What Happened?

Hi Michael,

What you're describing sounds like an effect known as "blooming". However, blooming most often occurs under cold/humid conditions. It's often caused by condensation on the surface as a result of the cooling effect of the paint's propellant evaporating away. Was the "frosting" effect more prominent on areas where the paint had been laid down more heavily?

I don't thnk so, since I tried my best to watch my speed, distance to get the most even coverage possible, but it may have.  I've heard about the effects of humidity on gloss paints, that's why I mentioned the humidity factor.  It has been unusually dry here in NE Texas lately.  I was thinking of doing a light wet-sand or polishing it out, if possible, then perhaps another wet coat.  I've only done a few gloss coat projects before with decent results.  That's why I'm not sure how to proceed.  Mainly I do flat finishes on armor and aircraft.  Regards,  Michael B. 

Two things that can cause the effect you mentioned are variations in the distance of the can from the model or the speed of movement.  Sometimes if you inadvertently vary the distance, the closer areas get a nice gloss but the parts that were further away get a pebble-like orange peel.  Or, if it is the speed of movement of the can, the paint in the slower moving area gets a good gloss while the paint in the area that was moving faster gets the orange peel.

Hi Michael,

To be clear, the "blooming" effect I described above generally describes a situation where condensation causes a milky haze-like effect on the painted surface. This is what I assumed when you said a "frosted" appearance. In a low-humidity environment like you describe, I'm not sure what else could cause a similar effect.