Have been practicing painting interior parts for sometime now and am getting nowhere. Here is a shot of the pillar post. Sandable primer, Black Laquer color coat and a 2 coats of clear laquer. All from rattle cans.

Not sure what to try next.

http://www.funkconsulting.com/67camaro/misc_images/trim_002.jpg

try semi gloss.
and sand with 600 grit before painting.
you cant expect flawless paint job from a can BTW.
from the looks of the pic the surface wasnt clean enough (orange peel in the painted surface)
probly due to silicon sprays (armourall etc)
clean parts with a silicone remover/cleaner first before painting

shooting paint is the easy and shortest part. prep is 99% of the job. sand smooth, degrease/dewax, tack cloth, light thin coats. looks like you might have sprayed a little too heavily.


patience, try practicing on a scrap piece first.

I agree with Run269 100%
Spraying paint is the easy part. 99% Prep 1% application.
3 to 4 Light Coats. let it tac up between coats. The first 2 coats you will be asking yourself if you are applying enough. Also Make sure the Paint, The Item, and the room temp are within Paint manufactures recomendations. Usually around 72deg - 74 deg.

I did a swaybar in my garage last November with a rattle can and it turned out perfect.

Kurt

i just used Rust-Oleum 7777 Satin Black looks great blocked dash with 400 then 600 grit

looks way to heavy on the clear,how did the black look before the clear?I agree with the others go with semi-gloss or satin more forgiving.

well all i want to add is if there is a way to screw up pant ive found it .ive been panting things for over 25 years and i still can screw it up .everything from fish eyes sags runs i even panted the nose of a jet aircraft three colors it came out beutiful i was cleaning my paint gun went over to see it again droped the gun the solvent jumped out of the gun when it hit the ground and went across the three colors distroyed it .so of the many lessions ive learned prep is the key ,keep the parts and you clean ,dont rush you can spend hours preping and rush the paint and your stripping it off.and i can go on and on so just practice .when it comes out the way you want it theres nothing so sweet

It is a test piece.

Before I laid down the primer it was cleaned with thinner. The primer laid down nice, and after a session with some W/D 1500 it was smooth as a babies butt. Before laying the color coat it was again cleaned with some thinner. The color coat didn't come out smooth like I thought it would.

Maybe I did lay the clear on a bit thick but several thin coats didn't seem to want to lay well, still bumpy. Even as it dried the thin coats did not want to even out to a nice finish.

I don't mind color sanding the clear but I don't want a gloss finish. I am looking for a semi gloss in the end product with no orange peel.. Perhaps that can't be achieved with a rattle can?

I did pick up a can of Krylon Fusion Satin, but it layed like crap. Dried quick, but didn't lay worth beans.

In a box, in my garage, marked "stuff to fix my screwups", I have a paint kit I bought at my local auto paint store. Glass jar, areosol can and such. I go to the paint store, have them mix what I want (black w/flatner), and use the setup to paint small parts. It is just like using a can but I control what paint I want. I just mix it like you would if you were using a spray gun. Mix as much or as little as needed. The areosal canisters are replacable and cheap. They actually go a long way (more than I expected). Wet sanding and buffing should take care of any problems. One more thing, It is reusable....over...and....over :D

Are your primer and color coat of the same brand? Remember the first color coat needs to be a fine mist that doesn't even cover the primer and needs to 'tack' before the next coats. I've been able to paint entire dashes etc. with a puff can and had a factory smooth surface. If the initial coat isn't smooth, every additional coat will amplify that effect, including the topcoat. The artifact your picture shows may be related to temp or humidity. Where you inside or out when painting?

you stated that after sanding the primer you washed again with thinner. did you wait long enough for the thinner to completely evaporate?? i will sand between coats but never introduce another chemical into the process once i start painting. sand, dust with a tack cloth and shoot.

I think Run269 might have hit on it. I never use something as strong as thinner after prime. It can soak into the primer and cause major issues. If you must use something to clean after sanding, use alcohol or a good prep/degreaser.

The primer, color coat, and clear were all from the same manf. (PlastiKote). It was 75 degrees and in the garage with the door closed.

I am going to sand the whole thing back down and start from scratch following the given advice and see what happens.

Lay the sandable primer down, wet sand it with 1500 till smooth as silk. Wash it with Dawn, let it dry for 24 hours then lay the color coat. Let the color coat dry for 24 hours and then lay the clear. First coat very thin and then build the clear coat from there?

CFunk:
IMHO For what my 2c is worth, the 1500 grit is too fine at that pont in the process . I myself would only go as fine as 600 grit there Max. No real reason to use soap during or after the wet sanding. Just let it dry and tac it. Then go for the 2 to 4 light coats of color until it is evenly colored. Be sure to let it tac up per Manufacture recomendations between coats. Let it dry and then again 2 to 3 light coats of clear.
Again just my opinion. Everyone has their own way of doing things. This proess I described works for me every time.
Good Luck! :beers:

Kurt

all good advice above,


also make sure you have inline filters/moisture separators for your air supply. one just off the air compressor, and at least one more near the gun. those little plastic bulb ones are pretty cheap insurance agaist oil or water from your compressor getting into the final mix.

i have one trap just off the air comp., one more in line, and a bulb on my gun.

drain down all moisture traps before shooting.

and no need to wash with dawn (you are adding water to your paint), just use a well filtered air nozzle and blow it off good, tack it, and start shooting. you should be able to shoot primer and paint in one day.

I've had good luck with the OER Vinyl Die and Interior Laquer in rattle cans from Classic.

Dark Blue 1969. I used the adhesion promoter and flexible primer also.

So far I've got my new kick panels painted, dash pad and console done and they look great.

Haven't installed yet so can't tell you how durable they are as far as flexing and banging on when installing.

Brian