Do you sand between your base coat and clear?
That depends on whether the basecoat is a solid colour or a
metallic. Metallic basecoats are not sanded before applying clear.
Sanding it will destroy its reflective properties and give it a
patchy appearence. It must be applied evenly in three coats,
followed by a final ''control coat'', where the gun is moved
further away , and the speed of the passes is increased. When the
basecoat is touch-dry (5-10 min.) wipe over it lightly with a
tack-cloth to remove any loose metalflake particles, before the
clear is applied.
Clearcoat is optional on a solid-colour basecoat, and if
necessary, it may be allowed to dry overnight and sanded with
800-1200 grit before applying clearcoat.
Semi Metallic and "pearl coats" when properly applied should not
need the "mist coat" and the clear should be applied as soon as the
flash off time has passed. 5-10 minutes is usually not enough for
"touch dry" unless it is in a climate controlled booth. And you do
not want to add clear if the base coat IS touch dry. It will cause
frosting or a glaze. Always read the instructions that come with
the base coat and clear coats. If you want to sand before the clear
coats, you need to wait at least 48 hours than put another wet coat
of basecoe on before clear.