Got Bad Paint??

[DaveK]

I have re-prepped and painted this bike 3 times. This has now been painted the 4th time and the same problem exist. I admit that the paint jobber made me aware that I was mixing the paint wrong. Should be 2:1 and I was using 1:1. Anyways, I have completley sand blasted and brought it back up and painted this fender with the proper ratio of reducer. There is no sealer, just etch and Uro filler primer sanded out at 600. This is the HOK kandy base coat system with Marine blue base with colbalt kandy base, 3 coats each. The Marine blue was as hard as a rock at the bottom of the can and took an hour to mix. Kinda like primmer gets. The marine also would not lay down like a base coat should. Anyways, I think I got bad paint and I am gonna take up to the jobber and have him paint a test panel with. I also painted a test panel along with front fender only to see if it was just the bad mix on my part but, both came out worse than if I had mixed it wrong to begin with.

Let me know if ya'll seen this before. I know it can happen with sealer not dired properly but, I didn't use any. I have used this system before with no problems and I wonder if the paint got frozen?

DaveK

 

[DDG]

That looks like a problem I had once,
but it was from putting it on too fast.
Not enough flash time.

How old is the paint? If it has been opened for over a year or two it may have gone bad. Or if it froze that may have done it too. Not quite sure. Dispose of it and buy new paint.
Dirt

 

[DaveK]

Thanks Dirt. I just bought the paint last week and after the first time it happend, I waited for each coat to dry completley. Usually, I'll get runs if putting it on too wet. The thing that upsets me is my time and $120 worth of paint.

Thanks again
DaveK

 

[rex]

I agree with Dirt,if you hose it on with little flash time it'll crack and separate like that.Otherwise I'd say the paint was bad.My only other though is if you're using a reducer that's way too fast,and since the proper mix used 2X the reducer it could make this time worse than before.You're not painting in the sun are you?

 

[DaveK]

Thanks also Rex but, I don't have any big guns that can hose it on and I am using RU311 medium reducer - 75 to 85. And its only 73 degrees here today in my shop. I use an import hvlp that has a 1.0 mm tip. I admit that I am not a seasoned veteran at this and, it will not help me to say that I am doing something that I am not. I have only painted a couple of bikes with no problems. Ignorance is bliss. But, I have painted many sign blanks that I use for free hand airbrush work with zero problems. Base coats have never been that sensitive for me. Clear has but, not base.

DaveK

 

[rex]

I don't think it's you.With that setup it'd be real hard to do it,although I have run lacquer and was told you can't.I'm betting it's bad paint,but go through HOK's tech sheets.I read something strange about reducers and want to say it was something about using too slow a reducer.What you're using now for temp range is perfect in PPG.If for some reason something is causing the top to flash off I could see slow solvents being trapped and causing more of a mess than using too fast a reducer but that seems like a real longshot.Man,that gun should be pulverizing the paint so a coat goes on nice and thin.Let someone else spray some of it like the guy at the store ,good chance they'll replace it but they're not much on covering your labor.

 

[rex]

Found it.This was under solid color basecoat but it should be the same for all their base:

NOTE: Splitting or cracking is possible when using other companies' reducers or by using a reducer that is too slow for your shop conditions. Splitting or cracking may also occur when painting too fast without allowing proper dry time or by pumping on the base too wet and heavy.

I don't know the reason behind this because the reducer's main purpose is to control drying (there's more but).The reducer is supposed to work it's way out so the paint dries from the bottom up,where too fast a reducer will flash off on top and trap solvents.For some reason their paint does it with slow reducer.Someone explain it please because I have no idea why.I could understand if there was way too much airflow capping off the top but according to their note it's a common problem.