Blocking/Sealer Coat?

How many of you guys use either a blocking coat, after the filler is sanded but before the color or just a sealer coat of just clear between the filler and paint?

Randy,

When painting with dope I Use a medium coat of clear to block the filler coat, then put on a coat of silver/polar gray mixed. Then this is wet sanded and silver/polar gray mix sprayed again. If that is close enough to perfect for me, then I go with my base color next.

The use of a blocking coat will depend on the color being used (and, sometimes, the brand.) If you are going to paint black, you don't need a blocking coat. Matt and I built a SIG Mustang once, and he sprayed it with silver. It was intended as the blocking coat. I liked the looks so well at that point, that it became the color with just a little trim added.

Matt uses the Polar gray for his painted canopies, so, when he uses that as the blocking coat, the canopy is done. White and yellow are notoriously bad for covering and usually need something under them. They will look different if the base is gray or silver, however. (Try both and see which you like best). If you try putting colors like white or yellow over streaky wood, you will end up using a lot more color than if you put a light blocking coat underneath and then were able to follow up with a lighter coat of the "true" color. But even reds and greens and the like can end up looking streaked if they do not have a uniform color beneath them. Brodak seems to cover better than SIG, however, especially in the lighter colors.

RCJim<

>>If that is close enough to perfect for me, then I go with my base color next.<<

Yea, Windy once told me that no finish is really done, just abandoned.

Len,

>Brodak
>seems to cover better than
>SIG, however, especially in the
>lighter colors.

Yea, I'm using Sig Litecoat clear from the wood up with DuPont 3608 (hey, I have a ton of the stuff). I'm using my own acrylic toners so having enough pigment isn't much of a problem. I added some white and a dash of black in the filler coat to make grey. Looks just about like Polor Grey and man, I'm starting to realize that Sig doesn't put much toner it any of it's color. Stuff covered very, very easily. And if it doesn't, just add a bit more pigment. Sands very easily too.