%$#*& it, I'm using flat black!!!!

[Black_peter]

I have always used Dupli-color and I have always had the best results I deserved.. That is if I put the effort into prep and such the results were good few surprises.
But I was sick and tired of trooping all over town to get supplies and the fact I can only seem to find Dupli-color clear in little cans, I went with a Rustoleum product.
I had shot the side panels, they were in good shape so they only got light sanding and two coats. The first shot of clear (after almost a week of drying) and one side panel crinkled. Now the other side panel took the clear fine. In fact it would be done except I hit a corner too hard and ended up with a pretty nasty run. Neither side panel got primer and they both had about the same color coat. I sanded down the crinkled panel, laid 3-4 heavy coats (in fact it looked OK and I was thinking about skipping the clear). And let it set up for 4 days.
Meanwhile, this year I put a lot of time into sanding and filling the tank, not perfect (as I found once the primer went on) but pretty good. After seeing the reaction to the side panel and knowing there were at least four layers of paint on the tank, I put 3 coats of primer, sanded then added 2 or 3 more. I laid on the color and that looked OK too. I sanded the tank and was pretty happy. Though various lights seemed to make the paint look thin, so I shot two more coats. It was looking good this morning so I shot it and the "fixed" side panel with clear. The tank looked fine, so I moved to the side panel.
After laying a coat on the side panel I look at the tank.... Yup it was crinkling in patches. Looked back at the side panel. Yup it was too.

At this point I'm either going without clear or saying F it and bedliner the whole mess....

WTF?? All the paint was the same brand, same "line" some parts were fine, others crinkled? This is serious crinkle too. Since the color is red they look like valve covers on a Ferrari.

[hardlydangerous]

Sounds like a reaction to the OE paint, or primer or temp issue.

Ive never had good luck with rust paints on plastics
Tremclad did make automotive paints years ago, still might and they were not to bad but Dupli-color has always given me the best results.
Krylon fusion paints are not to bad

[Black_peter]

Wait, temp? Like too cold?

[jbo197]

You may be putting the clear on too heavy, the solvents attack the paint because it is drying too slow because of thickness.

[rodp]

I used Dupli-color on mine and it cam out fine, primed with filler primer with flat black color coat. I sprayed at room temp, as I did it in a welding booth at work. I did have a crinkle in the primer on one panel but sanded it out and re primed with no problem. Maybe sand to plastic and try again?

[methodicreign]

definatly sounds like a temp issue to me. Also if it is warm enough, dont let it sit for 4 days before clearing unless you scuff up the surface again, it needs a ruff or slightly wet surface to "melt" into, if it is too hard and too smooth you can also get wrinkles. Hope that helped

[Black_peter]

definatly sounds like a temp issue to me. Also if it is warm enough, dont let it sit for 4 days before clearing unless you scuff up the surface again, it needs a ruff or slightly wet surface to "melt" into, if it is too hard and too smooth you can also get wrinkles. Hope that helped

I did 1000 over the color before clearing.
I guess I'll clean it up and try the clear when it gets warmer..
Thanks

[steves]

The color-rite instructions say to spray clear half an hour after the last color coat

[Black_peter]

The color-rite instructions say to spray clear half an hour after the last color coat

I can see that. The clear will eat into the color I have seen that.
Its possible that the clear shrunk the color where is was thin?
Now that I have sanded the tank I can see that is needs more color anyway.
Oh well, more color , more sanding, just means it's gonna look that much better.

[steves]

I think if you waited TOO long between the base coat, and the clear coat, the base started to cure and then the clear had nothing to adhere to... but you'd really wanna ask Teddy... he's the real paint expert.

[loudnlow7484]

If you wait more than an hour to spray the clear, you're supposed to wait at least a week. You don't want to catch it in between, when it's partially cured. I screwed up the paint the first time on the XJ like that. In the end, I just sprayed the clear about 15-20 minutes after I was done with the color, and that worked out really well...... until I dropped the tank on the ground, and had to paint it again. It worked out well the 2nd time as well.

[Black_peter]

Well I shot more clear (since it's about 70+ degrees.
Not only does it look better, it "melted" the crinkle.

Weird

[Kfreak]

Temp has much to do with paint. Just because it is lets say, 70 in the shop, that doesn't mean the part you are painting is 70. Next time you paint, get the part the same temp as the room. Let it sit over night if possible. Or paint only in the summer months.

[krunchkat99]

Also keep an eye on the humidity, I think most paints say less than 60% humidity.