Pat Covert (remember him?) said you can get a contest-quality finish with spray cans. I didn't realize that until he said it. I thought you needed an airbrush, automotive lacquers, spray booth, etc. That said, I started to experiment and analyze what I was doing wrong. It occurred to me that there were different variables that affected my paint jobs--temp, humidity, environment, and the biggest one--ME. So, here's where I wound up: I can spray inside now. I close my hobby room door, run a small air purifier for a few minutes, spritz the inside of my booth (papered with puppy pads) to minimize dried particles being kicked up into the spray path, warm the cans in hot water. In effect: I turned my hobby room into a pseudo spray booth, in addition to the spray booth already set up. The PIX below are the result. NOW, FOR THE RECORD: I am NOT saying the PIX are contest quality. In the 1st place, I don't do contests--somebody's nose always gets out of joint. In the 2nd place, those miles-deep, flawlessly rubbed out finishes don't appeal to me. I DO believe credit should be given where credit is due, and I'm as impressed by those finishes as are all of you. But I never drove any of those rigs. I'm happy with a dealer showroom finish--real cars. Marcos Cruz (remember him?) said, "They look like they're [rubbed out finishes] dipped in syrup." I agree. Besides, the 2-part automotive clears are so thick, it's next to impossible to run a realistic panel line wash. FWIW, the Porsche is all spray can--Gunze Finishing Surfacer 1500 Gray (one coat), Tamiya Silver leaf (2 coats), Gunze Clear Gloss--here's the tricky part: clear coat application--1st coat, barely a mist--wait 15 - 20 minutes for it to cook--2nd coat, a full, but thin cover coat--wait 15 - 20 minutes for it to cook--3rd coat, thick enough to ALMOST drip. If you don't have good lighting to watch the reflections, you're in trouble. Set it aside for a week to fully cure. (You guys and your dehydrators slay me. This is a hobby, you know, enjoy the process, "recharge you batteries" as my boss used to say.) (Boy, I'll get eviscerated for that!). This method is safer and cheaper. If you're not an auto body expert, you might consider it.
NOTE: For those of you who wish to take issue (a.k.a start a p*ssing contest), take it OTB. Dawn & Matt don't need to deal with that. [email protected]