Joe Flanagan Posted September 10, 2009 Report Posted September 10, 2009 Today I shot color on my rear fenders and trunk lid. It came out very nicely except for some very tiny bubbles in a few places on the fenders. I sanded them out, cleaned them with wax and grease remover, and then resprayed. The bubbles reappeared immediately. Since they're in the same place, I have to think the surfaces is contaminated. Maybe I just need to be more aggressive cleaning it. Oh, and I had my freshly painted trunk lid sitting on a sawhorse and my dog went tearing after something, barking her damn head off and the next thing I hear is a CRASH. She knocked the trunk lid off the sawhorse and it landed on the pavement. I had a small dent to fix and have to recoat the whole thing. Tomorrow morning, if I can lose these little bubbles, I'll be spraying clear. Then on to the front fenders and hood. Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Posted September 11, 2009 Arthur, I took some pictures before I started. Once the paint started flying I was a bit preoccupied. Here is the car in primer surfacer. I didn't shoot the front fenders and hood with color. I decided to try the rear fenders and trunk lid because if something goes wrong (which it did), it's much easier to deal with. Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted September 11, 2009 Report Posted September 11, 2009 Good luck on the paint and the bubble thing. You've certainly made a lot of progress on that car. Quote
randroid Posted September 11, 2009 Report Posted September 11, 2009 Joe, Looking ready! Since the bubbles are centrally located you shouldn't have trouble eradicating them quickly. -Randy Quote
dezeldoc Posted September 11, 2009 Report Posted September 11, 2009 To much wax and greese remover will do the same thing, try sanding it back down and wipe it with warm water on a clean rag and re tack cloth it and respray it. make sure their is no moisture in your air system. Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Posted September 11, 2009 Doc, I know that too much wax and grease remover can cause this. I might not have wiped all of it off in some places. I'll follow your suggestion. Would it help to wash the area with a little dishwashing soap, rinse, and then tack and shoot? As far as water in my lines goes, I have a jerry-rigged system that seems to work. I don't have any normal piped-in lines like a regular shop. I'm using all rubber hose. I coil the hose up in a 5-gallon bucket of cold water, run the hose out the bottom and into a trap. From the trap it goes to my gun, which has a bulb filter just before it. I've had no problems with water in the line so far and when I'm done, the trap has a considerable amount of water in it. BUT: Yesterday, I pulled a dummy and hooked my line directly to the compressor and started spraying. I completely bypassed the cold water bucket. Once I discovered the bubbles, I started looking around and discovered what I'd done and corrected it. You would think that once I sanded the bubbles out, cleaned the areas and reshot them, the problem would be solved, but that's not the case. Some kind of contamination is my guess, now. Raining cats and dogs here today so I don't think I'll be doing any work. I'm supposed to get clear on over the color by noon today or I have to scuff the basecoat and lay on another coat of color. You have 24 hours to get the clear on this particular paint (PPG base coat). Thanks for the suggestion, Doc. Quote
Fireball Posted September 11, 2009 Report Posted September 11, 2009 Joe I feel your pain with bubbles, struggled once with same issue. Nothing else eventually helped but to go deep, light bondo and new coat of sealer. Nothing else worked, I still wonder what caused it, but all the way to metal it went and bondo kept it finally. That PPG rule is good to keep in mind, the clear will not melt the base correctly after 24h, that's why the new coat is needed. At least they told me so. I've heard horror stories the clear flaking out when there has been too much time in between the rounds. Quote
Jim Yergin Posted September 11, 2009 Report Posted September 11, 2009 Raining cats and dogs here today so I don't think I'll be doing any work. I'm supposed to get clear on over the color by noon today or I have to scuff the basecoat and lay on another coat of color. You have 24 hours to get the clear on this particular paint (PPG base coat). Joe, I wondered why we were now having this rainy weather after enjoying the past extended streak of gorgeous sunny and dry days. Now I know why, you needed to paint. Hope it doesn't put too much of a crimp on your painting. Jim Yergin Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Posted September 11, 2009 Fireball, I'm thinking that might be the way to go. Fill the bubbles with polyester putty, hit it with primer, then color. I don't want to have to keep chasing these things. And yes, after 24 hours with the PPG base coat, you need to scuff and lay another coat on before your clear. I've heard those horror stories too. Right now, the base looks so good I'm reluctant to clear it. Jim, Actually looks like it's starting to clear up here now. I might get back out there and see what I can do. The weekend is supposed to be good. Quote
Fireball Posted September 11, 2009 Report Posted September 11, 2009 It only needs a slight wipe of that bondo, not that thick. A painter by profession gave that trick and it worked for me. At first glance i thought it was water, kinda fisheye, but it must have been some stubborn grease or silicone that build itself through the base Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Posted September 11, 2009 Well, I just discovered that it was pinholes in the body filler. I never saw them when I sprayed the color. I sanded down an area and discovered pinholes in the surface, so I filled them with polyester putty, let it dry, then sanded it down. I then shot high build primer over that and it turns out I missed a few pinholes. They started bubbling up like little volcanoes right through the paint. I filled all the others with putty and they are fixed. It was air trapped in the tiny pits and coming out through the wet paint. Quote
falconvan Posted September 11, 2009 Report Posted September 11, 2009 Looks like a good start, Joe. What color are you going with? Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted September 11, 2009 Author Report Posted September 11, 2009 It's a seafoam green. Or mint green, whichever you want to call it. I was trying for that look some kitchen appliances had in the 40s and 50s. The car was green originally, kind of a darkish mint green. Quote
Frank Elder Posted September 11, 2009 Report Posted September 11, 2009 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=357694&highlight=seafoam=green Seems there is a consensus...love it or hate it, not much hate...sorry Fireball, didn't want to type all that out twice, I'm sure there is a shortcut. Just not that savvy kemo sabe! Quote
Fireball Posted September 12, 2009 Report Posted September 12, 2009 Makes me smile that Joe and I chose the same colour at the same time wihout it popping out in discussions earlier. So it has to be great! Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted September 12, 2009 Author Report Posted September 12, 2009 Everyone will be doing it before you know it. Look for GM to to come out with whole new line in seafoam green. Quote
1949P17BC Posted September 12, 2009 Report Posted September 12, 2009 Joe, here a few steps that were recommended to me by the guys who painted my car. The cleaner the surface the better the adhesion. After sanding I would blow it off and then wipe it down with a clean disposable wiper, then I would wipe it with thinner another clean disposable wiper, and then this is a biggy I woud power wash the piece to paint, Blow it dry, tack it and paint. I know its a lot of work, but since I was spraying it in my garage like you are, it was a way I could insure it was clean. Follwing this steps, I have had no problems. Hope to see you in Westminster, Mark Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted September 12, 2009 Author Report Posted September 12, 2009 If you mean Westminster 2015 then, yes, maybe I'll see you there. Quote
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