I just finished sanded all the paint off my steel antec overture panel and it's ready for a repainting.
I have Rustoleum automotive primer and Rustoleum 'gloss protective enamel'. from home depot (it's all I have access to right now)
I'm following the mntech casemod painting tutorial (loosely in terms of supplies)

here are my questions to spare you from any rambling:
1. How decent is Rustoleum Paint/Primer
2. Besides 3M perfect it III rubbing compound what others have you used with success. Will any rubbing compound do?
3. The friend whose buffer I will be using says he has a 9" automotive one and says I should apply clearcoat over my paintjob so it doesn't tear through. Is this absolutely necessary if i slap on 3-4 coats like the mntech guide says? Is a 9" buffer too big?

Quote: Originally Posted by thehum I just finished sanded all the paint off my steel antec overture panel and it's ready for a repainting. I have Rustoleum automotive primer and Rustoleum 'gloss protective enamel'. from home depot (it's all I have access to right now) I'm following the mntech casemod painting tutorial (loosely in terms of supplies) here are my questions to spare you from any rambling: 1. How decent is Rustoleum Paint/Primer 2. Besides 3M perfect it III rubbing compound what others have you used with success. Will any rubbing compound do? 3. The friend whose buffer I will be using says he has a 9" automotive one and says I should apply clearcoat over my paintjob so it doesn't tear through. Is this absolutely necessary if i slap on 3-4 coats like the mntech guide says? Is a 9" buffer too big?

1. It's perfectly fine, but it is not going to be as good looking as an automotive type paint

2. You get what you pay for, but most rubbing compound will do the trick, just don't get something too coarse or it will be hard to get the deep scratches out!

3. If the paint "Flows" well it should not need alot of buffing, but you will need to be carefull, you should "Color Sand" it before rubbing and buffing!
A clear coat will give you an extra layer of protection, but it is not completely neccesary...

WELCOME TO PIMPRIG / PCAPEX thehum


BEAT you T2

thank you very much both of you. I guess I'll get to priming.

hey btw.. quick question.. do u need a buffer to polish your case? can you only use clean cloth? cuz i dont have that kinda equipment

Quote: Originally Posted by KiwiFlavor hey btw.. quick question.. do u need a buffer to polish your case? can you only use clean cloth? cuz i dont have that kinda equipment

You can do it by hand, it takes alot longer...but you have less of a chance of an "OOPS" if you do not know how to use a buffing wheel.

Use some fine grit wet and dry paper and a sanding block, starting with 600-800 grit and then moving to 1000-1200 grit.
A drop of dish soap with the water will help prevent it from clogging up and make it easier to sand.

The idea is to remove only enough to get the rough surface (Orange Peel like quality) of the paint smooth, don't sand near the edges very much or you may go through, focus on the the middle!

Then use some medium grit rubbing compound, buff till it shines, and then use a fine grit compound to make it glow.

Carnuba wax is then what most Pro's will use, but some "Sealer" types of finishes are more durable, Liquid Glass is what I liked back in the day...

heh.. i have turtle wax polishing compound xD lol!

What I usually use after the polishing phase is Glazing compound.........That will put the SHINE in your finish product......

Quote: Originally Posted by Highperf15 What I usually use after the polishing phase is Glazing compound.........That will put the SHINE in your finish product......

While I tend to agree, the problem is it can easily be dulled by fingerprints and handling, requiring a fresh coat fairly often to maintain it's gloss.

A "Sealer" only needs to be applied once a year, and can be cleaned with a damp cloth and quickly buffed.

It works on the same basic principle of "Mop and Glo" an old trick I picked up in the military after we got tired of spending half a saturday buffing and waxing our floor once a week...the last the 3 months in tech school I never had to do anything but give a quick wipe with a damp mop

EDIT: Just make sure the surface is perfectly clean first, any dirt will be trapped in it when it dries!

Hey I finished painting my case..i think. I noticed that when my paint dried I had non glossy streaks across the cover. I know this is from not overlapping my rows close enough but I already have 4 layers of enamel paint on it. My question is this:

Should I
A. just ignore this streaks and go ahead and wetsand and polish
B. ignore streaks, clearcoat, polish
C. Sand? Spray on another coat THEN polish
D. Sand, Spray, Clearcoat, polish

Also, I may just end up hand polishing. Would a cotton facecloth work? And Turtle wax polishing compoung (i have a can of this in paste form).

