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"Body Work Basics"

 In most cases, a second application of filler will need to be added for shaping or leveling. If a second application is needed, spread the filler an inch further than the first leading edge. This helps in creating a level surface.

 Continue sanding until all the deep grooves created by using a rasp are removed. Never concentrate on one specific area. Keep moving in a "X" pattern over the entire surface. Keep repeating the process until a flat surface is achieved. Note: Always wear a dust mask to keep the filler particles from entering your lungs. Many old school body men developed spots on their lungs from years of not wearing protection and breathing filler particles.

 Through experience, you will develop a feel for finding high and low spots by rubbing your hand over the surface. Until you reach that point, apply a guide coat (see Step # 33) to double check for high and low spots.

 Low spots can be corrected by adding more filler. When adding filler to level a low spot, apply the filler 4 to 6 inches further than the area being worked on. Start sanding with 36 grit paper from the highest spot of the added filler. Taper the filler and blend into the previous application. Use long strokes going several inches past the edge of the filler that was added. Short strokes that are concentrated at the edge of the filler will create a new or larger low spot.

 Take note of the deep sanding marks created with the 36 grit paper. These will be removed in the next step. Fillers are very heavy in volume and can have air bubbles trapped within them. Take a high pressure air blower and proceed to blow air over the entire surface. Any loose particles will be removed and any hidden air pockets will be exposed. I've seen several people who do body work go directly from this step to high build primer. That's fine for collision work but not for custom.

 We are going to add another layer of filler. This time using Evercoat's Spot-Lite Putty™. Spot-Lite will serve several purposes. We will use it to fill the 36 grit sand scratches, fill pin holes and create a barrier between the porous Z-Grip filler and the painting process. Spot-Lite is paste putty that levels like a pourable putty. It cures quickly to a sandable state which makes it the ideal product for quick spot filling. Stain resistant for use under basecoat/clearcoat repairs. May be applied to galvanized metal, aluminum, bare steel, body filler, two-part primers and sanded OEM finishes.

Removing or Hiding Welds:
 Most custom built motorcycle sheet metal parts have unappealing welds from assembly. For a show quality custom paint job, these welds must go! The welds cannot be completely ground down because that may very well lead to the loss of structural integrity. Although, the welds need to be sanded so the filler can adhere to the metal. Grind the tops of the welds by using an angle grinder with 36 grit sandpaper. Minor leveling of the welds can be done at this point.

 Spread a thin even coat of Spot-Lite over the entire area that has filler. When applying the putty, take the putty further onto the substrate than the edge of the filler. Taking the putty farther out than the filler helps achieve a smother transition from filler to substrate for a level surface.

 Use an air blower to remove all the loose dust created from sanding. The substrate needs to be cleaned before moving onto the next step. Do not use soap and water. The filler will absorb water and the soap will contaminate the surface. Trapped water will lead to blistering paint several months after the job is completed. Water will also create rust on  bare metal within a matter of minutes. Clean the surface with a wax/grease remover. Wax/Grease remover will evaporate so there is no material or solvents that may become trapped in the filler.

 Always use a sanding block when going over flat surfaces. Sanding by hand makes an uneven surface where the fingers press down harder. Change to 80 grit sandpaper for this step. Once again, sand in a "X" pattern using long strokes. Use the color variances in the darker unsanded putty and the lighter sanded surface as a guide for leveling.

 Cover the welds by applying a thin layer of Evercoat Z-Grip filler. The welds are higher than the substrate, so the filler will need to be gradually be tapered away from them to hide the transition of height differences. Starting at the weld, spread the filler approximately 4 inches away. Using 80 grit sandpaper, start by sanding directly above the weld. As soon as you see bare metal, stop! You are now level with the weld. Now sand away from the weld area to gradually taper off the filler to become level with the substrate.

 Wipe down the surface with a tack cloth. Now apply four heavy coats of Evercoat FeatherFill® G2™, which is a high-build, high-solids Premium Polyester Primer Surfacer. I prefer Polyester over 2K primers as a high build primer because 2K primers tend to shrink back after the curing process. Polyester is a resin based primer that features include smooth spraying, easy sanding, fast dry-to-sand time and a shrink-resistant formula. The Polyester primer step is used for filling and leveling. It is also a barrier between filler and the beginning of the paint process.

