How To Black Out a Hood

The black primer we used is called PCL PolyPrimer, and we like itbecause it is cheap, thick, and user-friendly, and you have to be reallyaggressive to get it to run. After the Kombi putty dried, we began tobuild the primer with a preliminary coat. When the shine went away, itmeant the primer had flashed off and was ready for the next two coats.Stevenson warned us not to let it get too dry between coats because theadhesion process gets interrupted causing topcoat problems later. Onceit flashes, hit it again.

For shooting primer, we always use an inexpensive primer gun with afluid tip in the 1.8mm to 2.0mm range. What you are looking for here isgood application with plenty of product laid down on the metal ratherthan a fine finish. We've used the Craftsman high- volume low-pressure(HVLP) heavy-duty high-performance gun and the DeVilbiss starter-gun kitwith the 1.8mm tip for shooting heavy primer. Stevenson used a no-nameHVLP gun that cost less than $100.

After the primer has dried for 24-48 hours, you can prep it for paint bywet-sanding with 400-600-grit paper. We used a 5- gallon bucket of waterand a sponge to keep the surface wet. We just wanted to knock down thehigh spots and wash away dirt and debris. The surface should be smoothwhen you are finished.

For areas that have been sanded through to bare metal, Stevenson uses afew shots of SEM self-etching primer to cover. Don't paint the area,just dust it enough to fog the metal.

After the surface dries, you can use lint-free Tork wipes to get anyfilth off the surface. This is super critical to having the job look probecause you can't color-sand this paint after you apply it.

The key to getting this paint job right is R-M Mat Black UNO HD. UNOmeans single-stage, as in one coat and no clearcoat on top. It is arugged paint that will last if you keep it clean and don't cook itforever in the sun. The UR50 is the reducer, the DH42 is the hardener,and the SC804 is the Mat Black.

To get the UNO to look right, Stevenson uses a Walcom Spray Guns' HVLPGeo FX97 gun with a 1.3mm tip for a fine spray. The gun is in the $500range, which buys you a finer tip with quality machining on the partsthat atomizes the paint better and lays down a finer sheen withoutorange peel or texture.

For the mix, you more or less follow the instructions. Stevenson tippedus that if the gun starts to clog or leaves texture and glops, addslightly more reducer to the mix. This is a feel thing, so start bypainting something else, like an old fender, to get the blend right. Ourmix was close to four parts paint, one part reducer, and one parthardener.

Stevenson did the final shooting because he has the experienced hand.Try to hold the gun 6-12 inches from the surface at a 90-degree angleand let go of the trigger before the end of the stroke if you are goingto try this yourself.