Factory paint matching

[4x4mike]

Yesterday I had a little time so I got some warm water and dish soap going in a container. All I had on hand was 1500 wet sand paper so I stuck it in and let it soak. The piece had been hanging in the attic where it's warm but there is no light. My attic is semi finished with a floor and pull down ladder access so it's a great place to put stuff where it won't get in my way or become victim to small children.

Here is the piece prior to wet sanding.


In direct sunlight I could tell it was the paint trying to adhere to where I had sanded the piece prior to painting. I gave it a quick buff with 600 and wiped it down but I guess this was the aftermath.

The wet sanding was great. No mishaps and the metallic stayed put. I lost minimal paint and nothing down to primer. I left while the get'n was good and hosed it off and left it in the sun. After 30 minutes I sprayed the remainder of the paint I had and hung it back up.

Today I sprayed the clear and right away I noticed a lot or orange peel in the clear finish. The can states the product flashes at 2-3 minutes so I used that as a guide. I ended up doing about 4 coats, not the entire can, and it looks pretty good. The orange peel is hard to capture but it doesn't look bad at all. Everything is very consistent.



Like Marc did, I think I'll let this chill in the heat and then maybe the sun for a bit then give it a good rub down. The paintscratch website had more info on the clear than my paint. I haven't held the piece next to my bumper yet but it looks good. If anything it will look better because it's fresh and shiny.