Using flexible additive in clear coat.

Hi all,

I've been painting for a dozen years now but am running into something new....

because I'm working on something new, lol.

Prior to this, most all of the paint work I've done is on antique vehicles. This is only my third time to use base/clear. Though I use urethane primers now, all of my top coats are acrylic enamel, so I'm sort of venturing into a new world.

I'm repainting the back end of a '98 Ford Taurus. My question is what to do about the plastic bumper cover. I had to smooth it out and replace the deck lid, but the quarters are fine. I'm using DuPont and put the flexible additive in the sealer, as specified, for the bumper cover. DuPont does not use flexible additive in the base, so I sprayed the deck lid and the bumper to get good coverage and put everything together and resprayed the whole back end and blended into the quarters. I'm very happy with the results and have the whole thing sitting down there now in base and went to move onto the clear and said, "nuts".

I know I need flexible additive in the clear for the bumper covers sake, but I want to spray the whole back end in one swoop. Is it alright to use the clear with the flex additive over the steel parts or do I need to mask off and spray the bumper separately?

I'd have called the paint store for a quick answer but it's the weekend. What a pain. Most everything I work on was bulit before the world knew what plastic was. I'll be happy to get back to it.

Thanks,

Walter.

I wonder what you did?

I don't think it would matter all that much if you did everything with the flex,
but you could of two gunned it and had flex in one gun to do just the bumper and the spraying would of been done all at the same time. spraying the deck lid and 1/4's and then spraying the bumper. clear mixed up and poured into two guns and then add your flex to one gun, thats just a way though.
tell us what you did?

DON'T EVER USE FLEX ADDITIVES!!!!! I have been painting for 10 years now and i currently do alot of collision repair work and custom work and i never use this. All paints flex. If you look at a vehicle that has been hit, you will notice that the paint will move with the damage a certain amount. I paint new and old bumpers off of cars everyday then put them on the car and ship them and i have never had a problem with the paint cracking of peeling.

I dont agree with that theory-if some surfaces didnt need flex-then why do they make it?

when we recieve aftermarket polyeurothane bumpers they always have instructions stating when painting make sure flex additive is in the paint.
the paint shop i use has been in business for about 25 year and they recommend it on all bumpers and moldings.

Thats my theory also!

I dunno what that one guy is talking about, he must just be a lucky sun of a gun...cause I have done both, with the flex and with out...and the flex is a must when it comes down to it!!!

P.S. Urothane bumpers are made in molds and use a mold release to ease in their removal. I have had a few bumper that I had to bake once or twice to get all of the mold release agent out of and off the bumper! this really help the adhesion process when it came time to refinish..