Finishing Satin Black Paint?

[Wasso]

Right, need some paint advice. This is now paint job number 5 on my iPad dash, clearly I'm enduring the learning curve!!

 

I decided that a gloss finish was far too complicated and ended up taking the plunge with a satin finish. Which to be fair has come out pretty nice. Although, I'm now at the point of where do I stop this process? What I've noticed is that in some parts the finish is not 100% smooth, which I would guess is over spray and not a full layer of paint applied. One section can be seen looking from the top of the dash where the triple gauge meets the cover for the satnav. The finish on top of the cover does not feel smooth, therefore how do I proceed?

 

 

 

Finish on the below section is perfect - nice and smooth

 

 

Above the satnav hood, it's not smooth and this is where some paint advice is needed

 

 

 

 

My thoughts are:

1. Finish with 3000 grit or higher?
    
   
2. Apply further coats of paint (even though it's now cured)
   

I fear the 3000 grit or higher may still leave residue of sanding.

 

Applying further coats, does that mean starting with a tack coat again?

[Tricky-Ricky]

You want to use 800-1000 grit and some water and just give it a mild going over until its a bit smoother, tip soak the wet n dry first, this will stop it wanting to take off the edges, then once its all dried off, and free of dust, respray...your obviously a little hesitant if your getting a lot of over spray, you need to apply it so you get a wet coat, but without any sagging, unfortunately its a learning curve getting it right

[Wasso]

So in other words don't try to repair with a very high grit level, head back a stage and go for the wet finish. Therefore, maybe go back 1-2 levels, reapply 3 layers, 1 tack, 2 coat, 3 wet coat.

 

Fair enough, I've been living in wet and dry for months, so I'm familiar with the process, especially as this is now my 5th attempt at getting it right.

 

To be fair Satin is far easier to apply than gloss. My gloss finish I attempted twice and failed, specifically as the shape of the item isn't exactly easy to apply by rattle can.

[Tricky-Ricky]

Its just a case of practice, getting the finish form the can,..... can be difficult, you have no need to over correct, a light flat will be sufficient, followed by a nice wet coat of paint, that should...IF its not to humid in the spraying environment give you a nice even finish, if its humid you could end up with bloom...sort of milky patches.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Tricky-Ricky

[Wasso]

Cheers fella, will have a bash on that then.

 

Hopefully this will be the finished article (at last!)

[Willsy1980]

You could always ask you paint supplier for a Satin finish top coat/lacquer. Most will be able to mix one and can it for you. It will make it a little more durable too.