Speaking from a position of total ignorance on the subject it seems to me
that you can put pretty much any kind of a gloss on a brush job if you are
willing to sand and rub it out sufficiently. Good brush technique may
decrease the amount of sanding/rubbing/buffing necessary to get the desired
gloss but given enough rubbing compound and cheese cloth I don't see how a
bad brush technique would really doom a project.
        Afterwards the guy might look like Popeye but he could do it, couldn't he?

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
Of Michael A. Radtke
Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2001 12:32 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Brush painting questions

The isocyanates are the nasties in auto paint and can cause allergic
reactions.  They are also likely to sensitize the user so as to guarantee
future allergic reactions if it didn't happen the first time.

However, the issue is contact.  If you wear gloves and take other simple
precautions, non-spray application is reasonably safe.  It's not the
solvent vapors that are the issue, it's the airborne paint particles that
contain the ISO's that are everywhere during spraying.

I have read that some folks have painted their cars with a brush and even
won awards at car shows afterwards.  They sometimes use auto paints and
sometimes use marine "topside" paints.  In either case, the resulting
finish seems to be all in the technique of "tipping off" with the brush.
 Boat painters commonly use a brush with good results.

I have tried this on a bunch of test panels using the techniques that I
read about.  However, I can't get an acceptable level of finish.  Have any
of you ever tried this?  Can you teach me (and the rest of us) how?

Thanks,
Mike  Phoenix AZ   '84 GL  '58 Isetta  '79 Jet ElectraVan