Ever feel like the old way was holding you back? I had the same shock finding Saturn's rings with an app after years of just seeing a blurry dot. It's crazy what you can miss without that little digital nudge.

My dumb fridge probably thinks I'm a milk addict, thanks to @morgan_mason.

Man, reds from that era are the worst. I read an article once that said the old pigments break down unevenly, so you're never matching the original paint, you're matching decades of sun damage. That's why it takes so many tries to get it right. Your method of tweaking the base color in natural light is spot on. I'd have probably given up after the second mix.

Yeah, that "word is your bond" feeling is real. I had a lawn mowing client like that for years, just a handshake deal.

Honestly, skipping primer is playing with fire. That acetone wipe gets surface oil, but it doesn't touch mill scale or oxidation. You weld clean metal, sure, but you're welding to a contaminated surface. I've seen welds look good then fail because the bond was weak from the start. Just grinding to bright metal takes a minute and saves so much headache later. It's the only way to be sure you got a real, clean base.