I did some painting on a scratch 1/4 panel with duplicolor spray paint. I sanded all the old paint off, masked it, 2 coats primer, 10 coats duplicolor. The color matches pretty good but there is a distinct line there. Is there anything i can do to blend it a little better. Possibly any sandpaper tricks? I was also wondering if there was anything i could try with a clear coat?

The problem i have is that the duplicolor is thicker than my regular paint i guess. I put a lot of coats on to insure a durable coat.

Im impressed with the paint but im gonna redo it because the bondo didnt dry correctly. Just want to do a better job next time.

 

I'm no painter but watched my paint guy do it

Blending normally involves carrying the color portion into the adjacent panels and then to like a "mist" in those panels. Once the color has been laid then the clear goes over the entire panel (not just blended). At least that is how mine was done and it looks killer

 

Try the paint forum. Moving there now...

 

I'm getting a mixed understanding of what you are actually doing. Duplicolor is spray paint, right? Brent94Z was right about what he said. If you are just trying to cover up a scratch then play around with it until you get it the way you want it. If you are trying to fix it then that is a different story. You need to sand the entire panel with 600-800 grit sand paper. Fix the scratch with some body filler (use smallest amount possible so you are not sanding forever and make sure it is clean in the scratch to give the filler something to grab). Block sand the filler with some 220-320 sand paper and just before you get it sanded all the way, move up to the 600-800 paper. Use some primer and cover the filler but don't tape off the area around the filler. This will leave a line that will be noticeable after it is done. After it dries, sand it with some more 600-800. I would reccommend getting a spray gun from somebody. Maybe borrow one or rent one. You will not be happy with anything out of a spray can. Spray your base color to completely cover the primer and then mist it past the primer. This is blending. You don't want to go to the edge of the panel in case the color is not a perfect match which it probably is not. Put enough coats on it to cover the primer. Make sure your coats are fairly light to keep it from running and make sure you let it flash about 15 min between coats. Flashing is letting the paint vapors escape the paint to keep it from bubbling up. After it is painted it is time to clear coat. I'm sure you covered the car already and taped off that quarter panel. Clear coat will go everywhere. Be sure to follow all manufacter's mixing and pressure reccomendations. When you look at the pressures, they might seem low. This is the pressure coming from the gun, not going to it. Usually i set the regulator on the gun to 45-50 psi and it works good for base and clear. The directions will usually say clear should be at like 7-10 psi but if you turn your regulator down that low, it will spurt out. Now, first coat of clear is a really light coat. It should look like you just misted it. This will create a good rough base for the heavy coats to stick to and help from running. Second and third coats should be pretty heavy and completely covering the panel. The third coat is the most important because the smoother it is the less you will need to buff out. The coat should be heavy enough to look like the mist is disappearing into the clear. After it is done wait about 24 hours if it is warm and sand it with 2000 grit paper and buff it out to a gleam.

 

Thanks for the indepth coverage. Im gonna redo it, yes duplicolor is from a can and i was impressed at how well it works. It is pretty durable as well. My bondo job didnt turn out right but now that i have practice i can start over and do a good job this time.

Heres a before pic:
http://www.clanbbw.com/publicimg/data/images/start1.JPG (theres the scratch covered with oil pastel crayon temporarily, 1/4 panel is dented, rest is scratched)

Heres a couple of after pics:
http://www.clanbbw.com/publicimg/data/images/final.JPG
http://www.clanbbw.com/publicimg/data/images/final2.JPG

You have to admit thats good for rattlecan. Notice in the 1st one, it even reflects like normal paint.

I basically sanded to metal/plastic, got it smooth and cleaned with acetone, used bondo where needed (didnt use much), masked off area, tack coat of primer, 2nd coat primer, about 10 light layers of base 10 mins apart, let it sit a few days then used polishing compound, a light coat of wax and i was good. I couldnt find a clearcoat for duplicolor so i didnt use one but i heard there is one... Ill try it next time ipaint.

I guess that i shouldnt do any masking next time and run past the lines a little lightly.

 

considering what you had to start with that is pretty good. I guess you are just trying to make it look better. Not totally fixing it.