Since paint is only as good as the metal work beneath it, the subject
car received quality metal work and a thoroughly dried primer coat
before the final painting began. In fact, the primer was cured four to six
months to allow all of the solvents within it to dry out the surface. This
prevents the paint coat from trapping uncured solvents. Many shops are
not equipped to allow such drying time, but Kopecky has developed his
business to accommodate such a schedule.
On top of the dried primer coat, Kopecky sprays two coats of PPG
Concept acrylic urethane for the color and two coats of PPG Concept
high solids polyurethane clear with one coat of a ^50 ⁄ 50 mix of these two
products between. The mixed coat is sprayed as an alert if Kopecky
sands too far into the clear, although he has not encountered that
situation thus far. Like the primer, the paint coats are allowed to dry
four to six months after they are sprayed.
“I like the long cure,” Kopecky said. “It makes it harder to sand, but
that’s what you want.”
Regardless of the gun or the experience of the painter, new paint will
have light orange peel and bumps, which Kopecky refers to as “dust
nibs.” Most painters combat these imperfections with the minimum of a
light sanding and polishing. While this works on a driver-quality vehicle,
it’s not enough for a high-end show car.
Jerry Kopecky’s sanding method involves sanding the length of the