What am I doing wrong? I sealed then primed, allowed to dry for a couple days, then lightly sanded with 320 grit. Light top coats, dry, sand, clear.

I also have a couple others than did the same thing with the color coats. I'm using all rustoleum paint.......

I've tried sanding them down after a couple days of drying and when I recoat it happens again. Some of the plugs have come out great, but, I have a few that are busting me arse....

This is driving me crazy!!!!!!!! :wall:

Thanks for the help all.

What primer are you using?

How long between sealer and primer.. what did you seal it with?

rattle can paint has solvents basically thinners.

you lay a coat of paint its basically pigment and thinners.

follow me now.

You lay one thick coat thats a lot of thinners in there.. the pigments etc want to dry but theres sooo much solvents/thinners etc they're beating up the pigments that just want to dry..


3 coats.

1. just a dusting let that flash/dry (read the can it should tell you how long between coats etc)

2. 2nd coat now a bit more coverage. This coat interacts with the first coast which was just a light dusting because YES the paint has thinners/solvents in it etc... so it basically MELTS with the first coat, think of chocolate ice cream onto of vanilla you walk away for 2 hours what happens?

3. 3 coat should just be medium spray etc. again this is going to be a kick in the pants to the two coats under this one.

*** give it time to dry ***

Another thing to think about is that you may be contaminating between sandings. These are'nt cars up for a detroit auto show they dont need to be sanded between every coat, you may be introducing contaminents between coats, messing with those solvents/thinners and the pigments/paints etc.

If you're sanding between coats its because you're not getting a smooth finish. Back your can up to the recommended distance (its on the back of the can)

Your primer is not dry. It's that simple.
The coat was too heavy and was not dry under the top skin. When the paint coat wet on it loosened the top skin and the tacky primer caused your problem.
Follow the directions that Timber posted and you will be fine.
Don't ask me how I know this :realmad:

BTW: Rattle can paint is self leveling and cwery forgiving. Sand your prime with 150 to 180 grit paper. If the prime does not sand off in "dust" but drags a bit on the paper; it is not dry! If no dust there will be no paint. :)

Thank you very much for all the advice... I think I need to lay down lighter coats and give more time between coats.

Thanks again... :)

rockin' give the lighter coats a shot with ample drying time and post up pics of the results :lama:

Are you sure your wood is completely dry? Possibly moisture trying to excape:huh:

Big Tim

Are you sealing, priming, painting, and finishing in the basement? If so the humidity may be way too high to dry each layer of the process. If you are in the basement maybe a dehumidifier will be needed. Also a basement always hase a consistant temp being below the frost line. Are you heated to about 70 deg for all processes? Just trying to help you out. The moisture seems to be key.

lessee some more pics of that jeep

that is a pretty sweet looking rig... would love to see some more pics too :D

Big Tim,
I work in the next town over from you, so if you still have a problem with it, I can meet you somewhere after work & try to help you out.

Big T,
Rattle cans tend to not play nice with each other... It's tough to figure out. It might just be the two brands/combination. I've had countless plugs crack like this.... it comes down to trial and error. PM me if you want more info.

-Chris

What are you sealing the plug with? If you are using BLO and Spirits, besure you mix ratio is correct. If rich in BLO drying time increases and absorbtion is reduced.
If BLO/Spirits, how old is the mix? As this sealer gets older it begins to turn to sludge. The sludge will not dry for many days. I make a new mix at the start of each new plug building season.

Once again; If your sealer is right, you ae not allowing enough dry time between prime and paint coats.

RATTLE CANS---> been there done that:point: you need to let the sealer DRY, Primer DRY, then paint it, it all comes down to wanting to FINNISH your plug TO FAST:fishslap: take you time, I have never used (rustoleum paint)--->I use KRYLON an Waltmart brand paint will work together, use them all the time. ALSO you MUST SHAKE the HELL out of the cans, so they MIX properly. check this one out, went to fast an did not let DRY properly went TO FAST to complete:fishslap:
GOOD LUCK GOOD PLUGGIN:cheers2:

All the advice is good on but salty dog hit the nail on the head, I use rustoleum paint all the time . It's not a matter of moisture it's a matter of trying to rush it between coats, the paint has to dry from the inside out after every coat and it can take longer than you might think. I give my paints 1 day dry time between coats. Also what are you clear coating with? Are you sure it's compatable? After you sand
(220 max) the plug try wiping it down with paint thinner and let the plug dry for about 10 minutes then clear coat and you should be all set. I have 2 air brushes and basically use the rattlecans for 90% of my plugs so I know you're pain ... been there - done that.

Good luck

I use Rusto and wait a day between coats. For in between coats I like to use the nylon scuff pads, this seems to be more than enough. And two weeks is the minimum I wait after sealing.

Wow!!! Thanks for all the advice, its all great...:kewl:

The bottom line for me is that I have been RUSHING... I guess patience is not one of my greatest virtues. Ah well, like it says in my sig "we live and we learn"... I just need to slow down.
:thanks: