Thread: Please help!!

I did an engine cover for someone, and cleared yesterday and today. I used 5star clear, which is a good clear, but I've never had this problem. You can't really tell from the pictures but I have thousands of very tiny little air bubbles in the clear all over the cover. It seems to only do it about after an hour or two after put the wet coat of clear on. I'm wondering if I put the first coat on to thick first? I didn't do a tack coat, but only a light coat. I sprayed two light coats with 15 mins. apart and waited about another 15 mins. then the wet coat, just like the instructions say to do. But now I'll have got all these tiny bubbles in there. It did the same thing yesterday too. But only today, I wet sanded the whole 24 hrs. later trying to get all the bubbles out. Some of them were still there, but now I have more! I'm waiting for them to surface, if they do. I sprayed it my garage, and it's been about 96* with 75% humidity. Would that effect it too? I'm hoping the bubbles will go away, but I don't think so. Can anyone please help? Sorry for the long post.
Terry

Yes Don. I'm using Auto Air paints, and I did let them sit for awhile. At least a week between colors. I think aixguy maybe right, but the hardener that I'm using is a fast dry 4:1, and I spray with 30-35 PSI cause its thicker than normal than normal. What do you mean solvent between coats? Is it cause of when I cleaned it after the first clear and still may have had some solvent in the gun? It started to fisheye on me in some areas today, so I kept putting the clear on it until they were gone, (kind of thick) but it didn't do that on yesterdays clear. So I think you right on the solvent for the fisheyes today. It might be because I've put to much clear on it. Should I let it sit for a few daysand see what happens? I'm just trying to avoid re-clearing again. I hate clear coat! Question: after 24hrs., do I still have to scuff it all up again, or can I just clear over the cover as it sits? I just don't want it to wrinkle on me, plus the bubbles. Then I'd really be upset.

Thanks guys. I think you right about the humidity. They are tiny little pin bubbles, and they finally after three days sitting in my art room @ 78* surfaced. It took a few days, but they did. All of the other stuff I've done didn't do this, that I know of anyway. It's still very humid here in vegas, so I called the customer and told him what had happened. He is ok with it, and is no hurry. But I still have to get it done some how some way. So now what? Wet sand them out and try again? I'd have to wait until it gets dryer here, and who knows when. I could also wet sand them out and buff it, but I don't have to proper tools for that just yet. I could clear inside the house, but I don't think my wife would go for that one. Plus the seals on my clear gun got worn out and are starting to leak. This hasn't been a good week for me.

Thanks, I'll try it. I usually do set some stuff in the sun. It just depends on what I painted. When I clean my gun, is there something I should use after? I mean so the thinner doesn't dry up inside and come out on the next clear job? Last night, I took the gun apart and found a few cracks in the tip of the nozzel, so I think thats why it was leaking. I sometimes turn the setting screw to hard, and cracked the nozzel. I guess thats what I get for using cheap guns. Anyway, I used rubbing alcohol inside and out to clean everything real good and got a new nozzel. The weather today here in Vegas was 121* plus 65% humidity, at least thats what my gauge said and thats in the shade. No matter what the weather channel says, it freaken hot!!!! By the end of the week, its suppost to get much dryer, so I'll wait until the weekend to re-do it.

Hi i'm new here but i do autobody work for about 20 years now. I read everything and i think BigD is right. temperature will be the first thing you have to control. To much humidity can cause everything BigD said but i think we forget something....are you the kind of people who use WD-40 in your paintshop or paint area??? Because one of the most worst enemy of clear is WD-40 because of the silicone in it.....there is so volatile that it can stay in the air for some day. and that cause fisheye on your surface. mabe i'm wrong but i just want to tell you that it can be a cause. there is a stuff for this....ANTI FISHEYE DROP... you put just a little bit of it in your clear mix (like .5 oz for a cup of 1 lt.) and it will do the job. i use Lesonal but many company do this stuff(U-TECH , Sherwin Williams). i hope it help a little

sorry for my english i'm from Quebec Canada so i speak french.