Here's what my paintjob looks like now. You can see the dull streaks.

Quote: Originally Posted by thehum Hey I finished painting my case..i think. I noticed that when my paint dried I had non glossy streaks across the cover. I know this is from not overlapping my rows close enough but I already have 4 layers of enamel paint on it. My question is this: Should I A. just ignore this streaks and go ahead and wetsand and polish B. ignore streaks, clearcoat, polish C. Sand? Spray on another coat THEN polish D. Sand, Spray, Clearcoat, polish Also, I may just end up hand polishing. Would a cotton facecloth work? And Turtle wax polishing compoung (i have a can of this in paste form). Here's what my paintjob looks like now. You can see the dull streaks.

I'd wet sand........then put a few more good coats of paint on it....then wet sand and polish......

Sand it down and give it a few more coats.

You need to spray it one way, then rotate it... you need also to do this on the "Kitty Corners" or you will end up with Criss Cross!

The problem with rattle can painting large surfaces is that the spray pattern is very narrow and slow, by the time you get back to the other edge, it has time to dry and does not "Melt" well with the next line.

You must work quickly and keep it "Wet" at the same time...very tricky especially with a metalic paint...

Quote: Originally Posted by $SOLID$ Necro Sand it down and give it a few more coats. You need to spray it one way, then rotate it... you need also to do this on the "Kitty Corners" or you will end up with Criss Cross! The problem with rattle can painting large surfaces is that the spray pattern is very narrow and slow, by the time you get back to the other edge, it has time to dry and does not "Melt" well with the next line. You must work quickly and keep it "Wet" at the same time...very tricky especially with a metalic paint...

Do you mean spray horizontally then perpendicular to those strokes up and down? and what exactly do you mean by 'kitty corners'? Thanks.

Quote: Originally Posted by thehum Do you mean spray horizontally then perpendicular to those strokes up and down? and what exactly do you mean by 'kitty corners'? Thanks.

If i am not mistaken i think what $SOLID$ Necro is saying by kitty corners is the edges and the inside corners and the creases of your case.

So I resanded and added another coat of paint. I let it dry overnight and it was nice and glossy. Today I wetsanded with 1000, 1500, then 2000 grit sandpaper and applied Turtle Wax Polishing compound:


However, I rubbed it by hand and it's only mildly glossy even after rubbing A LOT. There are a few spots that shine though. I have a feeling I should have used liquid rubbing compound instead. Could I just sand the polish off and add clearcoat instead?

Quote: Originally Posted by thehum

OMG.. That's what i have ! i havent tried it yet..!! can you show pic please?

Here's a tutorial to help in aiding you to acheive a nice black gloss finish........

It's a good guide but it took me several times before i got it right........Trial and error and learning by your mistakes.

Hope it helps you out...........
Here's the link...
http://case-mods.linear1.org/case-mo...r-case-part-1/

hey, thanks for the link.
here's the mistake I made:
I used a VERY old container of polishing compound that was a fairly hard paste. It just wasn't buff friendly, so I went out and got a new container of turtle wax rubbing compound like the one in the photo above and got an electric buffer this time and voila! A shine came through after buffing. However, even with the completed buffing the panel isn't exactly mirror glossy. I suspect this is because i didn't use clearcoat over the paint or this $3 rubbing compound just isn't topnotch. Or that I used old dry rubbing compound under it first. Either way, looking from a few inches at an angle the surface appears silky smooth and very glossy. However, as I back out more than a foot the gloss is much less noticable and it looks more hazy.

So I could stop now. Does the rubbing compound make a difference? Should I have applied clearcoat? The article you linked me to suggests it. And is there a way to remove the wax if I want to clearcoat and re-polish it(sanding perhaps?) Thanks for your help everyone.
Time for photos.

First, is that compound made to be applied with a buffer, or by hand?..........That does make a difference!!!

Hand-application type compounds have more abrasive in them to help expidite the polishing.

the compound does indeed have abrasive. The directions say to buff by hand but the last sentence is "recommended for professional use with electric buffer".