Hard Paint

[James Tibbetts]

I need to apply a gloss black, sometimes called "Piano Black", finish to a project.
I do not have a spray booth or any way to keep the inevitable tiny dust imperfections out of the surface. What type pf paint would be best suited?
I am thinking about an enamel that can be hand rubbed; i.e. auto finishes of old. Any brand help or suggestions will be appreciated.
Happy Holidays to all !

Jim

[Bill McCarthy]

There are people here with much more experience than I. That being said, I've had pretty good luck using Rust-Oleum Professional High Performance Protective Enamel. I haven't done it often, but when I have I've been happy with the result; I've used White and Black.

I thin it to the consistency of milk and apply it with a brush. Because it is so thin each coat dries pretty fast. I can get about 3 coats a day applied. After 2 or 3 coats, depending upon how it looks, I begin sanding; then every couple of coats thereafter. Towards the end, I'll switch to steel wool. Depending on how much effort you want to put into it, particularly with the darker colors, you can get it looking like a mirror. For what I was doing, I didn't need more than about 8 coats, you may need more.

[Wayne Lomman]

I can't help you with brands being on the other side of the globe but your approach is good and Bill's advice is on the right track too. Cheers

[Tom M King]

For gloss black, I don't see how it can be done well without perfection along each step. I would spray it. For final polish, look at some of the 3M polishing products for autobody work, like Finesse-It, and Perfect-It polishes, and pads for buffers. That following block sanding with really fine grits should bring it out.

Do a google search for 3M perfect it and you should find plenty of information, as well as probably a bunch of youtube videos.

Sherwin Williams Pro Classic dries to a really hard surface. While I've not ever polished any with Perfect It, I sanded enough of it to know how it works, and have used Perfect It on gelcoat, and automotive paint to have a feel for that too. The convoluted foam pads won't damage anything.

edited to add: I checked on current prices, and the Perfect It system is pretty expensive now, but the compound lasts a long time, and it only takes a little bit. I'm pretty sure the bottle I'm still using is 15 years old. I just shake it up, and it's good to go again. You can even buy the pads on Amazon.