How to Flow Coat

[@wotnoturbo]

Still referring back to your video's 7 yrs later, invaluable resource.

[@dookieday1]

You make a huge effort to show us your work plus filming editing narrating uploading and interacting with your followers Thanks really appreciate your effort

[@stephenturner9097]

+dookieday1 +1 - Really appreciate the effort you put in Gunny. If you were to take on an apprentice, he or she would be the luckiest apprentice in WA!

[@jaycastelli9457]

DUDE thanks for CLEARING that up for me.

[@klogjo]

Over the years I've learned so much from you, can't say thanks enough.

[@bronwynleonardi8245]

Ive learned many things from this site. Two things Ive been doing for decades...#1 I ensure the car has a good ground from the car to the earth ground, this will prevent the flakes from orienting themselves via polarity. Second, when shooting flake I use a random pattern, skewed from either vertical or horizontal. There is never a "zebra" or clumping, mottling, striped, or flake standing up.

[@georgesada2406]

I just got to say that is a BADASS hood! And I finally know what Flowcoating is. Thanks!

[@TheGunmanChannel]

No problem man thanks for watching.

[@Mercmad]

Great tip on the heating in a bucket of water!. One of my old mates from Sydney told me how ,on the 1st day of his apprenticeship he was taught how to paint a car!. ( did i say he was old?) They got a big pan of boiling water and popped a can of black enamel into the water to warm up. He then got a brush and painted the car which he said turned out like glass when it set. Some ideas are new some are reminders of stuff we have forgotten . Many thanks!.

[@barrycave1664]

Thank you, think I'll flow coat tomorrow

[@shoominati23]

The best thing / hardest to learn is when to walk away from a job. Better to come back and do another coat or 2 then getting a run and having the hassle of rubbing back and potentially getting rub throughs in the process. I've always thought the best finishes are the ones that look great straight off the gun.

[@MP-mt8lc]

Been painting for years, not professionally and can get by, but the standards you reach are up there with the experts. I always learn from your vids and I appreciate the effort you put in to make them,many thanks .

[@Mikefngarage]

back in my day we just called it sanding it down and recoating. that is how we did every show car. even single stage. the second time it just flows out so much better and levels down. My buddy does harley tanks uses base clear to level tape lines then urethane clear and second flow coat plus polish. they look absolutely perfect.

[@ixHavoKz93]

Gunny, Ive just finished refurbing and spraying my alloy wheels using a spray gun for the first time ever! I can honestly say watching loads of your vids on tips and tricks has seriously helped me out big time, especially the lacquering stage as man that stuff is so hard to get right. Thanks again and keep up the awesome vids!!!!

[@TheGunmanChannel]

Cheers mate, glad they've helped.

[@robertdesrochers8265]

I was going to buff my clear coat but this is a hell of a lot easier and will look so much nicer. Thanks for the info brother.

[@flyurway]

The more I listen to you the better I'm beginning to understand you! I like the way you explain things in a matter of fact manner. I painted my Jag last night, everything went well until the clear! Here's something everyone can benefit from because it can happen to anyone (I think!). Brand new gun (Iwata W400) and I'm liking it a lot, all I did was add a regulator/gauge combo to it. Base and pearl mid coat go on great. Then I get to shooting the clear and, damn, pressure sounds low. Gauge says I have 29 psi with the trigger on, maybe it's just me. As I'm shooting I'm getting a ton of orange peel ... wtf!! Turns out that all the shooting I was doing all night, it must be my little finger was bumping the screw on the damn built-in regulator in the bottom of the gun handle! You know, the one nobody uses because we just crank it all the way open and forget about it! It was nearly off! So I had 29 psi going in but was probably getting only 5 to 10 psi to the trigger! Bottom line, at least 1/2 the car has this horrible orange peel, wet sanding with 1200# on a DA is barely touching it, have no idea how much clear I really have on the car so I'm deathly afraid of cutting through to base. Now I'm wondering if I can flow-coat it a panel or 2 at a time and how bad minor remnants of orange peel will (likely!) show through. Any comments from anyone are welcome to me ... lol, I really need an expert right now!

[@photohounds]

Enjoy these a lot, newbie and I'll never work hard enough to get to this level. Love watching your easy to listen to vids mate..

[@RPMX4]

Hey Gunny,I just did my first Flow Coat a week ago. Had a ton of junk come out on a hood I was painting andalso had some severe orange peel. Sanded it all down and threw two more coats of clear on. Worked absolutely perfect!!! Thanks for the guidance Mate!!!

