Thread: AAAARRRGGHHH AA paint help

man i'm about ready to smash this helmet, .........lol.......... i think..
i scuffed the black helmet with wet and dry 400. the paint was extrememy thin and sanded back in a lot of places to the yellow brown that is under the paint. cleaned with wet cloth, then prepwash wax and grease remover. dried, then started with a very light coat of AA sealer dark. flashed off, then another very light coat, flashed off and one more coat and flashed off. this covered the light colored areas. then i gave it 2 light coats all over of AA transparent base to seal it, flashing off inbetween. i then got my masking tape, laid a strip over the helmet, got a crease in the tape and lifted it to adjust, and voila, the paint lifted. i went through the whole process again and then i stuck the tape to my shirt a few times to give it less tack, and laid it on the helmet in a different spot, then lifted carefully to check, and again, the paint lifted in a few spots. this is driving me nuts, i've followed everything to a t, and still no luck. anyone had this problem?, all advice gratefully received
DAve

thnx patoche, i knew someone would know the answer... what is acrylic fixative, can i get it at automotivr stores? thnx for the help mate

Is the helmet fiberglass, ABS, or...? Some materials are much more difficult to spray on than others.

Also keep in mind that just because a paint "flashes" doesn't mean it is thoroughly dry, it just means that the outer surface of that paint layer has dried. Giving the layers actual time to thoroughly dry should help too.
I would add one or two steps in your preperations though. Do a wipe down with alcohol after the degreaser, this helps remove any remnants of the degreaser, and catch any film or residue it may have missed.
Make sure you are leaving enough tooth on the helmet for the paint to bond to.
And try the fixatif or an adhesion promoter to help the initial layers stick once the other steps are done thoroughly.
Follow the instructions on the paint, and don't start substituting materials or steps. Sealers are generally meant to seal the artwork, not to act as basecoats or primers.

thnx for all the help guys. gonna start from scratch today. fontgeek, it's made of abs, will get some adhesion promoter today and make sure i get the whole process right. will let you know how i go
cheers DAve

Hey Rowie where ya been!! good to hear from you mate. i'm sitting here looking at my airbrush gear and it is P**SING down rain. can't paint, and it'll be like this all week dammit. got 4 things to paint, 2 t's a helmet and a sign panel! and all i can do is sit here and program music... what a drag

well i gave up... literally. I had 4 goes at painting the helmet with AA. and had to sand back in between each time. I tried priming with plastic adhesion primer - the paint lifted with the tape. I sanded - i tried the adhesion primer again, this time i gave super light coats of AA black(not sealer dark) and dried for ages in between with a blower. it lifted with the tape. that was go number 4. I almost gave up, then i went out the shed and got a can of black paint, and gave it a couple of coats. problem fixed!! will have the helmet done tomorrow(i hope), will post pics.