Hand Rubbing out Lacquer

[Aaron67]

I have been reading and searching the forums, and have found great information so far (the thread on the Black 1960 Corvette is awesome).

I just finished painting my 1967 Chevrolet El Camino last weekend with Acrylic Lacquer paint from TCP Global (Restoration Shop Brand) over an gray epoxy sealer. I am told it is similar in quality to the Dupont Lucite paint. Its Marina Blue, single stage no clear. I dont see really any orange peel on the finish, but there may be a little here and there. Anyways, I would like to hand polish or rub out the paint to get a little bit of shine. I am not sure how long I should wait before I attempt this. Second, I am not sure what product(s) to use. I dont have any immediate plans to wetsand the finish if I can get away with it. What products or steps should I use to give it a decent shine (its not a show car/truck, and will be used often and get well driven). After the polish what steps should I take next, and how many weeks should I wait before waxing?

If needed I can spray some spare parts with some of the extra paint to test out the products first if thats whats recommended?

I really appreciate any information I can gain on this subject.
Here are some pictures after I rolled it out Sunday:

[Jokeman]

Re: Hand Rubbing out Lacquer

Looks like that is gonna be a great looking ride once its complete.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Hand Rubbing out Lacquer

Very beautiful so far.

If you want to rub this paint out by hand then you're going to want to get a quart of our new M105 Ultra Cut Compound to at least start with and do some testing.

If there's no orange peel and all you want to do is bring up the gloss and clarity and full richness of color then you'll probably getter better results using a DA Polisher than working by hand.

If you want to rub it out by hand though the you can do this, in fact we just had a forum member rub out an original single stage lacquer or enamel paint in this thread.

Newbie needs help selecting products to restore original paint?


To rub it out by hand you'll want to pick up plenty of foam applicator pads like these,

X3070 Soft Foam Applicator Pad



Then do a Test Spot with your M105 to a section about 16" square or so, apply some M105 and work it with firm pressure over your test section for about a minute, then wipe off the residue and inspect the section and also compare it to nearby paint that has not been worked on.

If the paint looks more clear and more glossy then continue around the car, if it doesn't then post back here what you're seeing.

p.s.

The 1960 Corvette was done using a DA Polisher and M80 Speed Glaze.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Hand Rubbing out Lacquer

Is this a metallic paint?

[Aaron67]

Re: Hand Rubbing out Lacquer

Is this a metallic paint?

Yes, It is metallic paint. I didn't even realize that it was until I started pouring the paint before I shot it. I had the original 1967 formula mixed up, but I guess it has a small amount of metal flake to it. Am I stuck in a no go unless I clear it kind of situation?

[Aaron67]

Re: Hand Rubbing out Lacquer

I had some #7 Show car glaze pure polish sitting on the shelf from another project, so I tried a little with a foam applicator pad (yellow one pictured above) on an area that will be covered up with trim (upper door frame) and it gave me exactly the shine I am looking for. So I guess the next step after the paint has finished curing is what wax to apply to protect the finish?
Thanks!

[Murr1525]

Re: Hand Rubbing out Lacquer

Generally you would wait about 30-90 days for the paint to cure.

All of the waxes would be good, but Nxt Tech Wax 2.0 is pretty hard to beat.

If you wanted to get a little protection on the surface, #80 leaves a paint safe polymer coat behind. Not as durable as a wax, but it a little something if you are concerned about dirt, etc landing on the car.