Hey everyone i need an expert advice. I repainted my half of my front bar when someone smashed it in the car park. Being a tight ass i used acrylic paint instead of 2 pack (don't ask why). Anyhow i just cant get it as glossy as the other half of my bar. I basically used textbook method waiting 24 hours then sending with 1200 grid then cutting with acrylic cutting compound.

It is glossy just not as glossy as the other half, is it simply limitation of acrylic paint?. Should i wait bit more & give it another cut? One thing that comes into my mind is that i used sponge buffer not wool could that be it? I know with 2 pack paint its pretty much as glossy as it gets right after you spray it. I resprayed my mates bonnet with 2 pack & it doesn't even need a cut it sooo shiny!

I do appreciate any input but please contribute if you have actual experience

That's pretty much it. It's never going to be as glossy as 2pac. I spent heaps cutting it, then polishing it, and it still looked dull.

Yea thats what i though.... Would 2 pack clear go over acrylic base color in case i decide to respray? or ill get some kind of reaction...

You can get an acrylic clearcoat. I do all my cars in white acrylic because it is easy to work with. You can buff it up to a good shine, but it will never match 2 pack or clearcoat. There is no point, as the acrylic shine backs off after a month or so to a dull shine. I prefer the looks of that, as it hides imperfections and looks ok if the whole car is a little dull. You may also find the acrylic colour match goes off after a while. The only solution is to use 2 pack, or paint the whole bar in acrylic, which usually doesn't like adhering to 2 pack anyway, so you might need to strip the whole bumper back to plastic, then use plastic primer, etc. Even though I use white acrylic I'm never happy with patch jobs so when a scratch or dent appears I redo the whole panel, be it door, roof or bar. Not much more effort required, and the paint is cheap. You will never be happy with half a bar in aged 2 pack and the rest in fresh acrylic, strip it back and hit it with 2 pack for that "showroom" shine and appearance.

to get it to be really glossy, you need to put about 4 coats of clear on it, wait up to 3 days, then 1200, the 1500, then 2000 sand. Then hit it with kitten compunding polish, then use something like mothers polish and wax. You need to make sure you have flattened the ridges left by the spray, without cutting intp the paint underneath.

Furthermore, make sure you are using water proof good quality paper and keep a steady flow of water on it, like a hose on very slowly.

You wont get it to be glossy unless the clear is totally cured and hard. When i put my clear on my bumper, i waited 40 mins between coats and used the hairdryer lightly immediately after each coat for about 30 seconds.

My suggestion is to sand back with lots of water and 800 grit paper to remove polish, put another 3-5 coasts of clear, septone is good, (very light coats not thick or it will take forever to cure) with about 10 mins more than specified between coats, and up to twice as long between coats for the last 2. leave it to cure in a cool and not humid environment, with a fan on slow if you want, for about 2 days min, then use the 1200 to get the ridges down and then use the 1500 and 2000 more liberally, but not so much as to eat into the base coat, and remember to use heaps of clean water. Then use a cutting compound, followed by a hi shine polishing compound. you can use this on a orbital polisher on a slow speed. or polish by hand in a circular fashion. You will be able to feel the paint become warm from friction, this is good but to rub it back too far.

you can get a good acrylic clear coat to become nearly as shiny as 2 pack, but not wuit. As its on the bumper you wont notice it.

Another thing to add is that if it is the front bumper, you should probably do up to 10 coats of clear over a 2 day period, because using only 4-5 coats will have it stone chipped in no time flat because acrylic is no where near as hard as 2 pac clear.

Yes i think my problem was that i cut it too soon, i did spray lots of coats of clear & perhaps 24 hours wasn't enough for it to harden, i will do what you said go over with 1500, 2000 grid then cut with orbital polisher (i do have a proper one, not the $40 crap), ill lets you know once done if the gloss came close to the other half of the bar (done in 2 pack)

Hey guys, well i finally got to cutting it. I followed your tip "bellto". I also bought Meguiars diamong cutting compound 10 hight cut (the diffrence vs normal was amazing). Anyhow i got it just as shiny as 2pack paint. Thanks for your help. Cheers.