Paint guys: Question about SS and TS paint

[n2_space]

Someone is telling me that single stage is simply nothing more than clear mixed in... "single-stage paint is a catalyzed paint with the clear built right in. Can you put a clear top coat on top of it? Sure. But I personally think it`s a waste of time considering the amount of texture that normally accompanies single stage paint jobs."



I thought SS was had something like clear, but not just clear.... as in it is not the exact same as the clear used in Two Stage paint. Can some one clarify?

[shaunthebadboy]

my opinion is:

-its like going to a buffet and eating steak as opposed to going to a steakhouse and ordering a steak. at the buffet the steak is alright whereas the steak at the steakhouse is phenomenal. i have found that trying to do everything all in one step doesnt work as good as finding things that specialize and using them for each step. thats just my 2cents, dont know if it makes too much sense to anyone else but it made sense when i wrote it

[ncal]

My understanding is that your friend is indeed correct. Single stage paint is a mixture of the color and gloss. Two stage paint refers to this in that the first stage is your flat color and your second coat is the glossy clear coat. The advantage of TS paint is that you can `control ` the gloss and of course you have other advantages like durabiliity. When you have that dread clearcoat failure that is also why the base coat looks like an incredibly flat color. As far as spraying clear over a single stage paint job, I also agree with your friend that it would seem like a waste. SS has its own beauty and vibe to it really, and putting a clearcoat over it would just seem... odd.





As far as SS being worse than TS, I wouldn`t agree with it. SS paint can look beautiful and unique and really harks back to a different era. There are even some cars today that are made without clearcoats. It really is a preference in looks, what you want for durability, etc.

[n2_space]

I understand that there is a gloss added to SS, but is it really the EXACT same stuff that is used in TS paint? I guess that is what I am trying to clarify. If I were to paint a SS paint, would I grab offf the shelf the same stuff that I would in putting on a CC in the 2nd stage of a TS paint?

[ncal]

I haven`t yet woken up so I apologize if I didn`t understand your question. Modern day paints today are urethane based, including the small number of single stage paint jobs. Some people still paint with laquer (hobbyists) because you don`t have to deal with isocyanates which are highly toxic. All a clear coat is to my understandins is urethane paint without pigment, infact paint is just a colored adhesive. So I would think that a modern single stage paint job is indeed does contain similar CC chemicals that are found in the dedicated clearcoat paint. There`s a number of body guys on this forums, they should be able to give a much better answer though.

[the other pc]

I`m not quite sure what "Someone" was trying to say? So I`ll just blather on semi-randomly.



There are so many different brands, types, formulations, applications and variations in automotive finishes that it isn`t realistic to make any sweeping generalizations.



While it may be true that the resin base for SS coatings is generally clear before pigments are added that is not the same as saying SS and CC are the same paint. They will be similar, at least within a given product family, but have different functions and are generally formulated differently.



Some coatings can be used as either a SS finish or a base for a BC/CC finish. Some can`t. It depends on the particular manufacturer/product line/formulation.



Some CC finishes can only be used over a specific BC.



Some colors and effects are only available in BC/CC systems.



Whether or not you chose to CC over a base paint that can be either SS or BC depends on the look you wish to achieve and how you want the finish to perform.



Many people feel that certain cars and colors, especially very traditional classics, look better with an SS finish.



The amount of texture that accompanies single stage paint jobs is dependent on the paint formulation, application conditions, reducers, additives, the gun, the shooter, etc. It is also very common to wet-sand between coats when doing a high-end custom finish.



Hope this makes some semblance of sense.





PC.