Hit 500 repainted hoods last week and something clicked

I keep a tally of every hood I repaint in my shop notebook. Last Wednesday I hit number 500. It was just a basic silver 2015 Ford Focus hood that came in for a rock chip repair. Nothing special about the job itself. But looking at that number made me realize how much my technique has changed over the past 9 years. My first 50 hoods I was fighting orange peel and dust nibs constantly. Now I can knock out a full blend in about 45 minutes with maybe one wet sand touch up. The paint supplier I use now is completely different from what I started with too. That 500th hood made me think about how many gallons of clear coat I've burned through. Has anyone else tracked a specific job count like that and noticed a big skill jump at a certain number?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_thomas13d ago

Man that's cool as hell. It's funny how hitting a random round number makes you step back and see the whole climb. I feel like that's true for ANYTHING you stick with long enough, whether it's painting hoods or even just learning to grill a steak right.

the_oscar12d ago

That bit about "seeing the whole climb" really hit me. I read somewhere that it takes about 400 hours of doing something before your brain starts running it on autopilot. Sounds about right for you hitting that 500 mark. There's probably some invisible wall you break through where your hands just know what to do without you having to think about every step. It's like when you learn to type without looking at the keys. One day you're still hunting and pecking, next thing you know your fingers are flying.