[@haiderzaman8684]

You are such a inspiring person..I have done my engineering in Automotive.. But your videos are awesome keeps inspiring me to get my hands on the paint side of automobile.. ..

[@TheGunmanChannel]

Great to hear

[@cubicinches18]

In the early days of urethane warming the material gave great flow and nullified orange peel. This worked exceptionally well on large truck body panels giving a flat glossy finish and no orange peel

[@ouimetco]

I like your focus on climate. It is an issue with house painting also especially when lacquer of built in cabinetry.

[@SynergyAVE]

I wish I had your skills painting and with talking for over 13 minutes without ever taking a breath of air in. LOL. In all seriousness, you are very talented! Great Job!

[@tabbott429]

This is exactly what I plan to do to my good and trunk kid. I had a lot of trash and started with 1000 grit and now I have scratches that didn't come out after buffing. This should do the trick. Thanks

[@christopherjoyce833]

Tried my first flow coat a month ago. Paint booth kept cutting out leaving dust on the finish. So I sand cut it and tried the flow coat with awesome results. Almost no orange peel. Over did it with the PPG clear a little. So I did need to light sand and buff. It was a two stage clear and I hit it five times. It kept looking better till the last. STILL LOOKS SO GOOD PPG ASKED ME TO SHOW MY CAR AT THEIR CLASS. Thanks To the gunman.

[@Delfi1900]

Love your work,,, I used to paint it was years ago!!! I finally built up enough courage to paint the hood and roof on my f150 and also a Nisan frontier truck that my dad used to drive, he passed away last September,, so I want to keep that truck and keep it up ,,, they both turned out better then I expected,,,, now I am going to experiment with candys and flakes,,,, thanks lot for sharing your knowledge with us, you rock 👍🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@richardmccracken6600]

I must say I've learned a lot from watching and listening to you and also Franky you guy's have to be the best painters on KZbin thank you for putting these video's out there I've become a better painter because of it

[@davel4708]

I have almost no interest in spray paint, but for some reason I find your videos relaxing to watch. You’re the Bob Ross of Spray Paint.

[@jarrodwalker696]

Cool bro! thanks for the lesson. Good explanation of what flow coating is and how to do it well. Respect!

[@rickydyess8869]

Ive done this several times especially on a vehicle that customer wants a deep slick shine. But ive never thought about warming the clear up. Im gonna try that soon.

[@DannyFoxall]

solid video mate. Keep them coming. Great stuff.

[@depresionymas.9260]

I have been a body man for 12 years , berly star painting one year ago your videos help alot gracias amigo :)

[@TheGunmanChannel]

Glad they do, thanks for watching

[@charlesbarr3561]

what an incredible amount of information you've passed along, thanks for making these videos. Beautiful work. Everything I've watched so far has been new to me, and very useful. 👍

[@DavesWorld76]

Mr. Gunman, thanks for fulfilling my curiosity on automotive painting! I am a finisher myself however I am involved in furniture and custom cabinetry here in the United States. It's very interesting to see the similar techniques and also the differences between finishing metal vs finishing wood. thanks, Dave.

[@dropinbiking92]

We flow coated a 67 Mustang just to fix a few minor flaws in the clear and get rid of some edges of the stripe, turned out WAYYY deeper than I even thought, customer was actually happier with the colour after the reflow. He saw the jams and it looked too light, more clear darkened it just enough!

[@ceberoonline]

simply wow! know that your videos make a strong impact to everyone that watches them. Especialy those begining in trade like me. flow coating as you teach it makes lots of sense. i will be doing this to my 70 chevelle. also i finally know what those tabs on the gallon caps do, lol. no wonder i keep making a mess when i pour into mixing cups, i dindnt know they popped up like that. it was an aaaaaah moment. as always gunny great job and thanks.

[@ladaveednas7173]

New bee!

[@michaeljohn8905]

Dude this is great information. I'm in the States and I do detail boats and have done basic gel coat repair but I'm trying to learn how to do molds and more. Just wanted to say thanks for this video. I'm gonna check all your videos. Take care bro. Mike.

[@gregguenthner3059]

Fine job!! You gave me an idea putting the clear and activator in a bucket of ice during the hot summers. Thank you.

[@TheGunmanChannel]

I would only do that if the paint was too thin due to the heat but it would definitely work to thicken the clear up.

