Direct to Metal (DTM) Paint - Grainy Finish

I think either the paint flow was set too high or was too thick. Water base paint can be difficult to get right.

Quick update on my direct to metal (DTM) paint experience. Painted the street side skirts. Thinned even more than last time, closer to 4:1 paint to water. Finish definitely came out better, but still a slight granular finish. Not like 220 grit sandpaper, I don't have any handy, but maybe like a 1,000 grit sandpaper. I could try to thin further, but at this point it is hard to tell any difference from the original panels without rubbing your hand across them (I am keeping the upper side panels as they are in good shape). Guessing more thinning might get me to that smooth auto finish, but perhaps this is what you get with DTM and my inexpensive sprayer?

Anyway, the good, DTM seems very durable. I believe DTM is an acrylic and it certainly seems like it will take a beating. Gather the verdict is out on longevity as DTMs are new. I followed NC Camper's post again, but this time I put on 4 coats, about 45 minutes apart. First two coats didn't cut it, you could still see the original finish in places, where the spray pattern was not dense enough. Which is weird too, you would think that would indicate the paint was to thin. That aside, the extra coats within an hour worked great. Tough to see detail in the photos but here you go:

UODC0012 by Tom Myers, on Flickr

panel by Tom Myers, on Flickr

IMG-4056 by Tom Myers, on Flickr