polish it back to a shine once it is properly flatted. Overall you will lose less top coat that way and get a flatter finish if the shine does come back to you.
> Have you shown the people that sold you the paint? Did you empty the cans? If not do you think it is worth painting something else to see if the result is the same?


Haven't showed the result to the people who sold/made the paint for me. I've called them and told them about the result though, they said it needs its time and a good polish.

Cans aren't empty yet, Might paint it on a old metal panel to see the result. Thanks for the tips!


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

No problem. It will be interesting to find where the problem lies.
Have you tried wet flatting a bit of an old panel and then a quick spray of top coat? That should tell you if the paint is at fault.
Did apply the colour over the whole area or only over and faded out around the bit you had treated before you lacquered the whole panel. The colour should be applied light and dry more as a dust than a wet coat. In contrast to the base coat the top coat should have looked wet when applied.
If you did not colour the entire panel then the fault must be with either the laquer or the application. Too dry and too fast would not be good as would not keeping the nozzle moving along parallel to the surface and using the wrist to give a fan like spray. That way the paint can be nearly dry by the time it hits the panel but I would have expected the panel to be blotchy rather than matt all over if that were the case.
The more I think about it have never had a gloss clear coat not dry clear in any paint base. I have had some crappy paint. Too thick, too thin 2K going off in the gun and going on like marbles but they have all dried clear.
Lacquer can sometimes look a little milky when sprayed but should quickly clear as the solvents evaporate and it dries.
I would always expect to be able to see the shine and some depth in the finish as I painted.


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

I still think it's down to the time between the coats and the coats being too thin.


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

^ this ^
And no amount of polishing is going to cure it I'm afraid.

A thin coat will go dull & matt and you say you applied several thin coats - so that's a layer of dull matt over an layer of dull matt again and again and again.
No matter how much polishing you do you won't get those the dull matt layers to gloss


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

So what should he do squiggs key it up and smash it on


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

Flat and do it again - paint and lacquer.
One problem could be reactions due to many layers of solvent based stuff that may not be properly cured - but I'm no specialist with rattle cans.


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## Ben. (Sep 7, 2009)

Did you apply anything to try and stop the rust from coming back before any kind of paint was applied?


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## Brian' (Jul 22, 2014)

Ben. said:


> Did you apply anything to try and stop the rust from coming back before any kind of paint was applied?


Yes I rust threated it, from the outside and inside.

Tried it again and the result is better! - Used a different brand clear coat though, There is a lot more shine now, believe me. Might be hard to see in these photos but in daylight you can clearly see a difference with the previous result. It does not shine with the rest of the body but that's nearly impossible with a silver metallic (I've been told that it's one of the hardest color to paint yourself), I'm happy with it now. If I still enjoy my Puma in a year or two I might invest in a complete respray, was thinking about going for white, or a bright color.. any opinions? 

Will be polishing it in a few weeks, First thing is Ford Fair. Will be making the journey from the Netherlands to the lovely country called United Kingdom 

*Result (2 days drying time) *


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## Brian' (Jul 22, 2014)

Tried it AGAIN.. Using another clear lacquer called 'Spraymax 2K High gloss' and thicker coats
Result is :thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:

Photos above is with a drying time of 8 hours (Drying is completed after 48 hours) 
Will be polishing it in a few weeks to be safe, It has a small orange peel which shouldn't be a big problem!

Will be showing the pictures after I've polished it. (with Farcela G3)

Thanks for all the tips and tricks, learnt a lot during this process!


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

That looks a lot better


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

how did you find blending out the silver ? what make silver did you use ?


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

That looks MILES better Brian!

Well done to you for persevering and sorting that gloss out.
Be good to see post polishing pics and thoughts.

Good work fella


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