polishing paint

[Mike Mulholland <meyeke@netinc.ca>]

dennis asked "no clear coat? how do they get away with that?

        well dennis, if your main colour coat is a solid colour urethane
with the same composition, durability and wet look of the clear coat....why
on earth would you add a clear coat? except to say "me too".
        16 years ago i painted with lacquers and enamels...times have
changed and the superior paints are now urethanes and two part base coat
clear coat finishes. compared to these modern finishes, lacquers and enamels
are cheap cheap cheap. 1 quart of a modern finish can cost $80.00- $1200.00.
some shops haven't used the modern paints because...they're highly toxic and
must be used with a fresh air respirator and protective clothing, they have
a long cure time...sometimes up to 16 hours (that can really tie up a small
shop), they require precise mixing of ingredients and precise timing between
coats...and that takes a learning curve that can be expensive if you screw
up on a job where the paint costs alone are up to $6000.00.
        go to the custom car shows and see for yourself who uses the best
quality paints...the winner won't be lacquer.

ps i not only have painted more than 10,000 custom bicycles i sell and
distribute paints to custom motorcycle painters and custom car
painters...and to be unbiased i won't even mention the brand..rule of
thumb...higher quality = higher$$$$$$
mike
86 5kcdtq, tap chip sjm spring
84 5ks
84 5ksw
many cyclops bicycles