I'm at my wit's end with this paint...

white97ex tried to help out a bit, but it STILL didn't go right:

http://www.tigersdenhobbies.com/images/paint_problem.jpg

white97ex suggested it was because I waited too long between coats--with Tamiya and SOLID Dupli-color colours, I always did mist coats 15min apart, one or maybe two heavy coats 15min apart, and then one solid coat like an hour later. Always worked like a charm. But for some reason with these Dupli-color metallic paints, it fogs like in the pic between the heavy coats. I even tried doing 15min apart on every coat no matter what and it still didn't help.

I sanded it down a bit, and I'm going to try one other coat, now that it's dried overnight. Hope it works. Anyone else have a suggestion?

John, I don't see what you mean by fogging in the picture. If you are spraying a metallic color I think a few light coats is better since you should be clearcoating anyway. In my experience a heavy coat over top of a coat of metallics will cause the underlayer to reflow and cause the metallics to flow to the low spots and panel lines. Maybe a few better pictures if you could would be better. Hope this helps.

Mike.

John, I don't see what you mean by fogging in the picture. If you are spraying a metallic color I think a few light coats is better since you should be clearcoating anyway. In my experience a heavy coat over top of a coat of metallics will cause the underlayer to reflow and cause the metallics to flow to the low spots and panel lines. Maybe a few better pictures if you could would be better. Hope this helps.

Mike.

Already started sanding it, so I need to do another coat anyway. Pics won't help at this point. The pic is pretty accurate of what I see.

And duh, I just read the can, and sure enough it has "CC" after the name, which means it NEEDS clearcoat to look normal. But I don't know, I've laid Dupli-color metallics down before and didn't NEED clearcoat to see it sparkle...

Just laid the last coat. LESS fogging, but it's still there. Honestly I think you're right, and I'm an idiot and should've read the can, and it needs clear to make it look the way it's supposed to. It was gonna get clear anyway, but I wasn't expecting it to look like this. Anyway, we'll know tomorrow when I try to clear it.

EDIT: Or should I wait less time before I clear it? :(

EDIT: a sort-of on-topic question, as well. I tried spraying a model with an old can of Dupli-color gray primer a few days ago, and despite a full minute of shaking, it came out rather watery and separated. Does this happen to paint/primer with age, even in spraycans? Would certainly explain it, if so...

I think I add the same problem with some duplicolor paint, paint looks shiny at some spot and very flat everywhere else? I got this problem with some metallic colors, but after I put a 2 coats of clear, everything was perfect and very shiny.

Awesome, glad to hear that, it makes me feel quite a bit better! We'll see tomorrow!

Once you get the clear on it will be ok. Had the same thing happen to one of mine when I painted it in really humid weather.

the fogging is generally related to high humidity. It is a curse of living in Texas. Don't get down on yourself John. All of my metallics were some sort of dull. They will always need a clear coat, no matter what brand you are spraying. I usually have a model done from start to finish (body paint) in less than a couple of hours when using duplicolor. It flashes really fast. It is intended for automotive touch up work so it has a fast flash time. I would go ahead and clear first chance I got...But do give it plenty of time (2-3) days to gas out. It will accept fingerprints quite easily between completion and that amount of time. Hit it with a couple 2 or 3 coats of clear and report back. If it is FUBAR......then we'll have to find a new gameplan...Wish I had been able to help sooner!...add me to your e-mail r_d_butler@sbcglobal.net I check it quite frequently. Throughout the day on my phone actually. And I can send some quick messages from there!

the fogging is generally related to high humidity. It is a curse of living in Texas. Don't get down on yourself John. All of my metallics were some sort of dull. They will always need a clear coat, no matter what brand you are spraying. I usually have a model done from start to finish (body paint) in less than a couple of hours when using duplicolor. It flashes really fast. It is intended for automotive touch up work so it has a fast flash time. I would go ahead and clear first chance I got...But do give it plenty of time (2-3) days to gas out. It will accept fingerprints quite easily between completion and that amount of time. Hit it with a couple 2 or 3 coats of clear and report back. If it is FUBAR......then we'll have to find a new gameplan...Wish I had been able to help sooner!...add me to your e-mail r_d_butler@sbcglobal.net I check it quite frequently. Throughout the day on my phone actually. And I can send some quick messages from there!

Russ! Knew you wouldn't stay away :smokin:

But ya, typically it is due to high humidity, I completely agree--except that's the exact opposite condition of where I am right now! In both cases humidity was quite low.

I'll give it a few days to outgas then, instead of clearing tomorrow. We'll see what happens. Thanks for the email addy, I'll do so if I need help.

I tend to use only lacquers lately, either Duplicolor or HOK products. I use strictly Duplicolor primers.

I generally have better luck with Duplicolor paints than anything else. Against all advice, I'll color sand metallics only if they don't tend to "smear" the flakes. The ones with smaller flakes polish up the best.

Normally I'll sand between coats starting with 1500 or 2000 grit and go as far as 4000 grit, all wet of course. I have a heavy hand with the paint, I find that if I try to "mist" it on (except for the first coat to get in all the hard to reach places) it will come out uneven. Also try to avoid overspray on previously painted panels.

I toss all my paint jobs into the dehydrator, lacquers I'll give a few hours between coats. Then I look it over, sand out the fly droppings and go with the next coat.

What are you using for clear? I've used the Tamiya TS13 spray and liked it. I also use this one that is pure lacquer made by Bright Beauty, it dries harder and can be wet sanded and polished.

Bob

Thanks bob, but everyone was largely correct, the paint just naturally fogs until you put clear on it. Please check out my thread on the El Camino in the WIP section and you'll see it ;)