AL

Hello also new here also and am a mobile tech doing 80% paint work outside/non-controled enviroment with temp/humidity ranges from 35/20 to 95/95 sprayed once under a leaking canopy but thats another story. I agree with all particularily the silicone scenario, the cleanup guys use some blend of peanut oil and clean/shine silicone under the hood which gets on every exterior panel and both solvent as well as water based wax and grease remover wont get it all. Unfortunately its not visible until clear is applied and my experience using fisheye remover only compounded the problem. The good news is a good rub with medium cut compound on a micro fiber towel does the trick. I havent used 5star clear, basf/dupont/matrix/montana/transtar/limco/excel/prospray, but my experience is if a clear doesn't call for a reducer in the mix ratio and only activator it has the reducer in the clear so when spraying in hi temp/humidity i go with an EXTRA slow activator/hardener.
Also have a 1500W medium wave lamp for both base, water borne and solvent, and clear for extreme days
Apologies for the long rant but clear coating can be an art unto itself and i've done my share of redos which are of course free learning experiences of course

Humidity is not a friend of clear coat . The only time I attemp clear coat is if the humnidity is below 60%,, otherwise all sorts of problems can happen.

ARE THEY FISHEYES OR JUST TINY BUBBLES?IF THEY R BUBBLES SOUND LIKE YOU GOT SOME MOISTURE IN YOUR LINE.HUMITITY IS NO GOOD BUT IT USUALLY DOSENT CUASE THESE BUBBLES.TRY A VERY GOOD WATER TRAP AND BLEED THE WATER OUT OF YOUR TANK.A GOOD WATR TRAP AINT CHEAP BUT IT'LL PAY 4 ITS SELF.ALSO U CAN GET A SMALL TRAP TO SCREW INTO YOUR GUN.I LIKE TO SCREW ONE INTO A TRASH BULB PUT MY AIR FITTING ON THE WATER TRAP THEN SCREW THE WHOLE WORKS INTO MY GUN.I HAVE RAN INTO THIS 4 OR 5 TIMES AND IT WAS NEVER AIR HUMIDITY JUST WATER IN MY COMPRESSOIR.I ACTUALLY LIKE SPRAYING IN SEMI HIGH HUMIDITY AS IT SLOWS DRYING TIME, WITHOUT USEING SOME KIND OF RETARDER WHITCH DEADENS THE SHINE LIKE FISHEYE ELIMINATOR,LETTING THE CLEAR FLOW OUT BETTER RESULTING IN LESS ORANGE PEEL AND A SLICKER SHINE,JUST BE SUPER CARFUL NOT TO LET IT LOOSE AND RUN OF INTO THE FLOOR AS IT WILL RUN ALOT EASYER IN HUMID AIR,OF CORSE,BUT EVERYONE PAINTS DIFFERENT I JUST LIKE IT WET,THE PAINT THAT IS HA,HA P.S. R THE BUBBLES JUST ON YOUR AIR BRUSHING OR ALL OVER?IF JUST ON THE ART WORK MAYBE THE WATER BASED PAINT SWEATING OF EXCESE MOISTURE TRY WIPEING VERY VERY LIGHTLY WITH A PREP CLOTH,NOT A TACK CLOTH,WITH RUBBING ALCOHOL IT'LL HELP EVAPORATE THE MOISTURE,BUT BE REAL CARFUL IT MAY START TAKEING THE PAINT OFF SO DONT SOAK YOUR RAG TO WET WITH THE ALCOHOL

Well, I think I figured out what it was. I used some rattle can clear coat when doing the intercoat clears. Just ot let you know, I did wait about 3 or 4 days in between when doing it. After 24 hours, I did wet sand everything before adding color. I guess when I actually put the euro clear on, it trapped the mositure in and brought everything to the top. There where 1000's of tiny pin bubbles. I had to sand all of the out. Man, what a pain that was, and actually cut to deep in a few spots too. So I had to re-color some areas to cover up the bubbles. It worked for me when doing that, because when I used the PPG as the top coat, it came out great. So another lesson learned the hard way. Don't mix rattle can paint with ueros.
Terry