solid glossy color driving me nuts

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watermelonman

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I finally got my latest sanded and primed to the point where I was happy with that layer.

For the base layer of paint I am using glossy black Rustoleum Ultra Color 2x, and it seems great. Except, I cannot seem to get it smooth and shiny all over. I think the big question is if I am laying down too thin or too thick a layer. However once I get it shiny and nice in the middle of where I am spraying, the other parts of the tube around the outer part of the circle get only enough paint to leave dots that dry to specks. That, and if I am not careful I get enough in the middle to get some small lumps and runs. So it seems that I am simultaneously laying down both too much and not enough!

What is wrong with my technique or equipment here? I thought I might need to get the paint warmer, but it is not that cold in California now. Do I simply need to spray less each pass and let it dry, will it eventually go smooth? It looks like if I keep doing that I will end up with specks and dotting all over. Maybe I am supposed to use some kind of buffing or coating afterwards, but the guides I have found seem to indicate that should not be necessary.
 
Make sure you have 4-5 coats laid down. Next apply 5-6 _coats of clear. Starting off lite and progressively heavier. After all the voats have dried wry sand the finishvand rub it out. You will eliminate any imperfections
 
blood in the water, melon man. Buckle up for the most advice of your lifetime. Me? I fly in the desert where glossy anything has a lifespan 5.4 nanoseconds. Paint=the other woman your Mother warned you about......
 
I know the can says to shake for a minute but it needs more than that. I'll shake a can 3-5 minutes before use. I use the Rustoleum 2x paints too and noticed that if not adequately shaken there can be problems.

Make sure the can temperature is at least 65* or better but not too hot, this helps the paint to blend better, too. You have to take extra care because Rustoleum has the highest solids to volatiles ratio there is.
 
I finally got my latest sanded and primed to the point where I was happy with that layer.

For the base layer of paint I am using glossy black Rustoleum Ultra Color 2x, and it seems great. Except, I cannot seem to get it smooth and shiny all over. I think the big question is if I am laying down too thin or too thick a layer. However once I get it shiny and nice in the middle of where I am spraying, the other parts of the tube around the outer part of the circle get only enough paint to leave dots that dry to specks. That, and if I am not careful I get enough in the middle to get some small lumps and runs. So it seems that I am simultaneously laying down both too much and not enough!

What is wrong with my technique or equipment here? I thought I might need to get the paint warmer, but it is not that cold in California now. Do I simply need to spray less each pass and let it dry, will it eventually go smooth? It looks like if I keep doing that I will end up with specks and dotting all over. Maybe I am supposed to use some kind of buffing or coating afterwards, but the guides I have found seem to indicate that should not be necessary.

dave:
the finish in not in the can, airbrush or spraygun. it's in the technique and more importantly the after painting finish work.
 
dave:
the finish in not in the can, airbrush or spraygun. it's in the technique and more importantly the after painting finish work.



....you didn't just troll me, did you? Really? No advice, just a little grindage, huh? Have a bad day? Take it out on someone else.... :/
 
blood in the water, melon man. Buckle up for the most advice of your lifetime. Me? I fly in the desert where glossy anything has a lifespan 5.4 nanoseconds. Paint=the other woman your Mother warned you about......

Hah, nice quote! I can see that.
 
You can warm the can in warm, NOT HOT, water to thin the paint a little and get a smoother finish. If there is any sputtering or globs, change the nozzle for a clean one.

If you feel like you are getting too much paint in one spot and not enough in other spots, then maybe you need to move the can faster. I like to have the rocket oriented horizontally, with a dowel inserted into the motor mount. Then press the nozzle and move the can very quickly left and right, from nose cone to fins, back and forth. It might feel like you are whipping the can back and forth too fast, but that is probably the right speed. That way you can lay down really thin coats and gradually build them up until you get a liquid layer that will self level. Give it a shot and report back. The beauty of paint is that you can always repaint!
 
...and the beauty of rocketry is that you will pretty much always have to repaint.

I like to paint my fins black so I can just touch up the nicks and dings with a black magic marker.
 
You can warm the can in warm, NOT HOT, water to thin the paint a little and get a smoother finish. If there is any sputtering or globs, change the nozzle for a clean one.

If you feel like you are getting too much paint in one spot and not enough in other spots, then maybe you need to move the can faster. I like to have the rocket oriented horizontally, with a dowel inserted into the motor mount. Then press the nozzle and move the can very quickly left and right, from nose cone to fins, back and forth. It might feel like you are whipping the can back and forth too fast, but that is probably the right speed. That way you can lay down really thin coats and gradually build them up until you get a liquid layer that will self level. Give it a shot and report back. The beauty of paint is that you can always repaint!

Good advice here...

