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Tiny, tiny air bubbles in clearcoat...

18509 Views 28 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  showandgo
What makes little tiny air bubbles dry in clearcoat? I sprayed my engine block today and it looked sweet..... but now i see tiny air bubbles that dried in the clear. It didnt look like that when i sprayed it, but after drying for several hours i noticed it was covered with tiny white looking bubbles.... you can kinda feel them..... what happened?
:confused:
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email me a pic or too and will try and help
4
They are really small air bubbles.... kinda looks like someone sprinkled salt in the clear or something.... kinda feels like it too. You gotta be really close to see them.

I was thinking..... its not like this all over the engine.... just on the front and the top on the intake.... the sides and back are still really slick..... i sprayed the clear until the gun ran out completely..... and im sure as i was using up the last of the clear i sprayed it on the front and top. Can spraying the clear until the gun runs out produce bubbles or something? It didnt look like this when i first sprayed it yesterday, unless i just didnt notice it because it was still wet?

I tried to take pics from several different angles to show the air bubbles, its hard to see them, but you can tell theres so many that it kinda gives it a milky appearance.... you can really see them in this first pic on the front of the intake across bottom lip where the clear was thick.... and on the other pics, what looks like microflake.... thats the air bubbles.....

Let me know what you guys think. It really doesnt look that bad, im just picky.... should i just leave it alone, or how would i go about fixing it? I mean, its not like its a flat surface where i can sand down the clear.... and once i get everything on, it will be less noticeable.... but if i can fix it, i would like to.







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It was probably caused by a really large sag or run in the clear. I have seen that happen in the clear before in or near runs.

So you probably didn't have enough flash time between coats

or the clear was over reduced

or you did not have enough hardner

Been there before........many times over.

Are you going to try to fix it?
Originally posted by 61 Impala on 3@Sep 26 2006, 10:53 AM~6246753
It was probably caused by a really large sag or run in the clear. I have seen that happen in the clear before in or near runs.

So you probably didn't have enough flash time between coats

or the clear was over reduced

or you did not have enough hardner

Been there before........many times over.

Are you going to try to fix it?
Well, the part i dont understand is why it only did it on the front and top, and not on the sides and back? I mean, the sides and back look fucking wet man..... if i mixed something wrong wouldnt it be all over? Also, i painted it outside in the driveway, would it have anything to do with the sun? Im no professional painter, so these might be stupid questions. :happysad:

And even though you gotta have your face all up in it to see it... if theres a way to fix it.... yea, i would like to fix it.
I think its moisture in your air lines.

Since you made a pass over those areas with no clear, if there was moisture in the line but no paint, then it would atomize the moisture. Forcing the small water droplets into the fresh clear. Thats what most comonly causes the tiny pits in the clear.
DID YOU USE OMNI OR SELECT??

THOSE BUBBLES ARE FROM RUN SAGS....TOO MUCH CLEAR, TOO FAST!

THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT IS TO SAND DOWN AFFECTED AREAS AND REBASE TO HIDE AND REMAINING BUBBLES THEN RECLEAR OVERALL WET...YOU GOT LESS THAN 24 HRS BEFORE YOU GOT TO RESCUFF EVERYTHING...PER SAY.
Originally posted by show-bound@Sep 26 2006, 11:16 AM~6246850
DID YOU USE OMNI OR SELECT??

THOSE BUBBLES ARE FROM RUN SAGS....TOO MUCH CLEAR, TOO FAST!
The clear was some 5 year old PPG Del Glo DAU that i had left over and i mixed it with some Omni fast hardner.... 1 part clear, 1 part hardner, and i added maybe an inch of reducer into the mixing cup. This was all shit i just had laying around..... but why is it only on the front and top, and the sides and back show no signs of it whatsoever?
Originally posted by JasonJ@Sep 26 2006, 11:22 AM~6246887
The clear was some 5 year old PPG Del Glo DAU that i had left over and i mixed it with some Omni fast hardner.... 1 part clear, 1 part hardner, and i added maybe an inch of reducer into the mixing cup. This was all shit i just had laying around..... but why is it only on the front and top, and the sides and back show no signs of it whatsoever?

YOU ARE NOT HAVING A REACTION....WHAT YOU ARE SEEING IS A SAG/ RUN..

WHEN IT COLLECTS TOGETHER LIKE THAT IT GETS MILKY/BUBBLES

LOOKS THAT WAY IN THAT AREA BECUASE TO MUCH CLEAR WAS APPLIED.
But it looks like that where there is no sag or run... look at the front of the cylinder head in the pic..... the camera flash caught it at the right angle and what looks like miniflake..... thats all air bubbles.... but theres no run there.... same thing on the top of the intake manifold.

