On Fri, 9 Dec 1994, Steve Adderson wrote:
> I've getting one of my cars resprayed in Cellulose enamel.
> Should I get it clearcoated as well, ie a coat of lacquer
> to us UK types. Will it give a longer lasting shinier finish
> than just polished paint? One of my other cars had a panel
> that had been lacquered and that always looked better than the
> rest of the car. My thoughts are that I could polish the lacquer
> as much as I wanted without removing any of the colour. If I do
> decide to do this, should I polish the car before spraying the
> lacquer?
>
> Please don't tell me to us two pack paint.
>
This appears to be a case of our being divided by a common language. I
thought "cellulose" was the british equivalent of "lacquer." So I don't
know what "cellulose enamel" might be. Can you clarify?
In the US, enamel used to be called alkyd enamel. Enamels commonly
available in the US now generally are referred to as acrylic enamel; it
can be applied as is to air dry, or applied after being mixed with a
hardener that contains isocynates for a chemical cure. I believe this is
equivalent to your "two pack." Older lacquer used to be called
nitrocellulose lacquer, and can still be obtained from specialty houses.
Most auto paint stores now sell acrylic lacquer, which is harder and more
durable than nitrocellulose lacquer. My impression from the british auto
mags has been that "cellulose" is still used to apply to lacquer, even
though it may not be nitrocellulose lacquer. Clearcoats are available
either in acrylic enamel or acrylic lacquer, I believe, but I have never
heard (recently) of nitrocellulose lacquer clearcoat.
So, if you can, please be more specific about what you plan to use.
Ray Gibbons
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