General Spray paint - top coat issue

[JacquieC]

Hi,
I have an old Uno which is mechanically great but is covered in rust. I have sanded it, treated the rust, primed 3-4 times and top coated a couple of times.

Now comes the problem. The top coat is drying matt so I read about clear coat and thought that was the answer. However, I live in Malta and have discovered that I can't buy clear coat here. People don't really fix their own cars here; they go to a garage/body shop and think the rip off price they charge is just what these things cost.

I'm not expecting a perfect finish by any means and it actually looks a lot better as it is even though it's not finished. I know it's not ideal but do you think t-cut, polish then wax would bring a bit of a sheen at least?

 

[johorridoh]

You can buy most anything over the net.
Why no clear coat ?

 

[JacquieC]

The weight is a bit of an issue but also it's unlikely that customs will allow aerosols in. Was wondering if there was another way of doing it. I think I'll try the t-cut, polish, wax approach; will leave it a week or so after I've put the last top coat on to t-cut. Not expecting miracles - luckily

 

[johorridoh]

Spray paint won´t really work when you leave the top layer undone. It´s designed to
shine as a combination and the clear top layer works like a drop of water on a leave.
You will never make it work without the clear top layer. I ordered spray paint over the net. There´s no safety issue on spray cans.

 

[Hyperspace]

Clear coat is more shiny (less orange peel) because it doesn't contain pigment particles. That being said nearly any paint can be polished to a high gloss if allowed to harden properly first and with the right technique and products.

I have done rattlecan repairs that were just as shiny as the work it fixed.

P.S. If you plan on fixing it properly later, don't go the rattlecan way, it will react badly when you spray 2k.