What's wrong?

chibi fett

Active Hunter
Hi!
Along everything else, I am building a tri-d chessboars from Star Trek, and as I was working on the boards, after taping the clear squares I hit it with white primer. I did that on a rainy day, under a cover, but the wind drove some drops of water on the white squares. I wet sanded the drops out using 400 grit paper, and let it dry before hitting it with another coat of white.
But, now the white paint has fragmented! Previously it was smooth, only the drops of water made bubbles. Now, after sanding, the finish looks like this! The same thing happened with mat finish I put on my Dejaric table, ruining the paintwork..
Can anyone tell me, what may have caused this, and what should be done to prevent this from happening again. I was using cheap spray paints that I have used for ages. This has never happened before. Temperatures were above freezing, and the board and the paint were warm. The board is clear acrylic.
I am hesitant to finish my protonpack, let alone start work on my Boba lid before this is resolved. After hard work, this sucks..
Thanks, Ville

IMG_3176.jpg
 
Looks to me like the moisture from the water has seeped in under the paint or something.

I'd say your best bet is to not paint on rainy days, or at least paint it and put a box or something over it, or just bring it inside to dry.

I've never had a problem with temperatures as long as it's been abouve freezing and the paint is kept indoors in between layers. The I've used is to be kept at a minimum of 15 degrees celsius, that would be 59 F.

Just my 2 cents. :)
 
I though so too, but I did paint it under a roof, and then brought it inside to dry. The temperature was, if I recall 8 deg celsius. Well, these boards are ruined, I might as well test the paint. I was wondering, can this a result of spraying the paint too close? It was a bit windy, and I had trouble getting any paint on, so I did bring the paint can closer..
 
I'm not sure. But the only side effect I've had with bringing the can too close is that I get droplets of paint, and runs.

Best thing is to try out the paint in different conditions and find out what works best.

Can't you just sand the pieces and paint them again? :)
 
I've done that three times , and the surface is a bit rough now. And the masking tapes are wearing out. If the boards were not clear, I could sand them for eternity.. I'm going to buy another set of boards, and then do the work from the beginning. I thought that I'd use vinyl stickers if the paint does not work, but I'll have to see.. I am a bit baffled on this, I ruined hours of work in an instant. That I can live with, but what about those projects that I've worked for months, or years..?
 
And, the odd thing is, the paint fragmented ONLY on the acrylic part, NOT on the masking tape! On the masking tape, it is smooth as it should be. The paint hit the both surfaces on same conditions. Should it not fragment on top of the tape as well? After several coats?
 
that usually happens when you put one layer of paint down after too long or too short a time.

if you look at the can, it usually says something like "recoat within 1 hour or after 24". those times are related to the curing of the paint. if you repaint something outside of spec, the solvents in the new paint can mess up the not-quite-read older paint.
 
yep. Paint is a funny thing. I've had it happen to me too many times.... be sure that you are checking and following the label.

I've also had issues (usually with silver) where I can't explain why it does this. I "think" I follow everything correctly, but it still happens. Sometimes I think it's the amount of solvent/thinner is the spray. Be sure to really give the paint a good shake/stir to ensure it's got a good mix.

I also always try to say a little prayer when I paint....
 
Hmm. That could be the case. I did repaint it after it was touch dry. Most likely after half an hour.. Oh, and I propably left some particles of not-fully-cured paint on the surface when I repainted it. That could be the case. Still, I wonder if this is the case on the paint on the masking tape? It has remained smooth even with several coats painted in short timeframe.

Thanks, STG, cr4onky and D_N.. I really need to read the specs on the paints. Funny, I've been painting figures and stuff for 20+ years, and this is the first time I stumble on something like this... I guess old dogs can learn new tricks..

I'll go shoot the acrylics with a paint, and see tomorrow how it reacts.

-Ville
 
Oh yeah, I can relate to that now..

I just did a quick spray on the clear side of the acrylic. I checked the label on the can. It said; 'repaint after 15 minutes, of after seven days'... I guess the problem is there.. And, I also noticed, that the white was NOT base coat, but just ordinary, matte white paint... And I used it like base coat, which instructs to repaint IMMEDIATELY after the paint is touch dry... Shees, I feel like an idiot!! No, wait, and idiot who wasted 20$ and hours of work... Just because I did not check the label.. Well, I guess that happens for the best of us, let alone me.. Thanks guys, I'll get the acrylic tomorrow and do it properly the next time..
-Ville
 
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