cazaron LP-1M Build Diary

[cazaron]

I'm aerosol spraying tomorrow assuming the weather holds, anyone got any advice, how long between coats, how many coats, things to look out for etc?

[stan]

I'm aerosol spraying tomorrow assuming the weather holds, anyone got any advice, how long between coats, how many coats, things to look out for etc?

Acrylic paints dry from the outside in - so paint that seems cured on the outside can be still soft in the middle , even after weeks of curing. (This is more than one coat of course...). So the best way to avoid a lot of this is:
Try to use the same brands of undercoat and top coat.
Use several thin coats - not a few thick ones.
Place spray cans in warm water before using - it helps the paint flow better and reduces spattering
Make the first few coats like mist coats, just to get some grab on the surface.
Acrylic can dry quickly with light coats - but the full cure takes longer - I've had lots of trouble with it - which might be me as much as the paint... So one coat a day is enough. It takes longer but curing is far better.
After you have complete and decent coverage leave for 3-4 weeks (yes) to fully cure.
So the whole process could take 5-6 weeks to paint, with aerosol spray acrylics - this might be overkill, but you will get a much harder cure: soft centres are nice for chocolates, but not guitar finishes...
I would lightly sand every 2-3 coats to knock off the dust and deal with runs - wet or dry , up to you, but go easy on the water. If you leave it longer, problems like small runs compound - and they are still wet in the middle...
There are lots of ways to do it, so this is just mine. Some people have had great success with acrylics using other processes...