31 Vicky....I think you hit on it....the hardner was not added to every quart that was shot. I called the PPG tech line and the paints gotta come off, it softens when heated, not harden, which indicates it will never cure. It would be fun this summer with 100 degrees outside if someone leaned on the cab. I'll be getting a case of towels, 5 gals of Lacquer thinner, some chemical gloves, and hopefully a couple of buddies to help remove this mess. I guess nows the time when you fine out who your friends really are. It'll be a bitch, but WTF, I'm retired, I've got plenty of time. Thanks for all the comments. BOutlaw
I did this once, mis-read the ratios. No easy fix. We used red scotchbrite pads and reducer to remove the paint. Had orange hands and nails for a pretty long time. Wear some good glaves, keep that stuff out of the bloodstream.
I've been there, didn't put catalyst in Nason clear, it never hardened, I had to take the paint off with a razor blade.
Wear an effective respirator and use good ventilation! Scraping the bulk of the paint of before using the thinner is a good idea as Nads said.
Damn. You might want to consider soda blasting instead. How the heck will you get all the paint out of every nook and cranny?
In the late 70's a friend and I shot a Datsun truck with RM acrylic enamel with no hardener (I was going to sell it, and we didn't have any late at night, so we went for it) Well it came out so nice that I didn't sell it for another year. The guy I sold it to became a friend and about a year after that he wrecked it. Well the paint was "DRY" to the touch, but when they went to repair the crash damage, the paint just balled up where ever they sanded it! They had to strip it to fix the thing - this was after at least 2 years of California Sun!
i work in a paint store and this reminds me of the time when a guy walked in with some motorcycle fairings and was having trouble with the clearcoat drying, they were very gummy, i asked him what kinda clear etc. asked if he mixed it right,he said yes. then went over several scenarios which still didnt make sense..finally i said, "man, its got to be the way you mixed the hardner with the clear, the ratio may not have been correct". ... he said." hardner? you mean it takes hardner ?" true story.... unfortuatly there are no easy answers, i might have missed it but im assuming it's single stage urethane..which DOES require a hardner,,...obviouslly PPG will tell you to strip it, they do not want any liabilty issues...which is understandable...like others said you can try to bake it, may or may not set up....but personally ,as much as i would hate for you to go thru it.... i would have to tell you to strip it if you were my customer,,,, guys, Omni & Shopline are great products that do have their place, not for everyone, but PPG is not going to put out a product that doesnt work...
Well the removal has begun. It wipes off fairly easy. When I heat the garage, the paint becomes tacky. I don't want to damage the filler material and have to redo the body work so wiping it is really the only way to remove only the paint. Luckily the underside of the cab is painted with correctly mixed PPG which was shot with the paint color sample half pint. The 2K primer is also completely cured so other than the PITA of wiping paint from the complete inside of the cab, the outside should not be to bad. The inside, with all the nooks and crannys is gonna be a bitch. I'll never get every spot. Another lesson learned.........It doesn't matter WHAT quality paint you use if the mixing instructions are not followed. Glad I didn't spend the $750 on PPG. As it is I'm only out a little less than half that amount. Its not the paint thats the problem, but rather the improper application. BOutlaw
Exactly, I've used omni a couple times, and it worked and lasted very well. I use Sherwin Williams now, it's a lot cheaper than ppg and really works great. PPG is good paint, but WAY overpriced in my opinion.
Summits paint is kirker and I like it a lot ! I've shot plenty of omni for fleet and utility use. Those guys beat the crap out of them things and abuse them horribly still look great. Did some new inner fenders on a 4x4 mud truck in black omni enamel- came out like glass and held up great for 3 seasons so far of mud basting. Summits tech sheet is Off and I don't follow it.
You have not mentioned what your buddy has said about the paint screw up by his helper..... Is he going to help you strip it????
You are doing the correct thing by removing the bad paint. Even if you tried to force dry it the paint isn't done correctly and may give you more issues down the road. If you repainted over it like some suggested you will have issues do to trying to cover up something that isn't correct it will come out on you later. Omni is a cheap brand but if done correctly can be good. On resale touch up jobs for my friends who are budget minded I use Nason because it color matches better. When I do a complete I use PPG or Dupont.
Only absolute way to fix it is strip it all off. You can use laquer thinner. Urethane paint never drys. It hardens when the molecules are cross linked with the catylist (hardner). It's a chemical reaction. If you don't put enough catylist in any product it will never completely cross link. Even if you put it in a down draft booth and bake it, it may not cross link. There's only one way to find out. Heating up your garage is probably not enough heat to make it kick. Also be aware while it's hot it will be soft. It will need to cool before you will know for sure. Ever mix some bondo or fiberglass resin and not put enough hardner in it? It may frim up enough to sand, but it always will thereafter remain softer than it should. Been doing this a long long time. Take it back to the shop that screwed you. They are at fault, why should you suffer? Dave
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