help - eye lids painting - messed up

[insaini]

hey guys i need some help ...

just got my eye lids from rick at garage16 .. THANKS ....

ok so they came in a blue color .. my cars black .. so i had to repaint them .. i have paint .. primer .. and clear coat .. so thats all good ...

so heres the problem

when i first got them ... i sanded down the paint that was already on it and then i primed it .... after 1 coat of primer i sprayed the black mica ... and then clear coat ....

ok so after all thats done and it dried .. i noticed there were some imprefections in the paint .. like bumps ... and like it just wasnt even and smooth ... so i sanded it down agian .. and primed ... and then did black coat ... and now its just f'd up .....

is there anythin out there that can remove all the paint? or like put a new layer on? to make it smooth ...

any help would be apprciated ..

thanks!

[S.F.W.]

at his point, you may need to bite the bullet and take it to a body shop, and have it done professionally.

[insaini]

how much does it cost rougly? and if i take it to mazda will they do it for me? how much? $$$$$?

[Donutz]

I'm not saying you're not doing it right, but you have to do it properly. Unfortunately you notice imperfections more in dark colours.

Some tips:

- clean the surface well
- 2 coats of primer
- sand if necessary
- few coats of colour
- sand with fine grit sand paper
- shoot a few coats of clear

You want to use thin layers of paint and clear to avoid unevenness. Also, you might see orange peel due to the nozzle / tip on the paint can / gun.

Good luck. I think you can find more info on silentjay's thread because he just painted his eyelids and encountered some challenges as well.

[insaini]

ok so if i start over .... like on top of the paint that i already have on there and i follow the tips u just gave me .. will that be fine? or do i have to some how get rid of the paint that is already on there?

[skunk2]

strip it down if you want to start over.....if you paint it too thick it will crack easier.

[insaini]

how do i strip it down??

[Donutz]

Sand it. Use coarse paper, but try not to sand too deep (I.e., don't dig into the actual eyelids). When you get close to getting most of the paint off, or if you start seeing grooves digging deeper than the primer switch to a finer grit paper. Take your time and you should be fine. Just keep blowing off the dust so you can see the surface you are sanding.

This has worked best for me in the past.

[insaini]

i tried that ... but there are so many layers of paint / primer / clear coat from my first attempt that this was impossible ....

so i just came inside after finishing my 3rd layer of primer .... i sanded the eyelid as much as possible .. and then i added a layer of primer ... dried .. primer agian .. dried .. and primer agian ... most of the indents and scratches are gone but you can still see it .... but i cant do anythin bout that anymore ... i have to live with what i have now ...

next will be a layer of the black mica paint ... dry .. and another coat .. dry .. and then tomm i will do clear coat ....

[Donutz]

Did you sand it back down to the original material? I guess that doesn't matter now.

Good luck with shooting the paint. Remember to spray on thin layers (both with the paint and clear coat). You should be able to get a smooth coating of clear by the 2nd or 3rd coat.

Post some pics if you can.

[insaini]

i just sprayed my first coat of color .... i can see the imperfections .. hopefully by the third coat of paint there wont be much .... will post pics once its done!

thanks for all the help !

[insaini]

here is the finished product ... not as good as i wanted it ... still not smooth ... will take them off next summer and take them to body shop ...

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=434110#post434110

[pearl3]

take it to the bodyshop...b4 u spend too much on the paint and material

[Dave_The_BMXER]

What grit sandpapers are you using between base material, primer, color, clear?