Paint Disaster, Any Clues?

Wow, it looks like the fill primer just melted the base coat.

I think you put the fill on too thick. Try 2 or 3 thin coats.

Mike B said:

Wow, it looks like the fill primer just melted the base coat.

I think you put the fill on too thick. Try 2 or 3 thin coats.

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I agree with Mike.

I did some painting yesterday and the weather was the same as yours. My method was: 99 cent can of flat black paint from home depot (as my primer), water based air brush paint, left in my work truck with the heater blasting (lol) to heat and dry then while still warm shot the clear coat on. Added multiple coats of clear and put back in the truck to help setup and dry. Turned out nice...

Tom

When I saw your title "Paint Disaster", Lusterkote paint and its bad reaction to many types of other non Lusterkote primers came to mind, but I see this is not the case here. I found out the hard way on an airplane cowl that Lusterkote paint is not very friendly to some different brands of primer. Just wanted to share that for your future reference because I know that you are familiar with the Lusterkote paints. Most people will never come into contact with that brand, but of course I have a hobby cabinet full of it.

Anyhow..my guess would be that you just got your filler coats a bit to heavy and also the fact that the temperature was not warm enough. Filler primer if you watch it dry sorta has a tendency to expend as it drys to try find any imperfections and fill them as it expands. If the viscosity of the paint is too thick which can be caused by improper temperature...then the rate at which it expands and the evenness in which it flows is going to be hindered and thus the paint may just sort of puddle up in areas as it trys to expand and fill. I am not saying this is for sure what happened on your tank, but I have have similar experiences in the past trying to use filler primer in the cold on some of my model airplane aluminum parts in the past that I was trying to use filler primer to basicly eliminate some square corners. It kept sorta puddling on me after it looked like I was spraying even coats. I warmed the piece I was painting with my nebco heater and also warmed my can up with my heat gun. Worked fine after that. Just something you may wanna try.

I also have had bad experience trying to paint anything that has ever been polished or cleaned with a silicone based product. Once you get silicone on something you want to paint...it seems almost impossible to get that stuff cleaned off there even using mineral spirits or even acitone. If your tank had a gauge or scratch in that area that was exposeing bare metal before you sanded the tank down..then it is possible that someone used a silicone based cleaner to shine the tank. However if you know that the tank was not scraped in that area with any bare metal showing....then it is probably safe to assume that it would not be caused from silicone coming into contact with the raw steel.

Hope it works out better for you the next time. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

I would say the temperature is the problem also. What you could do is build a heat box to keep what you painted the temperature you need it for it to dry and set. Prep it all inside in the heated area a plastic covered taped off area that will hold in the heat to make it the right temp to paint. Then after you sling the paint on put it in your heat box that will let the paint setup.

If your base cutting primer didn't set right it could have been releasing the solvent still because it hadn't flashed off totally yet. This solvent could of caused the defect that happened.

2door said:

Thanks, Drac. I'm fairly sure that was the case. The heat box is an good idea but I'll probably just hold off for a few weeks and paint the tank when it warms up a bit.

Tom

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Yea, that would be the best since you don't need to do it because of a deadline or anything like that.

looks to me like the base coat skinned instead of curing, and the topcoat softened the base enough to allow it to slide and break apart. Temperature matters! The worst thing you can do (besides silicone) is to try rushing paint.

The previous coats did not flash off enough so the solvents in the later coats broke the skin and it slid.
I used two component epoxy when I fair out components but that would not be cost effective for one tank.
I would give the primer more flash times between coats the more the better because it will shrink in and also sand much easier with better results.
Welcome to the world of painting.

that happens when your last coat "flash drys " an consecutive coat or coats soften your prior coat its called shrink a good way to avoid this is in low temps allow more flashout time or move to warmer temp .

Tom it can happen in warm temps too if its too very hot in some cases its environment an in others forgive the pun pilot error .

you painted it too thick too soon. The stuff your seeing is where the molecules bound with each-other rather than the tank. Re sand the spot and put on light coats and wait for them to completely dry. hold the can about a foot aways as you coat it. don't overdo it as soon as you see the color of primer take over, stop. After about a 30minute -24 hour wait. re-coat.

i could paint a latex balloon.

i have to agree with the opinions here,Tom.
looks like solvents were trapped under the top coat.then it slid.

even if its 70 degrees outside,make sure the cans are warm too.
good luck,take your time.