[@gregguenthner3059]

@@TheGunmanChannel I see. Thanks for the tip. Than I shall stay with the golden rule of activator choices and reducers.

[@TheGunmanChannel]

Yes, that's what I'd recommend

[@Safkhan786]

yo gunman I did notice some ripples where you put that fibre moulding on the edges on the filler work and I am really glad you mentioned it thank you for being so honest

[@jimmyers2543]

Great job, you make it look so easy. Keep the videos coming so us spray dummies can learn more.

[@gtvon2556]

It is pretty easy after all if you know how paint works.

[@angelortiz6914]

Always great videos to watch. I was wondering what's the reason for keeping the clear and hardener in a bucket of water tks.

[@jeffreywhite7657]

I got nervous when I saw you using the air sander on the Curved parts when sanding the clear. Looks great man!

[@danielluma2948]

A color to hide them line's yes black you would have to block a bit more .good job .I'm from old school of painting lacquer paint's. Yes clear is the way to go, it adds depth to any paint job and can hide any scratches on the surface. Dupont paint's are the best in my book plus 3m has a great line of great products.

[@alancooper7062]

It came out really good, no fish eyes either ! This arvo prepared front wing and passenger door for basecoatHyundai cape blue metallic, its all masked and ready for paint in the morning, your videos certainly help thanks !!

[@TheGunmanChannel]

Good to hear man.

[@dcartier100]

Great Videos and THANK YOU for taking the time to make them and sharing your expertise.

[@nunyayourbusiness7327]

ty last time i heard prepsol was in 77 in autobody shopbut as usual you put a video up and i gave it a thumbs up

[@jeremysmith2753]

I know this video is several yrs old but i have a question that i hope you will answer for me? When flow coating clear and say you was gonna flow coat the whole vehicle that you did a complete re-spray would you block it or would you just do it like you did your hood say with just your da? The vehicle im doing i have blocked and all that after the primer stage and all that. So hopefully you will give me your opinion as you do killer work man and keep up the awesome videos man!!!!

[@alank616]

Great video thanks for sharing your knowledge 🇦🇺

[@paulnikola3289]

I have watched a lot of you videos and picked up lots of great technical advice and tips. However unless I missed something, the one thing no one ever talks about which is a huge factor when it comes to laying down a good basecoat and clear coat is the temperature and humidity!!!!! Those factors are going to determine which is the proper activators to use. Especially when it comes to people who are trying to paint in their garage who don't have access to a temperature and humidity controlled booth. A video explaining that would be very beneficial to the home painter.

[@allenedwards3073]

I always scuff the base coat to nib down any particals and also get that flatter finish for your choice of clear.

[@HankScott]

That's a pretty sweet job! Came out very nice.

[@maulerrw]

excellent job, really well done video too. planning on getting on the paint soon! car recently turned 30, it's had the engine sorted now it needs some prettying up to match it!

[@mitchellferre1652]

Great tips all through the video ! Super gloss ! Thanks Gunman !

[@thesidechick895]

That’s Awesome dude I’m getting my car painted now for the Autorama in Detroit next year hope it looks like that 💯💯💯💯CLEAN 👀👀👀👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽this was 2018 Autorama 😁😁😁

[@Creator_Nater]

Thanks Gunman. Very good job with journaling so much. Though not taken as absolute gospel, always insightful, and interesting. Always good to learn, and take notes from others, food for the brain, like traveling. Thank you so much, love your channel!

[@brianhelmick2558]

Hey I love your work. Wondering if you could tell us the is bar compare to psi.

[@cobrabauder1]

yes we are still enjoying this still thanks

[@vincelumia4574]

Thanks for another great lesson Gunman ... really appreciate it...

[@bobsinclair616]

Thanks for sharing your trade and skills

[@colinlyne1660]

fantastic gunman Im learning tons thanks vv much

[@stephensurratt9117]

Good video can you even flow coat with a 2 k rattle can ? Probably have to 75 percent over flow ?

[@elyeballar2532]

Thank you so much for this great job and very educational.

[@eriklund784]

" The basecot is going to suck some of the life out of the clear" LOL!! Too true. All the best paint jobs get flow coated, some 2 or 3 times! Noice job!

[@incognitotorpedo42]

Gunman, nice tips on the temperature. Great vid. ps: thanks for no crappy music.

