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Appreciation post: the old timer who showed me why you never skip sanding between primer coats

I was working on a 1992 Ford F-150 two years ago at a shop in Akron. An older guy named Chuck walked over while I was about to lay down color over a rough primer job and just stopped me. He said "son, that paint will lift faster than a cheap toupee in a windstorm" and made me wet sand the whole thing down to 600 grit. Took an extra 90 minutes but that finish still looks wet today. Anyone else had a veteran teach you something that saved your butt later?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaelcoleman2d ago

Had a buddy from trade school tell me a story about his uncle who painted hot rods back in the 70s. The guy was doing a candy apple red on a '69 Camaro and skipped the sanding between primer coats because he was in a hurry to get it done for a weekend show. Laid the color on thick and it looked perfect in the shop under fluorescent lights. Three days later at the show, the whole driver's side started bubbling up like a frog's throat. His uncle had to strip the whole panel back to bare metal and start over, missed the whole show and lost money on the job. My buddy said he never forgot that lesson and now he's the most patient painter I know. Takes his time on every step, no shortcuts.

simonreed2d ago

Good lesson, but the real question is - did his uncle ever cut corners again after that? @michaelcoleman says the buddy learned from it, but seems like a painful way to find out the hard way.

kellymurphy2d agoProlific Poster

Sixty bucks says that uncle still tells that story at every family barbecue like it just happened yesterday.