questions on repainting mirror

[susej1981]

I want to try my luck and repaint my alpinweiB II mirrors as professionally as possible, I got all the supplies including some quality color-matched aerosol paint.

if it goes well enough, I'll post up a quality write-up for others to try it out. the goal is to treat this repaint as professionally as possible, so what should I know bodywork gurus?

• is it fine to sand down to the bare plastic/aluminum mirror base?

• how many coats should I do?

• what kind of can motion is good for painting an item like a mirror?

• do I need primer?

• do I need acetone/wax remover/tack cloth?

• if I do need primer, what grit do I sand the primer to?

• should I stay away from grits above 400 so that the paint has some texture to stick to?

ATM I can't afford to repaint my mirrors @ a shop/learn how to do with with HLVP but I sure as hell am capable of learning and have an eye for craftsmanship :-D

thanks! btw I'm new here.

[StereoInstaller1]

First...welcome to the forum!

Second, go get a set at a junkyard...painting those to a high standard with any rattle can is not easy. You want to be able to take you time, so finish a second set and swap them!

GL

Luke

[Sea Aych]

Bumping up with a followup question instead of starting a new thread. The paint on the aluminum bit of my plain black mirrors is peeling, and almost completely off. Anyone know what paint colour/type is good for repainting those?

[AndrewBird]

If the paint is still intact on the mirror, all it will need is a bit of a scuff from something like a scotch bright pad. Spots with chips will need to be feathered out so there isn't a sharp edge. I would sand then use filler primer to fill the chip back in. You might want to lightly hit the whole mirror as well. This will often times show imperfections you did not see before.

Before painting, wear latex gloves and wipe the mirror down with acetone. Be quick as you don't want to remove paint here, just clean the surface. Then spray immediately.

DO NOT move the mirror until it is completely dry. I've fucked up so many things and had to re-do them because I thought the paint was dry so I could move it, but then it was still soft. I usually let things dry an entire day before I touch them (spray in the evening, don't touch until next day evening).

As far as coats, I would put on as many coats it takes to cover, plus one. Don't put them on so heavy you get runs, but you want it heavy enough for it to level out a bit and not be textured.

Anything below 400 grit will probably leave noticeable scratches when painted. I wouldn't necessarily use anything finer, but don't go courser for your final sand.

Make sure you are spraying somewhere warm enough. Temp needs to be between 60-80º. A cold garage will not work and leave you with all kinds of drying problems. Not to mention cold paint does not spray evenly. One trick is to put the can of paint in a warm bowl of water for a few minutes before spraying. And don't forget to shake the can a lot. At least 1 minute after the marble inside starts moving.

This is all just how I do it. Professional auto painters might think differently, but it works for me.