[Onuma]

Success! I finished priming & sanding and got this panel into the spray booth. Since I wasn't sure what color I ultimately want to paint this truck, I mussed around with the options the school had to offer (AKA the ones I don't have to pay $300 per gallon to use). I took Volvo Dark Blue and a GM Opal Blue colors, mixed them 1:1, thinned them out to the right viscosity, and did a bit of testing with a Sata mini spraygun. The end result is a medium-dark blue with a nice silvery metallic texture. Three base coats. 4:1 clear coat with hardener, twice afterward.

Here's the panel just prior to painting. This is a 2K gray primer which has been guide coated and sanded down:



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This is the same panel after base coat, prior to clear coat:


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End result immediately after painting, before the clear coat fully cured. You will notice a tiny bit of orange peel texture where the lights are reflecting:


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This is the finished product after it has been curing for about 6-7 hours, in different lighting in my basement. Notice the orange peel effect has significantly reduced as the clear coat cured and flowed out more evenly. Also, in this light the paint is slightly darker. Not a problem -- still looks great!:


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The paint used, for reference:


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and



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Yes. The paint is 12 years old; donated to the school by some organization or individual. It can still come out great, despite its age. Proper preparation and mixture will yield solid results!

Thanks for reading so far. I'm enjoying sharing this project with folks who appreciate it

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