[@alexispineda7540]

nice work! what clear coat brand would you recommend, economic yet worth it like the devilbiss sgk spray gun you suggested to me, love the way it sprayed, thanks

[@ClarksPlace]

Some KZbin friends suggested I try and use this Flow Coat technique to help fix a problem I have. I put like 4 coats of clear on a hood to try and achieve a WET look, and it did, but it fogged. Do you think sanding it back down the flow coating could remove the fog and bring back the shine? I'd like to not respray the basecoat. Thanks, and Great Vid!

[@EvryThingAUTOMOTIVE]

Can I be the one to ask a stupid question? I do not paint on a regular basis, however I really enjoy working on my projects. Two years ago I painted a 78 Camaro and attempted a flow coat but I had runs all over the car. Fast forward to less than 10 minutes ago, I'm painting my son's GMC Sierra and the same thing has happened again. The outside temperature was roughly 68° fahrenheit, with almost a matching humidity level. The runs are worse than before. What am I doing wrong? Also, I love your videos, and I've watched this particular one at least a dozen times.

[@TheGunmanChannel]

The thing about painting is there's so many variables. You don't want the paint too thick or thin, temperature will affect viscosity. Also spray gun settings will play a big part, if pressure is too low the paint will go on thick and lead to runs. You can also try turning the fluid knob in. I apologize for not being able to say much more without seeing you spray.

[@jacobolivas9255]

Nice work Gunny!

[@run4st717]

Thanks for another good vid...with show car/ flow coats do they normally polish after the flow coat? ...looks great by the way.

[@lorantvarga5296]

Great job! i was wondering how come that you used normal putty and not fiberglass putty at the joints between the metal and fiberglass?

[@ristohiltunen7746]

Hello. Great vid once again. Cant wait for the next one. Really informative and pro touch. Have you done a vid on those two tone Steel wheels? How did You mask them? Keep up the good work.

[@gyffjogofl7676]

Excellent explanations. Thanks!

[@Ncvl7]

hi mate why did you put those Clear Coat and Hardener into the water?

[@BBsLIFE]

Nice instructional video.

[@jakeg3308]

That exact same problem w the fan adjustment bit me right in the ass not even three weeks ago. It was with base too, so that was a lot of fun

[@arcorob]

Hello..does it matter on flow coating if your base is metal flake ? Will the sanding and then flow coat hide it (because you are dulling your first clear and then clearing over)? I can see where it would work well on a solid but want to be sure before I do it on my light metallic blue..Thanks !!!! Awesome videos always

[@jonathandexter135]

have you ever used 0000 steel wool to get all the dips and orange peel so you don't remove too much of your first coat of clear? I am trying this as a tip. Hope it works out. again nice vid thanks.

[@jeffdye4102]

Can I use this process to refresh an older paint job? I have a black 2007 Chrysler 300. The paint is in good shape, just minor scratches and fading in the clearcoat. Can I wet sand the existing clear and flowcoat over the car to make it shine like new again? Also, what kind of car is that hood in the video for? It's really cool.

[@carlheath1814]

Hi gunman great video mate ! Do you ever get wax and grease remover lines when using those spray bottles ? I had one on a bonnet this week after i started using spray bottle for degreaser ? 👌👌

[@jeffnelson4938]

gunman! love your channel....quick question I think I heard that you use reducer in your clear coat? I use a fast activator now cause of lower Temps but I'd love to try this....my clear is 4:1 mix rate do I keep that rate and do like 4:1:1 with reducer to dry faster?

[@craigfiles7067]

G'day mate quick question what grit paper should I use to sand bonnet before flow coating also is a random orbital sander better to use than orbital, thanks for the great vids you do I have learned heaps from you so far as i'm self taught I do airbrushing & want to clear my own work keep painting some shit & keep up the great vids

[@jamesthomas7774]

Great job explaining! Question did the hood ever crack due to the heat difference between materials? Scoop & hood

[@allanreid4935]

Nice job.

[@littlemanhuerta4442]

I'm glad I found your video I learned alot thanks

[@89GTFoxDude]

After flowcoating and you wetsand and buff, if you burn through the new layer of clear, will it show the 2 different layers?

[@mixerD1-]

Stunning finish 👍

[@southrock3375]

Thank you, you answered alot for me again, very good.

[@davenameless]

it's probably been asked, but what color is that? It's really nice!

[@larrysullivan6536]

Brilliant fantastic love it cheers larry in London

[@guy3749]

Awesome job, well done!

