Hey guys, it's been awhile since I've been on the forums. Been very busy. Recently got back to my mod and the only thing that is keeping me from finishing (besides lack of funds) is my clear coat. Every time i paint i do a coat or two of color and then apply the clear coat after it dries. but for some reason the clear coat causes the paint to fold up into ridges. Not bubbling but folding. I use the exact same brand and line of clear as the paint: Rustoleum Painter's Touch Gloss. What would cause the paint to fold? Shouldn't these be compatible together since they're the same brand and everything? Or am i doing something wrong and don't know it? Help me, please!
If the paint is meant to be flat, then the clear will ruin it... I had tried this to make my flat black paint job more durable as it scratched very easily, and the clear kinda just ate through the paint back to the metal and the parts that didn't dissolve had severe orange texture to em. How long do you leave between your application of paint and clear? Have you wet sanded the paint? Have you thoroughly cleaned the surface before clearing? Is there anything that could be causing the clear to react that way? I'm no paint expert but these could all cause some sort of problem when painting / clearing.
if you have a chance call up some autobody shops in town and ask if you can use there paint gun maybe getting paint and reducing it and applying thinner lighter coats would help !! even if on the first round you dont fully cover the metal you'll get in on the next round. oh maybe the can needs a longer period of time to dry give it a longer period of time
To answer several of your questions mansueto, the paint is supposed to be glossy; i wait until the paint is dry, usually between 20 and 30 minutes; i do sand the paint so its nice and smooth, as per instructions on the can of clear; I wipe of any excess dust/particles from the sanding. As for why it's reacting, i have no idea. That's why I'm asking you guys!!!
I can't believe you can sand paint that has been drying for only 20-30 minutes That's like touch dry, if you want to sand you generally leave the paint for at least 24 hours if it's just a thin coat! If i've got a thick layer of built up coats, i'd be waiting a week before doing stuff like sanding or clear coating, just to be on the safe side. A few days might be enough, but i'd rather wait a couple of extra days than have to do it all again.
Hmmm, well i didnt think that was a problem. I was just trying to follow instructions on the can and whatever else people had said. Do you think sanding it so quickly would cause it to fold when the clear was applied? Maybe it seeped into the paint or something. I dont know guys, im a rookie, this is my first mod and i just want to get it done...
I would definitely leave it to dry for a lot longer than that. The longer the better really. I followed this great guide by mnpctech for Applecore and it worked a charm. Cyp.
Didn't mean to come off harsh I'm no expert with paint either, that's why i leave it to dry for so long, i'm scared that i'll stuff it up, again
We are all rookies because someone will always come around and blow you away. That's why we have mnpctech, Boddaker, Filimon, and a host of seriously good people here. Small steps and learn from each step. Worked for me for nearly 6 decades. Oh, and NEVER be afraid to ask for help! Rule #2. Rule #1 - Have fun John
Yeah, you're right. I think I've gleaned some good info from the guides I've seen both on mnpctech and other places. So at least when i start over i know what I'm doing. Thanks for the help guys! Cheers!
Okay I have another question that sort of has to do with this. I sanded down the paint as much as i could, but there are still little nicks where i had sanded down the spots in the paint that warped . Is there any way i could put filler in them and just paint over it? Or should i strip the paint and start over? They're pretty deep and i thought maybe i could "drown" them in paint, but i dont think that will work. Is the best option just to keep sanding all the way down until they finally go away?
You could just drown the stuffed bits and then sand smooth when all is dry, which may last, it may not? I'm not 100%, but i imagine that if it was something like a large side panel which can flex a little, all the irreguarities under the surface can develop cracks in time. How long i don't know? Depends on how bad they are, how much flex, temperature variances, how many knocks it gets, etc... So i wouldn't want to paint over a warped/weak/unstable base, i'd sand back all parts that didn't look 100%, even if that meant the whole thing, and start again.
Always good to try to fix small imperfections with spot putty after the first few coats of primer. If the primer can't fill them, the putty can. Just apply, sand, re-primer and see how it turns out, if it needs a bit more work, re-apply some more putty, again sand smooth, then re-prime. You don't need to do the full panel, you can always just work that 1 small section, just be careful that you don't make the surface too uneven from all the concentrated sanding.
