Spray-Can Technique From the Data Sheet: Distance, Passes, Flash, Coats

Distance, passes, flash Spray-can technique, straight off the data sheets: how far to hold the can, how many coats, and how long to wait between them. The repair underneath is done and sanded. The colour goes on from a can, then the clear on top of it. Both of those cans have a distance and a flash time printed on their own sheet. Short answer: six to ten inches, one to three coats, and the flash time your can's sheet names. Every can in this video is at autofxmart.com, link below. Now the numbers, maker by maker.

Before the can: what to sand Start before the can. On bare metal, galvanised steel or aluminium, U-POL says abrade with P180 to 240, then lay down an etch primer. Under an adhesion promoter or a high-build primer, U-POL and High Teck both say 220 to 400. On a primed or e-coated new part, SEM says P320 to 400, or a grey scuff pad. Over primed or old paint, U-POL's Power Can sheets say dry sand P400 to 600, or wet sand P600 to 800. And before a clear goes over solid colour, U-POL says 800 to 1000, wet or dry. Then degrease, dry, and tack: U-POL degreases before sanding and again after, and the RAPTOR sheet puts a tack cloth on right before the first coat.

Two minutes of shaking Now the can itself. U-POL, High Teck and SprayMax all print the same line: shake the aerosol for at least two minutes before use. SEM counts it differently. Shake until you hear the mixing ball inside, then keep going for at least one more minute. And SEM adds a temperature: for best results, use the can only when the can is at about 70 degrees. If it's a 2K can, SprayMax has you shake two minutes, press the button on the base to release the hardener, then shake two minutes again. These are the cans whose sheets this video reads, all on the shelf at autofxmart.com.

How far, how many, how much overlap Distance first. SEM's Factory Pack basecoat sheet says hold the can six to eight inches from the surface. U-POL's Power Can sheets, High Teck's clear and high-build primer, and U-POL's RAPTOR adhesion promoter all say about ten inches. Then the coats. One to two on the U-POL and High Teck sheets. Two to three medium coats on SEM's, or until hiding is achieved. And the overlap. SEM is the one maker here that prints a number for it: fifty percent on larger repairs. The other sheets name none, so that one is SEM's, for SEM's can.

One sheet, end to end Here is one sheet end to end: SEM's Factory Pack basecoat, in a 16 ounce aerosol. Shake until the ball comes loose, then a minute more. Use the can at about 70 degrees. Hold it six to eight inches off the panel. Two to three medium coats, or until hiding is achieved. Fifty percent overlap on larger repairs. Two to four minutes between coats. Then ten minutes after the last coat has flashed, and it is ready for clear. That is the whole technique for that can, in seven lines, and its prep grits are on the same sheet.

One to two, or two to three So why do two cans on the same shelf say different numbers? U-POL and High Teck write one to two coats. SEM and SprayMax write two to three. One to two covers U-POL's Power Can colours and clear, High Teck's 1K clear and high-build primer, and the RAPTOR adhesion promoter. Two to three covers SEM's basecoat, its 1K HS clear, its self-etch primer, and SprayMax's 2K FillClean. Both families agree on when to stop. U-POL says one to two light even coats. SEM says apply only enough to achieve hiding. And their flash times go with them. So don't carry a number from one can to the next. Read the one in your hand.

Flash: the wait between coats Flash time is the wait between coats, and it is not one number. SEM's Factory Pack basecoat: two to four minutes. SEM's 1K HS clear: three to five minutes. High Teck's 1K clear and its high-build primer: five to ten. U-POL's RAPTOR adhesion promoter: ten minutes between coats. All measured at 68 degrees, the application temperature U-POL and High Teck recommend.

Then what goes on top, and when Then the clock to the next product. SEM's basecoat: ten minutes after the last coat has flashed, and the clear can go on. Going the other way, High Teck says put its 1K clear on within twenty minutes of a solvent-based basecoat, and U-POL's Power Can clear gives you twenty to sixty minutes for the same job. Underneath, SEM's self-etch primer takes its top coat in ten to twenty minutes, and High Teck's high-build primer is sandable and ready to top coat in sixty. Each is that maker's window for that product.

Temperature The sheets also say where to keep the can: U-POL and High Teck both store theirs between 41 and 77 degrees. And they spray at 68, which is the temperature every drying time on those sheets is measured at. SEM goes by the can instead: use it at about 70 degrees. And SprayMax writes its sheets for 68 degrees ambient, with higher temperatures cutting a 2K pot life short.

Five mistakes Five mistakes. Spraying without the respirator the sheet names: these are professional products, SprayMax names an A2 P2 mask, and the safety data sheet is linked on every product page. Guessing the distance instead of reading it. A short shake. Rushing the flash. And putting on too much clear, or putting it on before the basecoat has flashed off properly, which SEM prints as an IMPORTANT note. When you are done, turn the can over and spray a few seconds to clear the tip.

Where to get it Everything in this video is at autofxmart.com: aerosol colour and the Power Cans, the 1K clears, and the primers and adhesion promoters. Every product page links the maker's safety data sheet. These sheets are written for trained painters, so read the one for your can, wear what it names, and spray with ventilation.

Next: the colour in the can The colour you are spraying can be mixed to your car's own code at autofxmart.com. And if you don't know your code yet, this video shows where to find it.