Advice: Clear Coat Or Not To Clear Coat? (And the trouble I'm having with finishing.)

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yuckfoo

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First, I'm using spray cans. Also this is for my shift kit mount, not my bike: My base coat looked pretty good. I wanted to add a clear coat to give added protection (not gonna lie, I also like the gloss) but the orange peel is insane. I've watched many videos on cutting and finishing. I'm tired of spending money and don't want to buy finishing compound. I don't want to spend any more money and I don't want to wait (again) for something to come in the mail to start assembly. I'm not at all impatient, I've simply spent way too much time on this part and want to get past it.

Now here are the real questions:

  • Does a clear coat really add extra protection to the job, or is it fine to skip it?
  • As I understand it, orange peel can be made worse by not having enough air in your mix. Since I'm using spray cans and cannot change the amount of air, can I get a similar result of less air by moving my can even further away from the part than is suggested? (8" to 10")
I tried to make a homemade cutting compound using toothpaste, baking soda and bees wax furniture polish, but I think the baking soda did more harm than good. I was unable to get the scratches out and the finish was hazy looking. I used 1500 - 2500 - 3000 sand paper.
 
I suggest using an automotive clear coat as these are gas resistant. Go the extra step and have a nice paint job (y)

 

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I suggest using an automotive clear coat as these are gas resistant. Go the extra step and have a nice paint job (y)

I've already bought clear coat. Automotive clear is way too expensive for such a small part.
 
What color do you want? Eastwood makes some chassis paint hat goes on smooth and last a long time, and it comes in gloss. https://www.eastwood.com/ew-extreme...Kn7YDUS8uDqAUvb2LJFsFvrKGMythY00aArLREALw_wcB

When you first start to apply, just fog in your parts. Make them look grey. Just keep putting on mist coats until uniform coverage.
Yeah the base coat wasn't a problem, it was the clear coat with heavy orange peel. This is what I've decided to do with the clear. I'm going to fog it, as you've said and then I'm not going to sand it or cut and polish it and get on to assembly. I'll do my best to avoid orange peel as much as possible and just live with it. I just got done touching up the color that got knocked off when trying to sand and polish the clear. It's too much aggravation for a part and I need to move on.
 
Is it orange peel, or more like wrinkle? If it's wrinkle, I'm guessing the clear coat was incompatible with the base - -like trying to cover enamel with lacquer.
No it's just normal orange peel.
 
When doing any paint job on metal.
1) Sand
2) Bondo repairs if necessary.
3) clean
4) Primer
5) Paint
6) Clear Coat
7) Buff
 
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