bubblegoose

matt clear never looks right aged/worn paint, just age it and leave it rust is fixable

the next day tbh (a few days in winter) buffing hard paint is a pita, 4 coats is alot so you can go nuts with the buffing but avoid unnecessary sanding and would start with 1500 wet for the bad bits then 2000 wet for not so bad bits/over the 1500, then hit it with 3000 if its a dark colour buff it till you are happy with it then then maybe in a week or so a quick buff to bring back the gloss after the solvent has fully released, then jamb a good coat of wax on it

could you pm me the name and location of the shop, 3k is a cheap job but still no excuse for poor workmanship if they cant do the job properly they shouldn't do the job at all

what grit were you sanding with before going 'back' to 400?

if you are using base coat you only need to let it dry for 10 mins before clear-coating without sanding. if you are using some sort of top coat you need to make sure its fully cured before sanding and clear-coating to reduce the risk of a reaction if you have used basecoat and let it dry then 1000 grit for any imperfections and a grey scotchbrite for the rest, id advise one more coat of base over it to hide any transparency caused by the sanding

epoxy, going by the sticky description (or a jar full of rust eating semen)

this

nitro, enamel and lacquer should all be avoided for anything other than VL commadores

the export engine enamel goes good in my experience

cheap enamel can take 6 months of summer to 'dry' in, shitty solvents that contain alot of crap that doesnt evaporate much/ever i dont know what paint you are talking about but thats a general assumtion

its just mipa, i use it on wheels, engine bays etc

that depends on the brand, i have a 1l tin in front of me for an engine bay im doing tomorrow. Not using thinners is fine in a warm environment where the paint will flow but if your in a cooler garage spec spray area then thinners is a must or its gonna be a nightmare/some balls to spray heavy enough to get it flat (not telling you just so other readers are aware)

2L theres alot of panel area on them goats with most paint systems that will net you 3.3L ready to spray

to be safe leave it a few weeks to cure before your put your pearl and clear coats on to avoid the risk of having any unwanted reactions, flatted back with 800 would be fine to apply the pearl coat too anything finer and your just wasting time as you wont see any difference in the finish

be good for 6 months or so then it probably will go a bit chalky