Ok, well I got the clear coat today for my custom grille project. The grill strips have been drying for 2 days now and are fully dried. So it was time to clear coat. First before I did anything I took a sample that I painted (and won't be using) and used it as an experiment subject. I sprayed the clear coat and the paint thinned, became all vainy and ran. Why did the clear coat destroy the paint job?

And please, for the love of God don't move this into the details forum, because it's beyond dead in there.

 

I need a reply. I know you guys should know.

 

I remember when i clear coated my dails after i painted them they did the same things as what happened to your grill, someone told me it could been because the temperature was too cold. Might not be the answer you were looking for but its something.

 

It was pretty cold today. I just went to Home Depot and was told that on enamel based paint that was applied to plastic, clear coat will do that. He suggested I buy durable enamel paint, instead of the cheap crap I bought last time. The paint itself has a protective coat that'll prevent weather or say the car wash from ruining the finish. Gonna' apply the new paint tomorrow.

 

weird..... ive done some little paint projects never had that problem .

 

never had that problem either.....the paint combo that always works well for me is Dupli-Color automotive enamel with (surprise) Dupli-Color automotive clearcoat.....but before you paint, always use (another surprise) Dupli-color primer!

sometimes if your clearcoat is not enamel-based or made to stick to oil or latex-base, you can have the problem you had.

 

Usually what happens is that the paint has not completely dried. Usually before clear coating i wait a whole day before applying it unless you can keep it in a really dry and hot place.

 

Well I used this on a plastic strip, and the paint I used was pretty cheap, but enamel based. And the paint had 2 days to dry, so I know it dried very well.

 

Hell, I usually clearcoat within an hour....and never had a problem yet.

 

Ah, well. This new paint doesn't even require clear coat. It's for outside purposes and will withstand all weather conditions.

 

put it in the oven for about an hour at a low temperature

 

I had the same problem when i painted my grill and tinted my headlights. I was being lazy and cheap and used acrylic clear coat on my painted parts - then it seemed to act like paint stripper!