Which is the best paint brush for applying Paintman Coach Enamel?
Providing the brush is a good quality item, I would suggest any soft bristled flat or slightly angled good quality brush that does not shed its bristles. The key factor is soft bristles, whether natural or synthetic, the make is down to you, I tend to favour Hamilton brushes however they do require lots of tlc, but there are so many on the market, including our own professional and all purpose brushes.
Can I roller Synthetic Coach Enamel?
Yes you can with no problem. My suggestion is to do a panel at a time. By doing this, you cover a small area at once and you can stop after a panel for a break. Using the roller, cover around 4 roller widths. Then, using a brush, draw this down the rollered area very gently, preferably in a vertical plane. This will take away any roller blemishes or air bubbles, thus allowing the paint to evenly dry giving a glossy finish.
Don’t be tempted to go over it again, as all the time you are working on the paint it is starting to dry. If you do take too long drawing the brush down, you could end up with the brush dragging partially dried paint and cause streaks. These will need to be rubbed down again when fully dry and repainted.
Do I need to use a primer?
When repainting a surface the same colour as the new paint you are intending to use, I suggest you don’t. However, when patches of rust or bare aluminium are in evidence, protect with the relevant primer or protection. When the surface you are repainting is a different colour, use an undercoat, or the nearest colour of primer to the new colour.
What colour primer should I use?
Generally speaking you should use the nearest shade to the the colour you are going to use as the topcoat. When using light colour use light grey, dark colour use dark grey and if very pale use white primer. If you are going for the traditional primer then use Red Oxide.
You have choice of 4 colours of primer, White, Light Grey Primer, Dark Grey Primer and Red Oxide Primer.
Can I use Coach Enamel to tint UPOL Raptor protection systems?
Yes, you can use our Coach Enamel to tint Raptor paints.
Spraying – What size Spraying Nozzle is best?
Spraying nozzle sizes are measured whereby the lower the number is, the smaller the outlet on the nozzle. For spraying Coach Enamel which is fairly thin when diluted with thinner you would ideally use a No 14 nozzle (usually supplied as standard with the gun), but you can go up to a No 16 Nozzle. If you are spraying a thicker commodity such as filler primer you may feel you need to go to a No 18 nozzle if you want a thicker coating, however, Paintman has used a No 14 for many years with no problems for all types of paint, increasing or decreasing the quantity of thinners used to enable an even spray pattern. The larger the nozzle will also encourage more paint to be applied and open up an increased risk of runs and sagging.
Primer versus Undercoat – What is the difference?
Coach Enamel Primer generally contains a rust inhibiting element, it fills pores in the bare metal and protects bare ferrous metal surfaces. It is manufactured from (in paint terms) a fairly coarse material and cannot be prepared to the same standard as undercoat.
Undercoat however is manufactured from smooth fine material which gives a smooth finish. This product also has excellent high building qualities. It does not however protect bare metal and therefore should only be used if there are no bare metal areas present on the surface to be painted. If the surface is going to be used in a damp environment (such as on boats) then the surface should be prepared, primed and undercoated before applying the top coat to obtain the best possible result from the Coach Enamel.
Filling imperfections before Coach Enamel
How we do it… Firstly scrape all the paint off the damaged areas and then using a small rotary wire brush in a drill to get as much corrosion out of the pits as possible. Then Etch Prime this. Etch primer is a cellulose based product. Next buy some Cellulose Stopper or Fine Surface Filler (just another brand name). Apply with a scraper or similar then rub down so you have a flat surface. Then over-spray with etch primer again, the reason to do this is that how the surface looks at this point will indicate what it will look like after the topcoat is done. If you are happy with how it appears, over-paint with undercoat or topcoat, whichever is your intention. If the result shows blemishes, apply more stopper, rub down when dry and then etch prime again, and again until you are happy with the result. Don’t be tempted to put a layer on too thickly as it will dry a lot slower than thin coats.