How I Got the Finish On Blue
A couple of people have asked, and I got tired of typing the answer in e-mails,
so here it is.
The paint is regular spray paint from Home Depot...
Sorry, all that's left of the primer is the top of the can, but it's the same brand as the top coat. It says "wet sandable" on it. That's important.
The procedure is:
1) Spray on the primer and let it dry 45 minutes to an hour. It will not look very smooth.
2) Working one side at a time, put a few drops of water on the side, then sand it with a palm sander. You'll notice the primer turns into a kind of "slurry" that you can push around with the sander.
3) When you've got good coverage, wipe it down, set it aside and let it dry. It should look pretty smooth when it dries.
4) Repeat steps 1-3 for the second coat of primer.
5) Put on 2 coats of the top coat. I wet-sanded the first top coat, but it didn't seem to matter. I don't think you really need to do this.
6) I've found out that putting a coat or two of lacquer on top really gives it a shine.
Notes:
1) This is a very messy procedure. Even after scrubbing my hands with the orange soap, and with Lava, they were still very gray. Next time, I'm using gloves. For the same reason, I don't think any kind of rotating sander is a good idea.
2) This will not fix any dents or gouges or any other surface irregularities. In fact, it will accentuate them. I recommend using wood filler or Bondo to fill these in and then sand the whole thing smooth to at least 150 grit.
That's it. No magic, just good surface prep.
The paint is regular spray paint from Home Depot...
Sorry, all that's left of the primer is the top of the can, but it's the same brand as the top coat. It says "wet sandable" on it. That's important.
The procedure is:
1) Spray on the primer and let it dry 45 minutes to an hour. It will not look very smooth.
2) Working one side at a time, put a few drops of water on the side, then sand it with a palm sander. You'll notice the primer turns into a kind of "slurry" that you can push around with the sander.
3) When you've got good coverage, wipe it down, set it aside and let it dry. It should look pretty smooth when it dries.
4) Repeat steps 1-3 for the second coat of primer.
5) Put on 2 coats of the top coat. I wet-sanded the first top coat, but it didn't seem to matter. I don't think you really need to do this.
6) I've found out that putting a coat or two of lacquer on top really gives it a shine.
Notes:
1) This is a very messy procedure. Even after scrubbing my hands with the orange soap, and with Lava, they were still very gray. Next time, I'm using gloves. For the same reason, I don't think any kind of rotating sander is a good idea.
2) This will not fix any dents or gouges or any other surface irregularities. In fact, it will accentuate them. I recommend using wood filler or Bondo to fill these in and then sand the whole thing smooth to at least 150 grit.
That's it. No magic, just good surface prep.