If you’re working on a vehicle that predates the 1980’s, chances are, you’re going to be working on single stage paint. Working with single stage paint relies on all the same principles as working on a modern 2-stage base clear, however, there are a few key things to know before you start with that old paint.
What is Single Stage Paint?
Single stage paints include all the necessary chemicals in the mix to complete the painting process in one step, eliminating the need for a clear coat on top. Most modern cars use a two-stage process of applying the base color, followed up by several layers of clear coat.
What are the Pros and Cons?
The benefit of a single stage paint is really about speed. Because of the decreased amount of material and increased speed, this often makes single stage paint a less expensive option than a two-stage paint. The downside, however, is a paint that doesn’t stand up as well to harsh conditions or extended exposure to the elements and will dull and oxidize more quickly. Along with decreased longevity, without the dedicated clear coat, single stage finishes are often less reflective and don’t have the same high-level gloss.
Polish with Care
Single stage paints are often thinner and softer than a modern base clear combo. Because of this, you should always be as gentle as possible when selecting your product, tool and pad. Rather than going with a heavy cutting rotary compound and a second follow up polish, we recommend our EPIC™ Medium-Duty Compound with a corresponding orange medium cutting foam pad on an orbital machine. This helps prevent the chance of burning through the softer, thinner paint while still giving us enough cutting power to buff through that thick layer of oxidation.
Tips & Tricks
Whether you’re working with foam or wool pads, you’ll find that your pad will pick up a lot of “gunk” as you go through the buffing process. This buildup of dirt on your pads will quickly diminish how well your paint is polishing out. While correcting a 1967 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, we found it was difficult to do more than one 3×3 section at a time without stopping to clean our pads in-between.
As you work, you’ll be able to see the build-up of dirt and paint pigment on your pad, and you’ll see your compounds performance begin to fall off as the pads dirty. Once that starts, you’ll find yourself getting a hazier finish. If you are getting a hazy finish, it is time to clean your pad, this can be done with the standard methods of cleaning such as blowing it off with an air chuck, using a brush or spur, or simply wiping the pad down with a clean microfiber towel.
As we mentioned, depending on the level of oxidation you’re fighting, you may need to clean off your pad after every section. While this is a tedious process, the results that you’ll see on single stage paint when correctly polished are worth it…especially when you’re pulling an old diamond like this out of the rough.
Even more so than clear coated paints, it’s very important to keep the paint protected once you’ve done all that work. We recommend a ceramic coating, a paste wax, or our new EPIC™ CR2 Hydro Protect Ceramic Spray to repel the weather and future oxidation.
