OK, time for an update! I think where I last left off was, I was having difficulty with the 2k Spray Max clear coat. Color and decals were perfect, but the clear coat was not coming out smooth as glass like I thought it would. Kept getting orange peel texture, no matter how many different techniques I tried. So I threw my hands up and headed over to a local carbon fiber bike repair and painting shop (Sypder Composites in Scotts Valley, California) and spoke to the owner, who told me he could give me a professional clear coat for relatively cheap ($100). Given my level of exasperation at this point, I of course agreed! But just like most of these small shops with real artists at the helm, scheduling and getting clear answers on when it would be finished was...well...a bit tricky. Took about 2.5 months. I don't have pictures of the results, but the frame wasn't as glassy as I thought it would be from a pro job, but I think it was a combination of oils from my handling of the frame and dust and residue from hanging in his rafters the whole time prior to clear coat (I'm not totally sure he dusted off and cleaned my frame before applying clear coat). The result, he told me, which was typical for his process, would require sanding and buffing and eventually applying a final treatment of rubbing compound. Even with that, he said, there were imperfections in my rattle can paint job that meant a showroom quality glassy luster wouldn't be universally possible everywhere on the frame. He gave me sanding pads and I went and sourced rubbing compound from the local hardware store and I went to work. All wet and dry, starting with 1500 grit, then up to 2000, then 3000, 4000, and finally 5000. Followed by the rubbing compound. I gave a final wax with car polish to get as much shine as I could. Here are the final results, which I think is a pretty damn good job. The rubbing compound was magical, taking a very smooth but hazy surface (from the 5000 grit) to almost glassy. The wax took it the rest of the way.