Should i sand touchup paint before clear coat?

i have just had a go at painting the roof of my car with 3-4 cans of touch up paint after sanding all over.


i am ready to clear coat, but the red coat looks blotchy like spray paint does..


should i sand or buff the red paint before clear coating?


if so, how dry does it have to be before buffing/sanding.?


if i do sand, does that mean washing the sanded paint off before the clear goes on?


cheers, as you can see im new to this.Should i sand touchup paint before clear coat?
it's hard to answer some of this without seeing it but here it goes. the normal process whether you're using a sophisticated paint gun or a spray can, is to take the shine off of the existing surface. 600 grit sandpaper is a safe grit for any type of paint you would be spaying, although some paints would not require it to be this fine. wash the surface with water and dry. wipe the surface down with wax and grease remover, and tack the surface with a tack cloth. spray at a consistant distnace and speed overlapping each spray pattern by about 1/2 it's width. a general distance from the surface to the nozzle is about the length between your spred thumb tip to little finger tip. apply several coats, some colors take more to acheive hiding, you don't need more paint than what is necessary to achieve total hiding and even coverage. if you have roughness, dirt, or imperfections you may sand them down with water and 600 grit paper, base coat dries fast, you can probably do this within 30 minutes. clean and dry the surface and apply one more even coat. within 24 hrs. clear, if you waited longer than this you have to scuff the surface again, (and probably give one more light even coat). the base coat will not look impressive, it will be dull, but the clear will bring it to life. blotchiness can be caused by uneven application, varying distance or speed, not enough coats, moisture, improper preparation, poor agitation, and a host of others. you probably will get a small amout of unevenness because you not using precision high quality equipement. the clear needs to be applied wet, idealy 2 coats. apply it evenly and don't allow dry spots, if you have a dry streak spray more on it right away, you can't wait till you get to the other side and come back, then you will have 2 dry spots. basically, apply as thick as you can without it running, twice.Should i sand touchup paint before clear coat?
100% yes


3-4 canz is too little.


allow some period of time drying before first,second and third coat.


ok. You spray the paint as even as possible until You see the surface bright-wet and no more( in the fisrt coat you don't see any paint only the wet-shine stop there) . paint the piece of metal(have a piece if metal beside de car you painting) let the paint dry to the touch (test by touching the piece of metal) never touch the car,apply the second coat in the same manner as the first.let it dry to the touch, and so forward until the paint show an even color.


rockie stuff.....if You see a running drop in the painting do not touch do not fix, let it dry and apply the next coat over it.


fixes will be the next week.


the more coats the more time allow for dry to the touch.(alway test the piece of metal first)
First, use a fine grit sand paper to smooth out the paint, (this will make the last clear-coat stick better). Next, wash the area and allow 4-6 hours to dry. Apply the clear-coat to the smooth area, making sure to overlap onto the original paint to blend in. Usually you want at least a couple of coats for best results, let dry for a day then buff. Hope this helps........