Acrylic Clear Protector Causing Damage

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Big Gee

Hi.  I'm currently restoring a 1970s 'FAB1' from Thunderbirds.  As it's a metal product, I stripped the paint, undercoated with (real car) primer, then a few layers of enamel pink produced a lovely finish.  However, when I added an acrylic clear protection spary, the enamel pink, which was thoroughly dry (around four days) blistered badly, so I'm back to sanding again.

I wasn't expecting the acrylic protector to damage the enamel paint.  Can anyone recommend an alternative clear protection layer?

Photographs available (just can't work out how to attach).

Thank you.

 

Hi.  I'm currently restoring a 1970s 'FAB1' from Thunderbirds.  As it's a metal product, I stripped the paint, undercoated with (real car) primer, then a few layers of enamel pink produced a lovely finish.  However, when I added an acrylic clear protection spary, the enamel pink, which was thoroughly dry (around four days) blistered badly, so I'm back to sanding again.

I wasn't expecting the acrylic protector to damage the enamel paint.  Can anyone recommend an alternative clear protection layer?

Photographs available (just can't work out how to attach).

Thank you!

Photos! (Thanks BlackSheep!)  https://flic.kr/s/aHsktPkvqR

Photos!  https://flic.kr/s/aHsktPkvqR

Photos!  https://flic.kr/s/aHsktPkvqR

What type/brand of Acrylic clear coat did you use?

I would recommend using either Krylon acrylic enamel to mix your colour in, or Duplicolor automotive acrylic enamel to mix your colour base with as well as the clear coat to ensure no chemical interaction that would cause this to happen. If you use acrylic, or enamel, or an acrylic enamel derivative with a lacquer clear coat this will always happen as the two as chemically incomaptible. True lacquer is made from nitrocellulose (tree  gum spirits, and cellulose fiber) - not enamel, or acrylic or any variation thereof.

Regardless of the claims to the contrary lacquer was introduced by the plasti-kote corporation in 1923. They are the TRUE manufactuerers, and original creators of it. Despite what the name implies by todays' standards it wasn't a plastic coating, but rather a natural one that dries hard even though it was sprayed on as a liquid. With the advent of this newly found formulation they named themselves after what many described as a substrate that can be applied in a liquid form, and dry like regular leaded paint of the time, and can be wet-sanded  and buffed to a high gloss shine without a separate clear coat over itself, but rather act as one instead.

However since true enamel paint was quite a ways from this it wasn't compatible, nor was the acrylic paint coating then made by the DuPont corporation as "enamel lacquer" Which to this day no paint substrate of this kind exists. Lacquer is a HOT chemical formulation which requires a lot more time to gas out than enamel which is much softer, and therefore doesn't require as much time to cure. These two cannot be used together without the lacquer eating the enamel underneath. However you can use enamel over cured lacquer - just not the other way around as this causes blistering, wrinkling, or lifting of the paint. Just use the same paint company name for both the paint surface itself as well as the clear coat over it to avoid any incompatibilities.

~ Cobra Chris

Nathan T

What type/brand of Acrylic clear coat did you use?

 

Ditto that.

Also, 4 day cure of enamel for a subsequent dissimilar overspray probably ok, but not so much if the enamel was laid on heavily. (Just a thought)

And, how are you spraying? AB or spray can?

Wow, great info, thank you.  Will look into these products ...

Hi.  Humbrol Crystal Clear

http://www.humbrol.com/uk-en/crystal-clear-150ml-spray.html