Major Paint FU help needed (long and whiney)

How "wet" is it? Can you easily thumb print the surface? Is it actually sticky? Will it sand at all with a constant flow of water over it, like from a hose and with maybe 1200? If so, sand as much as you can and get it in some moving air. Some 'thanes will actually cure in UV light too. Don't give up totally, but don't count on NOT having to strip it either. If it sets up enough to where you have to really mash down hard to thumbprint the surface, you can sand and recoat the with the right mix and salvage the job. The final caveat if you can recoat, it's going to be 2-3 weeks before you can tape anything to it without the tape glue "burning" the finish. How do I know? Been there, but with catalyst that was old stock and went inert, even though it was un-opened! Oh, and for the record, that was in 04 and I saw the car 3yrs later still looking good.

 

I have made plenty of mistakes but I don't try and blame everyone but myself when I am at fault. Guys were pretty quick to blame the paint store and suggest that they should compensate the OP for his trouble. I am simply pointing out they were not to blame in this particular case although from the first post one would never know.

 

I agree.. best bet to save the under coats and body work. Good luck man! Dont sweat it shit happens!

 

I think if it doesn't cure after the last go, that the slow reducer and scotch brite will be the way we go.
I really appreciate all the suggestions and support.
Except of course Khole 13 who was the notable exception. It is people like him that keep me away from clubs and shows now. I have finished more collector restoration custom builds and rods than most people have had daily drivers. 11 so far and driven 3 of the to the SR Nats.
For the record I chose not to use hardner cause Arcylic Enamel doesn't need it, I blamed the governement (with a few tree huggers on the side as if not using Acrylic Enamel in Canada will offset a few billion people cramed into countries with no rules) and nowhere did I ask for compensation.
And for KHOLE I have attached a picture of my 36 Chevrolet Low Cab street rod pickup, that I finished in 18 months and drove places, and painted with the evil Acrylic Enamel myself.

 

Waterbase is a pain and the low VOV "oils" are almost as bad...

I feel your pain as I went thru something almost the same. However in that case the store WAS to blame...yet gave me nothing in compensation, because they blamed the paint manufacturer.
The paint Rep explained his side to me and I agree that it wasn't the paints fault...it was the ingredient combo I was sold that was the problem.

Regardless, I lucked out and let the car sit for a week till it cured somewhat and the owner was fine with the softer paint (grocery getter) so I didn't have to repaint.

 

Try putting the car out in the sun and let it bake for a few days. The UV and the heat should cure it. Then carfully sand it back, treat it like a guide coat and use this an an oppertunity to block the car again and get it flatter. In the end you'll have a better result. You will problabe have to put down a sealer coat to stop any reactions since the paint didnt cure.

 

I agree with the previous post. I,ve painted lot,s of vehicles with thane and no hardener and it does cure but it takes a while. I did use proper reducer tho. Maybe a little patience will be best.

 

I did have it out in the sun for a while but can not leave it out when not around. Car was painted at Xmas so I didn't think it was getting an harder.

 

If it sat in a garage since xmas without the heat of the sun to force some of the gasses out I can see how it could possibly still not be cured, so I'd try more than a couple days in the sun (cause how hard is that?) but then if it hadn't kicked I'd be grabbing a razor and the scratch pad and reducer and settling in for a while. Bummer Dude, I hope the sun works.

 

IMHO..... I'd be already stripping it down. I would always be afraid that something deep down in what was NOT removed would one day decide to interact with the newly applied paint.

I had a "de-lamination" problem on a show car. Custom paint job & flames done by pros. After a few months started seeing milky white whatever underneath the clear coat. The paint shop & the flame/stripper guy both re-did the entire car .... pinstripes & all.

Even though it was fixed I still worried about it happening again.

Does not take much for a paint job to go weird..... that's why you can never do enough "prep" prior to painting & following Mfg. recommended procedures..

 

It did have good heat in the shop and strong lights and after a couple of months stopped smelling so I don't know if it will get any better. To boot we have had nothing for sun yet this year. I figure as its my son's first car we will likely be redoing it anyway in a couple years unless he decides he wants to sell and get something different. Besides if it peels or delaminates that might make it easier to get off
If we strip I will probably just prime and seal so he can drive it this summer and go again next fall. Flat black primer over gloss black could catch on?

 

OK we have dust , shooting the Arclyic Enamel reducer and hardner cured everything up ( I know I should have used the Acrlyic Urethane stuff but I didn't have much hope it would work so I used the MAE stuff.) The way it went on if I had just done that in the first place and had not tried to sand, I probably would had a nice finish it was pretty friggn shiny!. Had no problems sanding with 180 and I went after the worst places first and did some trials here and there. Going to wait for the weekend to be doubly sure then skim that with the 180 , then 600 wet block it down which should take me through all the layers that could potentially let go. and this time I have all the right stuff.
Sometimes luck is better than smart.

On a further note K13 PM'd a generous olive branch, which I will keep private as that's the way he sent it. So we aren't allowed to dis him anymore.

 

Lol dis away!!

 

I feel your pain.. Im going through a redo now too but for other reasons. all this Low VOC stuff is shit.. there is no build to it.. primers,paints or clears.. in the last 2 years sence it came out they have change it all twice tring to fix problems with the low VOC stuff.. as for mixing produce.. we did it many times over the years and got away with stuff 3 out of 4 times.. but the low voc stuff is too fussy.. you fool around with that and you will get nailed.. been in busness now 7 years and painting over 25 years and I never had so much trouble in my 25 years as Im having in these last two years. nightmare after nightmare..

 

I am NO WHERE close to painting our car.... so a LOT of day-dreaming is currently going on.

One of the paint ideas we have on the "list" is to have the car painted "flat or satin black" with "gloss black" flames. Not something you see very often.

 

First off let me congardulate you on at least trying to get a decent paint job on it.

I personally would have left it ugly because that is sooooo traditional.

By now someone has given you a solution to your problem, so what I have to say is probably too little too late.

I would try MEK and a rag, laquer thinner would probably also work in a pinch, it shouldn't hurt your base coat of cured hardened paint but as the clear coat is not curing it should smooth it right off so you can do a quicky color sand and shoot it again.

 

I saw a flat ed over gloss lack Chevy at Sema a couple of years ago. it looked great. Would have never thought of it myself. Have attached snap. Was sorely tempted to do that to the Dodge but couldn't find a paint code.

 

It's not the color really, it's the concept. Pick a red you like and go for it.