How do you correct single stage paint?

Hi there fellas,

Is there any difference in how you would correct an ordinary clearcoated paint versus a single stage paint that has no clearcoat in it (for example, the popular Lexus Onyx Black "202" )?

Is there a different technique you need to use? Different compound/polish combination? Different buffer speeds, etc?

I'm using a Flex XC3401 DA at the moment.

Thank you so much!

 

From what I have been seeing...
Paint thickness gauge will be a must, you also gotta work with it slowly and accordingly so you dont burn through it since you hit metal right after. Dont go overboard with the polishes or pads and I think you'll be fine, and adjust for the heat.

 

It is just like cleared paint. In fact it is safer to polish. You do not HAVE to have a gauge. Your pads will be soiled and need to wash them out after couple of panels. Good luck.

2 days ago I did a 911 that is posted here and should check it out.

 

^listen to him not me, I has never corrected single stage!

 

i would say you need paint gauge. it saved me several times on SS paint. specialy if its old paint then u have to be carefull.
what kind of car you gona be working on?

 

Single stage will correct easier than clearcoat will so thats a bonus. Also, single stage paint will typically be thicker than clearcoat so you'll have a bit more to play with. Having said that, older single stage paint that has dried out will come off quickly in the first few passes until you are down to good paint. If the car is older, I would suggest a PTG.

 

Its a 2002 Black Onyx Lexus GS430. Thanks for the tips guys.

 

I did a 2006 Pontiac with white single stage - now white paint is harder, I read somewhere that white is the hardest paint of all the colors. But, what worked for me was SIP on an orange pad, be prepared to take some time. BTW - M105 puked on this.

I think Bence once said to do something like KAIO first and then go to polishing, it helps put some oils back in and makes polishing easier. I did the same car 8 months later and all I had to use was KAIO to get it back shiny.

Try a couple test spots and techniques and you'll hit the one that works for you.

 

are you sure it's a one-stage paint job? I think you are dealing with tinted clear. Some Lexus and Hondas (S2000) have this type of clear.

 

Just did a single-stage Jet Black E34 535i this previous weekend, it took a lot of patience but the correction came out great! Worked with 6 or 8 different pads and just switched every panel, THEY GET LOADED with polish real quick. Kept my pad brush along with a MF along next to me to try and keep them clean. Did a few test spots at first starting with Menz 106 and worked my way up to see what kind or correction I was getting.
GOOD LUCK!

 

I did my first single stage correction this weekend on a 85 cadillac. I used a white pad with powerfinish and it came out pretty nice. Had to clean the pads often though because I only had two.

 

Misha said it pretty well. If the paint is oxidized you will be taking much more paint off than if it were not. Be very careful around the panel edges, especially if you aren't using flat pads. If the paint is old and dry, even with a Flex you can take it to the base if your aren't careful.
Single stage paint is usually really soft and easy to correct.

Since your paint is black it may be hard to see. But for future reference if you see light or dark blotchy areas (depending on basecoat color) in/under the paint, beware. The paint is probably really thin in those areas. You see this a lot on single stage hoods.

 

Hm, I've been told that Onyx Black on lexus = Tinted clear.

 

Lexus tints their black paints, and when polished appear to be single stage. In practice, there isn't much difference between polishing tinted clear or single stage except that single stage paints tend to be softer, and gum the pads quickly. Of all the single stage paint jobs I've done, a PC can do major correction, though a rotary will do a better and more thorough job. Single stage simply means there is no clear coat. The paint is still primered, so don't think that if you polished through the base coat that you'll hit metal. In fact, as was mentioned earlier, single stage paint jobs tend to be thicker and because there is no clear coat, you can do more to correct it than a typical multistage clearcoat job. A PTG is always a good tool to have, especially on older paint jobs where the history is unknown. I recently polished out a 1994 Acura NSX that had 2 previous owners, and this car sat outside for the past 3 years. The paint was single stage and highly oxidized and dangerously thin in some areas. Having a ETG or PTG let me make informed decisions about what kind of correction I could take, especially when the owner wanted me to do some touchup and wetsanding was out of the question to blend that touchup.

 

Just goes to show that I'm still a newbie...I thought SS was done away with back in the early 80's