[@robkeogh4593]

Gday Gunman. I was thinking about this flow coating, have you ever removed the gaurds and doors of a vehicle to lay them flat for that flow coat affect? Shitload more work but i have a project on my hands that im thinking about doing in that manner. I'd have to spend extra time on the quarter panels to match but for a novice like me it might help me to get a really smooth finish

[@robtubedude1]

I need to repaint a heavily stone chipped plastic bumper and i'm unsure whether I should try feather all the stone chips out or fill them up with fine filler before priming, bearing in mind there are a lot of stone chips and they seem to mostly go back to bare plastic. Have you got any thoughts on the best method to use? Massive fan of your videos by the way.

[@shanebeaudrot777]

It looks totally amazing

[@georgephillips1185]

🤙 thank you for sharing this information

[@zanda677]

Question on flocoating Gunni, I have a 2004 Mercedes C220 Coupe the paint is brilliant for her age, however I have a lot of stone chips which I have been filling over time, will I get away with just flocoating the whole car after the chips are sorted or would it be better to repaint the hood from scratch? Loving your channel buddy btw 😜😜

[@alancooper7062]

Having an early morning start in my garage ! Going to do a flow coat on my car roof, if its half as good as yours ill be happy !

[@TheGunmanChannel]

How did you go man.

[@makersmark88]

I’m not sure if this is a dumb question or not but can you paint over chrome? I’m thinking of blacking out my truck....

[@dougmeadows2388]

FANTASTIC VIDEO!!

[@scarto3887]

My 2 cents.....i guide coat and wet rub everything via block/hand and never use sanders in the lead up to colours.Never do i use sa sander on clear it always with a block.It saves on cut and buffing if that's required.Saying that i always make the time on my custom work....i appreciate that most people don't have the time for this.My friends always hang shit on me for taking the long way around,but that don't build cars for people all over the World.Your vids are always informative,cheers man

[@rodneygreenwaymusic]

@The Gunman I'm looking for your advice. I'm redoing my old race back to give as a surprise to my daughter. I did opt for spray paint, but took the time for good prep, did self etch primer, primer filler, primer sealer, 3-4 coats of color with sanding and cleaning and tacking, then I went to clear. I used rustoleum automotive enamel gloss for clear and did 4 coats of clear. It looks really good, but I did spot a few runs and it's just not as mirrored as i want it to be. I'm considering sanding it down to remove any runs and texture, and then putting 1-2 coats of the clear again. Do you think I should? If so, what grits? All will be by hand and I have 220, 320, 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, and those red 3M pads. I figured start wet sanding at either 1000 or maybe even 600, and work my way up to 2500 and the red 3M pads. Any thoughts

[@JimmyJiveJones]

It depends on the color u painted the car. Lighter metallics requires a finer grit to be sanded with or else ull see the sand scratches. Remember hand sanding anything will be much coarser than using a machine. With what u have and assuming the color is dark, sanding it with 600 and then 1000 is sufficient. Sanding anything finer after that is simply a waste of time.

[@kokoloko12398]

Super interesting! Do you think honestly that I can get a glossy "mirror finish" by doing flow coat method using Spay Max 2K Clear? Because I have some motorcycle fairings to paint and I don't want to use the spray gun and compressor just for that (as I'm not super familiar with it). Thanks and best from France ;-)

[@kokoloko12398]

I will answer my own question: yes it's possible :-) I did it few days ago and the render is like glass! Super happy. The process was to paint -> clear coat -> wet sand clear coat with Trizact 3000 -> re-clear coat 2 heavy coats -> wet sand with 1000-1500 -> Trizact 3000 -> Trizact 6000 -> polish with Sonax Cut Max -> polish with Sonax Perfect Finish. Done! A lot of work but it worth it!

[@Robert5540]

I just flow coated some of my lambo parts. They came out absolutely amazing. This is my first time doing it and it look like glass. There are a few areas that have some dust. Can I just use a high end polish to polish them out?

[@jakefriesenjake]

Probably slowly knock them down with 2000 first, if it doesn't cut off the dust, slowly go to coarser grits. Then polish out. I've read that if you flow coat, and screw up some how, then try and sand too much off to get it smooth, if you break through to the original clear coats, you'll see a haze around the break through area. Gotta be careful!

[@A4rings110]

jake friesen I’m assuming that’s because you had to sand the original clear coat to then flow coat over it

[@xavierlipscomb2000]

Love HS clear

[@johnytorres8770]

Great work love to see that