That looks SO bad!

 

Ok guess I could have been more clear. I said single layer because there is no clear coat. I did not go into specifics because its beyond the scope of the thread andd the ops question. In my experience spraying it (on aircraft towing tractors and construction equipment) it is less forgiving in that if you run it you have to sand it down and start all over, where as with clear, if you run it you can wet sand and buff it to get rid of the runs. I also said "generally" lacks depth. Let's see your single stage paint in a few years when it starts to oxidize and gets some lovely swirls in it. Clear coat paint is far more durable and easier to maintain.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion and my post could have gone into greater detail...however, that doesn't make anything I said in my post false.

My information comes from spraying both types of paint professionally for the last 8 years (excluding 18 months spent on deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan).

 

I thank you for your service to the country, I served in the Marine Corps as well.

My opinion comes from the 18 years experience in the field .
By the way- that paintjob on that vert is mostly from 1999, stored outdoors until 05-06 or so, now it stays in a tent. If you want I can show you single stage paint jobs that came out of my company from the 80s, on boats, that are outside ALL the time. Walked on and that stay in the water most of the year with nothing more then a wash.
Obviously before my time but the company I now own has been in business since 1964 and it aint by giving people paint jobs that will fade in few years time.
Dirt, runs, imperfections can of course be sanded out- it all depends on the person holding the sanding block.

 

I never knew your vert's paint job was that old. It still looks incredible. That's definitely a well maintained finish.

 

Rob, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. There is no doubt that we use very different supplies in our similar yet very different day to day applications. I can appreciate that your experience has been contrary to mine, but would you still recommend single stage to an amateur (no offense to the OP)?

I think as an inexperienced painter, the OP is more likely to get a positive, or at least workable, result from base/clear.

You and I could no doubt debate the pros and cons of our respective coating preferences till we are both blue in the face, but I think for the sake of the OP's original intention of this thread, we've argued our points to conclusion.

 

Personally I think single stage is easier to paint and I get the occasional runs so I simply sand it down and polish it.
If you are going to do a solid color I would go with the single stage. If doing metallic do base/clear.

 

I'm not looking to do any metallic paint work. Just a plain jane white bodied paint job which includes trim and other pieces associated with the body.

I don't take any offense to any thing said previously as I fully admit that I am an amateur. There seems to be a difference in opinion between which is easier to paint with though so I'm stuck at square one.

 

Not sure what to tell you.

If cost is a factor for you, you can always use that to help you decide.

 

I had my FC3 painted a porsche red. The painter used a mixture of the red and urethane with no clear coat. It came out a very shiny finish with little fading after 7 years. Just a thought. Here's a pic: (Sorry for the large size I'm new at posting pics)

 

^^red being one of the worst colors when it comes to oxidizing and fading.

Let me close by saying lets not confuse single stage air dry enamel for a good catalyzed polyurethane, worlds of difference from each other.