I painted my tach+speedo trim rings anthracite (I have Nav and anthracite interior). It looks great but my clear coat doesn't have the very smooth high gloss finish like the factory dash trim rings. Is this possible with a rattle can? I put on quite a few light coats but the gloss is still a bit uneven. I didn't do any sanding between coats and it looks like I should for better smoothness. I'm not experienced at this and any advice would be appreciated.

 

After you have misted on a few coats to build up some thickness, you can spray on a heavier coat to give it some gloss. It takes practice, but you should put on a heavier, wet coat...enough where you can see the gloss going on but not enough to run. hard to explain in words. If you screw up, sand with some 1000 wet/dry until the surface is smooth again and retry.

 

Thanks, I think I know what you mean. I was definitely in a cautious mode of trying to avoid runs. I'll sand it and try again with a heavier final coat.

 

Squirlz is spot-on. The initial light coats should only be allowed to dry until "tacky". The tacky surface from the initial coats will keep the heavier final coat from running/sagging, as long as you don't go too crazy with the heavy coat. You need the heavier coat so that it will have time to "flow out" before it dries.

I would wait until the paint that's already on the parts has dried fully, and then wetsand the parts with 400-grit. (You can use finer paper, but it will take longer and the final result won't be any different). Then, hit it with two light coats, only allowing enough time between coats for the bulk of the solvents to flash off, then hit it with a heavier third coat.

Are you going to clearcoat the parts afterward?

 

Yes, the anthracite went on fine, I'm just trying to get a nice glossy clearcoat. I've give this a try tomorrow.

 

I'd like to consider doing this as well. What kind of clear coat can you spray on? Also, what is a good paint to use that is best for painting plastics?

 

Any polyurethane clearcoat will be suitable - I'd stay away from lacquer clears, though.
As for the colour coat itself, you don't need anything special for hard plastics that don't flex during use. For something soft and flexible, like a polyurethane bumper, you need to add a flex additive to the colour coat, but for things like the interior plastic trim rings, you don't need any additives. I would use a plastic-specific primer, though, just to make sure you don't have any adhesion problems.

 

I sanded and resprayed the trim rings a couple of times, getting better each time. It looks good now although it still doesn't quite match the very smooth and high gloss finish of the factory dash trim. I used a lacquer clear coat and I could try again with a polyurethane clear coat.

I went to a paint store that does a large business with body shops, and they mixed for me an aerosol can of anthracite paint to match the factory dash trim rings. The sales person said I needed a clear coat and gave me the lacquer clear coat. The anthracite paint was also lacquer. Would a polyurethane clearcoat give better results?

 

You can apply polyurethane over lacquer, but not vice-versa.

Lacquer is fairly easy to use and dries quickly, but the coats are thin, and you really have to put on a bunch of coats, with some serious wetsanding afterward to get a good gloss.

Polyurethane goes on a bit thicker and "flows out" well. You can still wetsand it after it dries for extra gloss, but unless you can buff the piece out with a polisher after you sand it, you're probably better off just leaving it alone after the final clearcoat.

When shooting the polyurethane, go with one or two light coats, letting each coat flash for about 15 minutes afterward. Then, while the paint is still tacky, apply a heavier coat. The tacky light coats will help keep the heavier coat from running or sagging. Let the first heavy coat flash off for 15-20 minutes, and then apply one more heavy coat. That should give you good gloss without having to wetsand afterward.