my paint is bubleing

[dougyfresh]

ok ive been painting my farings and i have a tri coat setup so i got the primer on and it was looking good but went to then went to the first layer of white and not in all the spots but just mainly in the corners it is bubbleing out. not to sure why this is happening but any help would be great. i bought blue and white pearls. the bike will look awsome if i can figure it out. ive been out in the garage for 12 hours going nuts.

[WildSide]

My only answer I can think of is if there is some kind of oil or grease on there. I know that the natural oils on your hands can mess with a paint job.

[loudnlow7484]

Oil/grease/wax/moisture on the surface? Spraying any WD40 or something nearby? Setting the panel on a surface that could be greasy?

[dougyfresh]

i cleaned the whole garage before i started and plastic everything off and im wearing gloves. ive tried it multiple times but it just keeps coming back in same spots. and ive been working on these parts for a while been fiberglassing them the whole nine yards. so i dont really see how anything could have gotten on them. me and 3 of my friends cant come up with how its doing this. its just my luck

[loudnlow7484]

I dunno.

Here is my process..... yours may vary.....

Sand, clean with solvent, air dry, prime, sand, tack it off, paint

If you're doing all that and still getting bubbling, then I really don't know what to tell you. Maybe the paint and the primer don't like each other?

[WildSide]

You got me! I don't have any idea. The only thing i can say is that to go to the basics of painting, try to think of all the things that will cause paint to not stick. Did ya work with any silicone in that area? Did any of the fiber glass resin get on that area? I wonder how an extra coat of primer is that area would do?

[RedEye]

Are you using a primer/adhesion promoter intended for plastic (or fiberglass, or whatever you're painting?) Is it too cold or too humid?

If the paint is mainly bubbling in the corners, maybe there's some residue of grease or resin or something that's built up in those areas? Pics would help.

[WildSide]

I agree with the pics, that would help.


Sometimes i wonder about myself!?! LOL

[BigFish]

I've had this happen for a few reasons. The main one is that the paint is reacting with something below it.

The process to fix it is essentially, sand it down and start over with thinner coats. More details:

1) Sand down the affected, and surrounding areas so that everything is smooth. In theory you should sand it down to the plastic, but good sanding and thinner coats will remove that necessity.

2) Wash the area and surrounding area with a good wax and grease remover. Follow the on can directions.

3) Let's assume you sanded down to the plastic in some areas, primer in others and left some paint in others, but it's smooth. In this case you'll need to spray a light mist of plastic adhesion promoter (bullfrog, etc). Let it sit 30 seconds. Spray another light mist. Rest 30 seconds...do this cycle a total of 3 times.

4) Spray a very light mist over the adhesion promoter. The goal here is to create a thin, spotted layer of paint that is adhered, and will act as a barrier, which will prevent reaction with the lower layers. Thicker layers of paint also tend to react more with lower layers.

5) Spray a test object nearby and wait till the test object is dry to the touch. Once it's dry you can spray your plastic part 2-3 more times, lightly, letting it dry between coats each time. Once you've done that you can put on a wet coat.

You might need to sand with 1k or 2k grit paper between coats...this depends upon your paint. In general if the test object feels dry to the touch and has just dried though you won't need to sand it cause the paint is still partially wet.

[Hitman Customs]

What do you mean by bubbling? Is the paint underneath crinkling-lifting? If so, then likely you have not let the primer dry long enough or you have not covered the piece in primer/sealer entirely, which lends me to believe its thin by the corners and the basecoat is actually lifting the primer.

If its a fish-eye issue, the only reason is the piece has contaminants. Are you using gloves when handling part? Oils from you hands can transfer to the piece and you could be just chasing your tail. Once primer is on, always use gloves when handling part and keep it as clean as possible, but no chemical cleaners should be used on primers. Basecoats like clean surfaces.

[dougyfresh]

well still didnt get all the spots out of the white paint. it isnt perfect but im happy with it and got the blue on today and it went on with out any problems. tomarrow ill be clear coating it all then ill get the pics up. i gotta say it does look pretty sharp even without the clear on it.

[bigat06]

Alright. Looking for the pics soon.