Clear coat on auto air colours

[Sharma.k]

Hi guys ... just started to use auto air and wicked colors , had difficulity earlier controlling especially white ...but somehow got the hang of it .Managed to clear coat urethene base ... 2:1 :1 ratio ...but seemed that clear coat is still soft for 3 weeks. ( panic mode on) ... tried the same mixing ratio and cleared on a urethene based and it harden well in hours .Anyone here having issues with clear coat on water based paints? I know im doing it somewhere wrongly but cant figure it out ..

 

[brushit]

Hi from Australia. I use water based paints all the time. I clear coat with automotive clear coat. Ratio is I part clear coat to 1.5 of top quality thinners. I apply 2 or 3 wet coats about 15 mins apart. I then leave to harden for approx. 3 days. I then compound and polish. No problems. You must have got the ratio wrong the first time, is all I can think. It`s nothing to do with your water based paints. I use airbrush inks and Trident Paint. All water based. Cheers from down under.

 

[Sharma.k]

Hi from Australia. I use water based paints all the time. I clear coat with automotive clear coat. Ratio is I part clear coat to 1.5 of top quality thinners. I apply 2 or 3 wet coats about 15 mins apart. I then leave to harden for approx. 3 days. I then compound and polish. No problems. You must have got the ratio wrong the first time, is all I can think. It`s nothing to do with your water based paints. I use airbrush inks and Trident Paint. All water based. Cheers from down under.

... thanks mate .. will try changing on the ratio

 

[Squishy]

Yup I use 2k over waterbased fairly regularly with out issues. Wondering if your flash time between coats might have been the issue if your ratio was good?

 

[Sharma.k]

Yeah

Yup I use 2k over waterbased fairly regularly with out issues. Wondering if your flash time between coats might have been the issue if your ratio was good?

Yeah man.... will work on the flash time to ..... i have to agree that my coats were too wet and didnt really work on flash time interval... tks alot for ur info

 

[twood]

Another secret is to put on a light coat (dust coat) as your first coat. Then a middle wet, then go in with the flood coats. Always let it flash between coats....
Wicked and AutoAir hates a flood coat at first...This can happen.....


Cheers

 

[Sharma.k]

Tks mate

 

[BrianPaints]

Check the tech sheet. It may have different ratios for different temp ranges, etc.
Also, be as precise as you possibly can with the mix ratio. I found some Pyrex graduated cylinders a local University was selling as surplus.
It may seem ridiculous, but I can't even tell you how much easier clear coating got after I started reading tech sheets and getting the mix ratios right.

BUT, this might not be on you. To me it sounds like your catalyst has gone bad. If it has any little white specks floating around, it's seeded and gone bad. Catalysts have pretty short shelf lives, especially once they're opened.

 

[MeeshellMP]

Yeppers...check sheets. It does indeed sound like your catalyst was funky. Even if over coating, it should have cured.

 

[IPT]

To the best of my knowledge if you put it on too heavy, or don't let it flash, you get solvent pop not lack of hardening. I think this occurs because the solvent has not fully gassed off. Once you bury it under another coat it comes up anyway, through your next layer. That leaves lots of tiny bubbles.

Like mentioned it seems like it was something with the mix ratio. I use Omni clear and it's 4:1 clear coat to hardener. Ratio is the same no matter what the temp rating of the hardener is. I attached a copy of the spec sheet so you can see what it looks like, for that product at least. You should be able to find one for your online or at the shop you got it from. I use 2 part clear over my Wicked, Illustration, and Autoair all the time without issue. I use mix cups from the local auto part paint store.

 

[Squishy]

I remember when I started out I had issues with clearing over auto air. Down to my inexperience, which I'm sure isn't the case with you. Anyway, although I love Wicked, I found auto air had a tendency (going back 4 years, may be different now) to stay tacky. I was finding that I thought it was dry, but it was only the top layer. Underneath had kind of plasticised for want of a better word, and although clearing didn't crack or pop, it peeled off when masking and seemed soft. At the time I was likely laying down the paint a bit too heavy.

Drying each layer with a hairdryer helped, but I switched to Wicked which I found didnt need a hairdryer, and never looked back. Which is odd because they are very similar, and its probably just that I was learning how to lay paint better . I recommend using the 4012 reducer, which can be used with AA and Wicked, which among other things help with drying and curing.

 

[jord001]

You shouldnt have any issues clearing over waterbased paints. The mix is uaually 2 clear to 1 hardener and maybe 10% or 15% thinners. I can also only think that the ratio was not quite right the first time. Flash times are important, if you can touch the clear and its tacky but doesn't come off on your finger then its ready for the next coat

Lee.

 

[forky]

Another secret is to put on a light coat (dust coat) as your first coat. Then a middle wet, then go in with the flood coats. Always let it flash between coats....
Wicked and AutoAir hates a flood coat at first...This can happen.....
View attachment 45958

Cheers

exactly the thing that happened to me a couple of times, i thought it was my wax and grease remover residue , thanks for the info