Did you ever have one of those days...

...where you really regret not listening to that little voice in the back of your head?

Yesterday I finished building a Custom Rockets Redliner - thanks, Chad! Got it painted in the red/white factory scheme, put the decals on and thought it looked pretty darned good despite the color mismatch between the decals and the Walmart rattle can red.

This morning I pick it up and debate whether to hit it with a coat of clear to seal the decals. That little voice said there's no real need for clear at all, but the obsessive part of me said lets get it done now before it gets too hot in the garage. So out I go with rocket and Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2x Clear in hand. The clear goes down just fine on the red, same for the white on the fins - but when it hits the white on the body tube it causes it to crack and crinkle like you wouldn't believe! Looks like old paint peeling off of a derelict barn. Just a total mess. The only white on the body that isn't ruined is where the decals are.

What bugs me is that I used this exact clear on the exact same white (same cans) on my Big Bertha with nary a problem. The only differences are that the white was applied over primer on the BB but directly to the BT on his one, and that the BB had sat for several days before the clear was applied. However, since the white on the fins wasn't affected the only thing I can assume is that it's the lack of primer that made the difference.

So here I sit trying to decide what to do. I'm pretty sure my only option is to mask, sand and reapply the white to the body tube. Unfortunately that means the "Redliner" name decals go bye bye since I can't see a way to safely mask them that doesn't risk damage when the mask is removed. Tape risks peeling them up, but so does the liquid mask that I have. I may have no choice but to just grit my teeth and sand them off along with the ruined paint.

*sigh* :bang: :bang: :bang:

I kinda like old barns...

You know what, the heck with it! You can't even see it from more than a couple of feet away. I'll just chalk it up as a learning experience and do better the next time.

Maybe I'll go back to my airbrushes and leave the rattle cans be.

Tarasdad said:

You know what, the heck with it! You can't even see it from more than a couple of feet away. I'll just chalk it up as a learning experience and do better the next time.

Maybe I'll go back to my airbrushed and leave the rattle cans be.

Click to expand...

that is the spirit! I look at it this way: nobody will notice the paint when it's ripping off the pad! Chalk it up to experience and try something different next time.

Everytime I pull/push the trigger on a spray can, I cringe.
Specially on the finish coat.
I do get some upset when the paint job ruins the build.

What I hate is when a paint combination works great the first time, then turns into a nightmare the second time you use the same combination (from the same cans!)

Evil Ed

Perhaps should have waited a week or so to hit it with the clear. Hind sight is always 20/20.

Leave it alone. Whenever you fly use your best impression of Maxwell Smart and say...

"I meant to do that."


:grin:

Ya know there is an option--It's riskey--and dangerous-- RECLEAR the whole thing a couple of times--wet sand with 400 after a couple days--reclear again---result --a strange busted up paint under a glass smooth finish--You can say--" I meant to do that"--- believe it or not it has the potential for a kinda cool effect---done it been there ----H

I can sympathize. The same thing happened on my Leviathan. I let it sit a couple of days then very lightly wet sanded it, let it set for a couple more days, tacked it off and sprayed it again after making sure I shook the clear can extremely well before touching the button. Second clear coat went on just fine - all from the same can of clear. I get the feeling that if the clear isn't very well shaken that the thinners in the can don't get mixed right and can cause it to crinkle the finish. Wish I had a sink in my work area that I could run hot water into. It's an old trick I learned using Testors spray enamels. Let the can sit in hot water, shake thoroughly, then spray. It adds pressure to the can and also helps everything mix better - result is a near perfect finish.

Clear coats can be a absolute nightmare. So far the only combination that seems to work is Rustoleum Metallics and Enamel clear, but I only apply the clear within 10 minutes of the bed coat being applied or wait 24 hours.

There seems to be very little spray-bomb paint that works together. Sticking with a single manufacturer helps, but sometimes you gotta grit your teeth and get a scrap piece of wood to experiment on.


SO FAR......this is my short list of paints that like each other:

Rustoleum metallics (all colours) work together.

Rustoleum metallics and Enamel clear coats work together.

All Rustoleum epoxy appliance paints work together.

All Rustoleum Lacquer paints and clears work, but read the instructions on the side of the can for drying time and reapply times.

SO FAR.....this is the short list of paint that is a complete POS to work with:

Rustoleum metallics with a bed coat of Epoxy paint - Epoxy paint better be dry and cured for a week (2 is better) or it's wrinkle time.

Lacquers and Epoxy paint - VERBOTTEN!! NO GOOD! INSTANT OR WITHIN 3 MINUTE WRINKLE-TIME!!

Rustoleum metallics and Lacquer clear - 50/50 shot. Not worth trying unless you test on scraps first. If it works, it looks as glorious as rainbows that shoot out of the Motor Nozzle!. Otherwise it's wrinkles like a 3000 year old mummy.

Plastic paints underneath then the above paints over that: 70% success. Try on a scrap piece first.



That's it so far. We need a database.

As I said before--"It's riskey and dangerous"---

This has happened to me twice today. Lower payload bay, no problem. Nose cone, no problem. Upper payload bay??? Complete nightmare... Twice... I have been painting and wet sanding and painting and drying paint all damn day... I'm done. I'm gonna let it all cure out in my garage.

Oh and it is Krylon paint with an acrylic clear that I am using. I'll fix it somehow, but not till after I fly it at AIRFest. I still have a bunch of ground testing left to do. Can't afford the time.

Clearcoats can be a bugger ,so i feel your pain ,it`s no fun ! I rarely clearcoat anymore unless i need to lay down waterslide decals ,then i wait a Lonnnng time until i do so.

Sorry to hear about this ,it can and is a heart sinking feeling...i know !

paul t

FWIW, I always clean the rocket tubes with a spritz of Spray-9 window cleaner, and if I'm in doubt of my hand cleanliness, I'll spritz my hands with the same stuff and wipe off both with a microfibre cloth.

Finger and skin oils are a major bane to good paint.

This is one reason I never clear coat...

I have had some paints bubble, wrinkle and drip. I dont care. Why, Because all my builds now are scratch, and most I dont even know if it will fly.

I just went and checked on mine and it seems to have flattened out some and looks a lot better now.

You will not notice it on the pad and it will be even less noticeable if it lawn darts or catos.