But no matter what caused it..... youre saying i have to sand it down within the first 24 hours? Ugggh....
Originally posted by JasonJ@Sep 26 2006, 11:31 AM~6246950
But it looks like that where there is no sag or run... look at the front of the cylinder head in the pic..... the camera flash caught it at the right angle and what looks like miniflake..... thats all air bubbles.... but theres no run there.... same thing on the top of the intake manifold.

But no matter what caused it..... you said i have to sand it down within the first 24 hours? Ugggh....
ALL THE AFFECTED CLEAR HAS TO COME OFF...SPOT BASE IT THEN RECLEAR OVERALL.... 24 SO YOU DONT HALF TO SCUFF UP EVERYTHING AGAIN YOU CAN JUST SHOOT AFTER FIXING MESSED UP PART...

WHICH SIDE WAS FACING THE SUN....BET IT WAS THAT SIDE...

IF SO IT GOT PRETTY HOT/ ATTRACTED THE MOST HEAT....SO THIS AFFECTED THE THE CLEAR BASICLY MAKING IT BUBBLE BLISTER...

RESIN/HEAT =BUBBLES
Originally posted by JasonJ@Sep 26 2006, 11:31 AM~6246950
But it looks like that where there is no sag or run... look at the front of the cylinder head in the pic..... the camera flash caught it at the right angle and what looks like miniflake..... thats all air bubbles.... but theres no run there.... same thing on the top of the intake manifold.

But no matter what caused it..... youre saying i have to sand it down within the first 24 hours? Ugggh....
Welcome to the world of painting.
Originally posted by show-bound+Sep 26 2006, 11:40 AM~6247023-->
ALL THE AFFECTED CLEAR HAS TO COME OFF...SPOT BASE IT THEN RECLEAR OVERALL....  24 SO YOU DONT HALF TO SCUFF UP EVERYTHING AGAIN YOU CAN JUST SHOOT AFTER FIXING MESSED UP PART...
[/b]
Ahhhh, i understand what you mean now.  ;)


<!--QuoteBegin-show-bound
@Sep 26 2006, 11:40 AM~6247023

WHICH SIDE WAS FACING THE SUN....BET IT WAS THAT SIDE...

IF SO IT GOT PRETTY HOT/ ATTRACTED THE MOST HEAT....SO THIS AFFECTED THE THE CLEAR BASICLY MAKING IT BUBBLE BLISTER...

RESIN/HEAT =BUBBLES
Yea, the front and top were getting the sun.... you can tell by the shadows in this pic. Maybe thats what happened? I let it sit just like this for about an hour after i was done before pushing it into the garage.

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Shit, looks like i got some work to do then.... its only at about 20 hours ago right now..... what grit sand paper should i use? Do i sand it wet or dry?
SOMETHING WITH THAT OMNI/ SELECT CHEMS IF IT GETS SAGS FROM TO MUCH CLEAR...THOSE BUBBLE COME UP...I HAVE SEEN THEM FADE AWAY WITH FLASH TIME...HOW EVER I USE SLOW HARDENER...

SOON AS IT STARTS TO SAG ON ME...YOU REALLY HAVE TO SOMETIME DRENCH IT OUT TILL IT DRIPS OR ELSE YOU GET THOSE BUBBLES...

SO THAT FAST HARDENER AND THE SUN DID NOT HELP....IT STARTED WITH TO HEAVY OF AN APPLICATION...SAG LIKE ON THE LOWER INTAKE AND HEAD...I JUST DRAG MY FINGER ACROSS
Originally posted by JasonJ@Sep 26 2006, 11:51 AM~6247098
Shit, looks like i got some work to do then.... its only at about 20 hours ago right now..... what grit sand paper should i use? Do i sand it wet or dry?
YOUR CALL ON THE WET OR DRY BUT SINCE ITS THE ENGINE I WOULD USE DRY...220 WILL GET IT DOWN FAST...FOLLOWED BY 400.....LET IT SIT FOR A BIT HOWEVER...THE HEAVIER AREAS ARE PROB STILL WET...WHEN SANDING WILL GUM UP.... :(
Cool, thanks for all the tips brother..... ill post back on here and let you know how it went. :puffin:
i painted a spoiler and trunk one time i had 2k primered the trunk the day before and then i 2k primered the spoiler the same day i was gonna paint both turned out slick then 2 days later the spoiler started to have tiny bubbles like that i think it was from not letting the primer cure enough before i sprayed base and clear on it now i wait at least 12 hours after primer before i base or clear anything
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