*($^&#&*(^$@*(&# Clear Coat!!!!&

[Skull-1]

Okay I am about to punt this thing into the trash.

After much work I clear coated my latest Valk.

Enamel base paint. Enamel Clear Coat.

For some strage reason the chest plate completely wrinkled. Everything else is fine but the chest plate is ruined and will have to be redone.

WTF happened???????????????

I did the entire thing the same way..... How does this happen on only one part? I guess I should be glad it wasn't the entire thing.

[big F]

I know that when using an Air brush sometimes you can get bits of lube or cleaner sudenly come out and balls up your paint job. My old compressor was good at putting crap through the paint. Alternatively If you used Rattle cans as I know you do it could just be a dud can. Ive had ones in the past that were fine and then sudenly the paint turns all crappy.

[MechTech]

Sorry man. Major bummer! If using cans, keep to the same brand/line if possible. I'm learning the hard way to test on scrap first. I had that happen to me too! Beautiful wooden instrument with crinkles in it!!! It will also happen in humidity or if the paint is not fully cured underneath (though I doubt the latter is your case). Don't give up! - MT

[Jasonc]

Here are your possible scenarios...

1) For spray cans, a bad mix of the pigment to the adhesive and transfer (happened to me before). Just buy another can

2) The surface of the color didn't have time to dry, and when it finally did, the evaporation of the solvents caused the clear coat to crack. For that, allow more time to dry, or if you did, see #1

3) Quick drying of the clearcoat. If it dries too fast, there's a possibility that it could crack due to the top of the coat drying faster than the bottom of the coat. Room temerature and not a lot of moisture, away from heaters, fans, and exposure to the sun will prevent this.

4) painted part that was clearcoated was touched too much by oily hands/dirt. I use latex, powder free gloves to handle all my parts after I initially wash them, that's the best defense for that.

5) Mixed paint types... Although you said that they were both enamel. Try using Acrylics if you can for your color paint, and enamels for the clearcoats. you get a better coat using light sprays of the acrylic, and it works well with enamel clear coat.

Hope that may help in your search for your problem.

[Skull-1]

Thanks all for your input.

For JasonC I have this question: I was told that you cannot put enamel over acrylic. Is that incorrect?

[Berttt]

Man that sucks the bag. I once had a Hase CF Battroid where the exact thing happened only on several parts using Testors rattle can Dull Cote I was so pised off man, but all I could do was bin that kit and start another one I had sitting waiting. That ruined jit has suppleied a few parts for other projects so it wasn't a complete waste.

I stick to all acrylic paints now for all my paint needs (no chance of conflict that way).

[David Hingtgen]

There's so many types/variations of enamel, acrylic, and lacquer, it's almost impossible to know what it "really" is and what it can/can't be layered with. There's acrylic enamels, lacquer acrylics, and most any other combination you can think of, due to the fact that the paint itself (binder+pigment) can be pretty independent of the solvent.

Thus, acrylic enamel---acrylic binder in an enamel solvent. And acrylic lacquers, and lacquer enamels, etc.