 I recommend letting the Polyester Primer dry for a minimum of 12 hours to fully cure. Lightly spray a stripe pattern with SEM's Guide Coat. You don't want to cover the entire surface with the guide coat. All you are looking to do is get a light mist that will speckle paint over the surface. A guide coat is used to visually see high and low spots when block sanding to level the surface.

 The guide coat visually helps to make sure that all the Polyester primer has been re-opened for adhesion which is very crucial in the next primer session. Polyester is a very high solids material and will create large orange peel. That is perfectly fine, the orange peel will also serve as a guide when leveling the surface. Begin sanding with 220 - 320 grit paper and a sanding block.

 Continue sanding in an "X" pattern. Let the sandpaper do all the work and don't force or rush this step. Lightly glide the sanding block over the surface. Do not do short passes with the sanding block. Make long passes from one edge to another. Short and/or pressing down hard while sanding creates waves in the surface. Keep sanding until all the guide coat is removed. In the photo above, you can see an area where after block sanding, some guide coat still remains. This is showing a low spot. In most cases, this can be removed by continuing to sand with 220. If you are going to attempt to remove the low spot by sanding, make passes over the low spot in a "X" pattern, but continue the pass four to six inches further than area showing the guide coat. Never sand only in one direction. By doing so, you will create an uneven surface. If the low spot can not be easily removed, apply a thin coat of Spot-Light filler and continue sanding until a level surface is achieved.

 Preparing the Polyester Primered surface for Sealer.  Preparing the Polyester Primered surface for Sealer. Polyester Primer must have a sealer put on top of it. Polyester is porous and will absorb most top coats so for the following step a "Barrier" must be applied. Before proceeding to the next step the substrate needs to be free of any debris. Double check for any unsanded areas still containing Guide Coat. Note: Polyester Primer will fully cure in 24 hours. Any areas that have not been reopened by sanding will risk loss of adhesion properties when the sealer is applied. This may result in causing delamination problems later on. Go over the entire substrate with a red scuff pad. This will remove any debris and reopen the polyester in tiny hard to reach areas. Precaution: Do not wash the Polyester with water. The Polyester will absorb the water and create tiny blisters in the finished product when heat tries to evaporate the water and pull it to the top of the surface. To clean, blow the dust off with an air hose and wipe the surface down with a good Wax/Grease Remover. I recommend using PPG's DX 330.

 As I mentioned in the previous step, a barrier coat needs to be applied over the porous polyester primer. Epoxy Primer/Sealers have excellent adhesion properties and are non-porous. The reason for applying epoxy over the polyester is to basically lock down the materials below it. It also stops any solvents from penetrating the materials below it. This is very important when using solvent based paint systems. Because of its superior adhesion properties, I consider this step as an insurance policy that the paint applied on top will never lift or delaminate. Most epoxy primers can also be mixed as a sealer. This is done by adding more solvents to thin it down. By applying the epoxy as a sealer it also helps when spraying it to achieve an even layer of material with no orange peel. You want to apply 10 to 20 mils of material thickness of epoxy sealer. By doing so you will create a solid barrier and evenly fill any of the sanding marks from the 220 grit paper. For this step I'm using Matrix MP-480 which is the equivalent to PPG's DP-48. Epoxy has more content per volume than paints so a larger needle and tip is required. Here I'm using an Air Gunza (Iwata) with a 1.5 needle and tip. Two wet coats should be enough to get 10 to 20 mils of material thickness.

 Epoxy Primers/sealers are available in white, gray and black. The difference colors are used as a base to achieve greater coverage with a corresponding base color. For example, you will get better coverage and use less paint if red is applied over a gray. If red is applied over a white it will take much more paint to get full coverage and eliminate blotching. Red over a black will change the tone of the red and make it more of a maroon color. In this step, I'm applying a silver base coat with Xotic Colours' Sparklee Silver. Most custom painters prefer silver as base because it is a neutral color. I should have used a gray epoxy for this job but, I was out of stock at the time.
Most epoxy sealers are designed to be wet-on-wet applications. What this means is that when the epoxy has been given its recommended flash (drying) time, paint can be applied directly on top of it. In 80 degree temperatures this can usually be done within 15 minutes. Here I applied three coats of silver using an Iwata LPH-400 LVX. When you combine the epoxy sealer and base coat, the substrate has had a substantial amount of material applied to it. Give the project ample amount of time to dry before continuing if you plan on doing any graphics or illustration work.

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