Painting disaster

[leanburn]

Im trying to paint my foot pedals with rattle can paint. I have never had good luck with rattle can but I was told done right it will work. I used rust oleum black and when I went to clear coat it I found out u can't get clear in rustoleum. So I scuffed all the parts, cleaned with solvent and tried a coat of black dupli color and it instantly reacted and cracked the rustoleum, looks like alligator skin.   I then tried to use dupli color clear on a different  part that was done with rustoleum and same thing happened. What is going on?

[burdar]

You can't sand on a rattle can paint and then paint over it.  You open up the pores in the paint and the solvent from the new paint lifts the old stuff right off.  You would have been fine if you just sprayed the paint ontop of the Rustoleum.  I've used Krylon matte clear over the top of a lot of different paint brands with no problems.

The only thing that has worked for me over the top of sanded paint is primer.  I've been able to mist primer ontop of sanded rattle can paint but that's it.

I've never had great luck with Rustoleum.  No matter how clean I get a part, I always get some fish eyes.  I like Krylon Rust Tough paint.  It's a lot more user friendly then Rustoleum IMO.

[4 speed fish]

Why are you using a clear?I just use semi gloss paints and it looks good.If you do not let the solvent dry after you wipe something down you will get that reaction.I went thru that trying to paint my k member,clear out of a can never worked for me.

[Topcat]

Small parts that you need semi gloss black can be done using a Preval Sprayer and real automotive paint.
I use a mini Sata Jet. Works great for spot touch ups.

My auto paint store can make a pint of semi gloss acrylic enamel or Uerethane for a small price.

40-50 bucks spent but you get paint that lasts, doesn't fade, durable and better resistsance to the elements.
Yes it's a little more work and expense but it's worth it.

In the past, I painted my pulleys with rattle can paint.
A few years later, they looked dingy once again. Just not worth it.   

[leanburn]

Why are you using a clear?I just use semi gloss paints and it looks good.If you do not let the solvent dry after you wipe something down you will get that reaction.I went thru that trying to paint my k member,clear out of a can never worked for me.

i thought the clear would help the paint last. just as topcat stated rattlecan looks dingy after a few years. i have no paint expierience at all except for the odd touch up with rattlecan, i don't even know the difference between lacquer or urethane. i was trying to ''cheat'' and do my floor pedals and it bit me in the azz.  the worse thing about it is i went to 2 seperate paint supply stores for advice and came out with 2 totally different answers.

[leanburn]

what is a preval sprayer?

[Topcat]

what is a preval sprayer?

I've used them before on small parts with success.

http://shop.preval.com/?gclid=CKvK27uFmLACFUEGRQod4ylE4g

[burdar]

Clear coats really help the durabilitly of rattle can paints.  The quality of the paint obiously has a lot to do with it as well.  I almost always use clears.  I've had good luck with SEM brand paints as well as Eastwood Extreme Chassis paints.

[Chryco Psycho]

You do not want my advice . the paint mixes are reacting with each other , I blasted & cleaned all my parts & sprayed them with Eastwood & SEM paints , all of the engine brackets & pulleys were painted with fish eye black , nothing came out nice no matter what I tried including using pro degreasers , primers etc , nothing worked !!
 AT least you are not alone

[darkhawk]

I used to do the rattle cans with some success but lately I found a place nearby that sandblasted and powdercoated my pedals, engine pulleys, brackets, bumper brackets, leaf springs all semi gloss black for $75.00.  They do any color I want so I do most of my small parts there.

[Topcat]

Rattle can paint have some risks:

Temp outside sensitivity
Age
Atomization
flashpoint
fisheye (common problem)

I think years ago, rattle cans were better than they are today.
Gov't & EPA stepped in and today it's not what they did back 20 yrs ago.

[Chryco Psycho]

powder coating makes the most sense , Eastwood even has a do it at home kit . this what I should have done with my parts , I powder coated all the suspension stuff 
 TCis right the paints now should be worse than before the tree huggers !!

[torredcuda]

The black is probaly an enamel and your clears are probably laquer.You can paint enamel over laquer but not laquer over enamel b/c the laquer paint drys very fast abd will "pull" the base enamel up cauing the alligator grain effect.Try to find an enamel clear or a laquer base and you shouldn`t have any problems.If you can both from the same maufacturer/paint line even better chance they will work together.