You really can't hardly move the can "too fast"... but you can SERIOUSLY move it WAY too slow!

That's one of the biggest problems I've seen folks make when painting...

The flecks and bumps of paint are "dry spray"... it comes from two things-- poor atomization (which warming the can will help-- it lowers the viscosity of the paint and increases the propellant pressure in the can at the same time, improving atomization at the nozzle-- the higher the pressure, the smaller the paint droplets). Also, don't forget about the importance of the paint being well shaken and mixed. You want to lay down a coat heavy enough so that the paint will "flow out" smoothly and evenly (all the droplets flow together to make a smooth, even coat) while NOT getting the coat so heavy that you get drips, runs, and sags... It's a fine balancing act sometimes that comes only with experience, so practice, practice, practice...

Due to the shape of rockets, with the fins sticking out and having to be painted from several angles to get complete coverage, completely eliminating dry spray or "orange peel" in the final coat is usually pretty difficult if not impossible... good technique can minimize it though... try spraying from one fin tip, down the fin, across the tube between the fin, and out the next adjoining fin to its tip in one smooth arc, doing each adjoining pair of fins in the same way all the way around the tube until they're all done. Then paint the tube from the fin area to the nosecone tip, NOT spraying the fin area... that should help minimize the dry spray problem.

Once the rocket is painted and dry, you can always go back and polish out any dry spray or orange peel you don't like. It's all part of the process... how far you take it is up to you...

As someone else has said, though-- painting is more about the technique and skill of who's doing it, rather than the materials... IOW, using "the best" materials in the world won't make up for poor technique or skills, and a skilled painter can achieve good/excellent results even with "substandard" or "poor" materials... great paint just makes a good painter have even better results... it doesn't make up for lack of skill or bad techniques...

Later! OL JR :)
 
You can warm the can in warm, NOT HOT, water to thin the paint a little and get a smoother finish. If there is any sputtering or globs, change the nozzle for a clean one.

If you feel like you are getting too much paint in one spot and not enough in other spots, then maybe you need to move the can faster. I like to have the rocket oriented horizontally, with a dowel inserted into the motor mount. Then press the nozzle and move the can very quickly left and right, from nose cone to fins, back and forth. It might feel like you are whipping the can back and forth too fast, but that is probably the right speed. That way you can lay down really thin coats and gradually build them up until you get a liquid layer that will self level. Give it a shot and report back. The beauty of paint is that you can always repaint!

In the end, you develop an eye for what you want. I start my color by building up quick mist coats, waiting a minute or so in between, until the model is completely covered but rough. After waiting five minutes or so, I start my final finish. In contrast to Thirsty, I slow down for my final coats, watching the mist dissolve into the finish. I have just developed an eye for what I am looking for and can lay down a fairly thick coat in a single pass and avoid runs. It ends up being just heavy enough to incorporate the dry spray so that there is little or none to deal with after the paint has cured.

Just keep painting and trying different things. Some will work for you and some won't. The best advice that I can offer is to watch you paint as you spray and correlate what you see to the results that you get. Try varying the distance and speed and learn how this affects the finish. I use the initial mist coats to help calibrate my eyes and elbow for the final finish every time since different lots and conditions require some adjustments nearly every time anyway.

Happy painting!
 
If you want very high gloss, you will have to sand the thing down with 1000/2000 grit sandpapers and then polish it on a buffing wheel. Whether you use a spray gun or spray can, you will have orange peels, because even if you laid a very smooth coat that flowed out well, the lacquer will still sort of orange peel as it shrinks during drying. Also the paint, be it lacquer or enamel takes about 2-4 weeks to completely cure so if you want to polish, you need to wait at least that long. Polishing is nothing trivial, lots of sanding and when putting something like a rocket on a buffing wheel, the fin that sticks out could have finish burn offs if you aren't careful. It could also be very tedious for large rockets and impossible for smaller rockets. Paint formulation also matters. Some spray cans have the wrong kind of solvent and therefore it doesn't flow out as well as it should be. Don't use a nearly empty can for sure! If the paint has retarder in it it would make things a bit easier, but since you are using cans you have too little control over it (you can't add retarder to spray paints). One thing you might try is spray some blush eraser over the dried paint to redissolve and reflow it.

https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_a...nd_Solvents/Blush_Eraser_13_oz_spray_can.html

Be VERY careful you can ruin the finish in a flash...

2K automotive clear is a bit better for maintaining gloss as it cures since it doesn't shrink, and with good technique you can get decent gloss without needing to polish. If you don't have a spray gun or don't want to bother cleaning a spray gun you could think about using a Preval spray unit... spray and toss when done. Do wear a good respirator though, isocyanate is very bad for you!!! One benefit of 2k is the finish is very tough so it could survive a few launches while still looking good.
 
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