I'm at my wits end with a paint job. It keeps streaking. I can get the paint to lay out OK with no streaking but as soon as I put the clear on it streaks. I've never had this problem before. I'm using all PPG products. It is a dbc base using dt885 reducer. The booth is 90 degrees. I waited 2 hours after putting the base on to shoot the clear. I didn't go real heavy with the clear just enough for it not to be dry. 50 percent overlap. I've painted a lot of cars and never had a problem like this. Painted plenty of silver cars ...no problem. This is a Mazda pearl blue. I'm ready to burn this project to the ground. Nothing but trouble! Clark
Hey Clark, By "streaking" do you mean mottled or tiger striped? I don't shoot much Ditzler/PPG anymore, but when I did, in hot weather, I usually tossed in some retarder to slow the flash of the reducer, and blend the metalic together. The hi-temp. reducer alone, won't give ya a big enough of a window, and the flow needed to prevent a dry ,mottled surface. Any chance, that when ya reshoot this, you can shoot it late in the day/night when the temp drops into the 70s & the chemicals flow much better? " Humpty Dumpty was pushed "
If the streaks are showing up after you spray clear and not before, as weird as this sounds you might be streaking the clear and not the base. I shot PPG for years and have seen this happen before. What's really weird is that you could see it when the car was in the booth, but as soon as you puledl it outside everything looked fine. Are you spraying it in a booth? Have you looked at it outside?
What I don't understand is the basecoat was fine....until i put the clear on. I could watch it change color as I was spraying. If the clear did not go on 100 percent even it changed the base. Even worse than putting a candy on. There is a light mottling in areas and a few stripes. Not every p*** only a couple of streaks. I was worried the slow reducer was too slow. Most of the time I do shoot in cooler temps and use the cool temp reducer. Hell I've used the cool temp reducer on some hot days and had better luck than I'm having with this. Clark
Yes I'm spraying in a booth. It is in the clear. It apears that the base is reacting to the clear. the base looked perfect before I put the clear on. I could see if an area was getting too wet the color was changing. Now this is a flat clear but I can see the streaking before it even flashes. Clark
how are you spraying the clear? I mean full wet coats, a light "tack" coat and then med-wet coats...? just trying to cover the bases on this one.
Well if it's definately in the clear atleast that eliminates some possibilities. Specifically what clear are you using? What flattener, hardener, reducer , flex agent,etc., etc. are you using?...... If any of those? I've only shot a handful of "flat clear" , and I know sometimes it can be pretty unforgiving. Any chance you could post any pics?
I'm using ppg flex and flat clear. I've done it a at least a dozen times with no problems. I usually do wet coats This is my second try at this project. the first time I put the clear on like i usually do...wet so it flows. This time i tried spraying it just wet enough that it wasn't dry. I've never done a tack coat. Tack coats just don't seem right to me. I am self taught, but I've been doing it for almost 30 years. Painted my first car at 13. The streaking doesn't show in pics. Well I didn't try to take a pic of the streaks. Clark
"If'' your triggering & distance from the surface are correct 'sounds like your reducer is too hot for the basecoat & is remelting it. Dry ''piss coats'' and crosshatch spraying patterns can sometimes save smaller areas of mottling and stripes " Meanwhyle, back aboard The Tainted Pork "
I don't think the streaking is in the clear. I think the clear is making the base streak. Does this make sence? I've never seen anything like this. Clark
Pimpin....that what I'm thinking but it was 90 degrees and I am pretty sure the 885 reducer is for those conditions. It was hard keeping up with the flash time, which akes me think I was using the right reducer. Clark
Are you using a Tach cloth on the base coat paint before you clear it? Are the streaks in the form of the tach cloth going across the paint? What kind of cloth are you using in the begining to wipe the surface area down? Mike
Nope....don't like taching between coats for that reason. This is definately the clear effecting the base coat. Why I have no clue. Makes no sence to me. Clark
Clark, The base is drying to fast and the pearl and metallic is not getting enought time to blend into each other. You won't see it with just the base on.....but as soon as the clear is on you'll see it right away. With this humidity either the booth is too hot..should probably be around 75 until the last coat of clear tacks up..then bake.... or you're not using a slow enough reducer. This happens all the time with silvers and light blues After laying on the base you'll also probably have to spray on a wet mist coat too before the clear
whats the distance your shooting from? maybe your too close with the flakes...i have done the same thing. i fixed it by holding my last coat of base out from the panel about a foot or so, dusting it. i know the frustration.
Sounds like the gun isn't spraying a "consistant" pattern. You'll get wet/heavy spots within the spray pattern that can oversaturate the basecoat. I used PPG for 25 (+) years and got sick of all of the problems that go along with their products. This sounds like just another P.I.A. with P.P.G. Good Luck with the job. VR&C.
Whata ya know 'bout the history of the Mazda bleu & the age of the 885? Were they both ''EXTRA -VIRGIN" factory packaged & un opened or, perhaps old stock? I've been ''lightning struck & camel ****ed'' more than once, by bad product
one of the ppg base coats dbu or dbc uses reactive reducer, and one uses the dt reducer i can't remember which but i confused the two and had a problem. [my fault i asked the supplier for the wrong thing] are you using the right one?
blue was mixed 4 days ago. The suplier should be going through enough reducer for it to be fresh. Jerry....I was using the slow or high temp reducer to compensate for the heat. Sorry I didn't answer the phone.....not in the mood to talk to anyone right now. I'm ready to set fire to this thing. It's bad enough working for free but doing **** two and three times is getting old. Clark
DBU is catalyzed DBC just uses the DT reducers. I've sprayed DBU with the DT reducers and had no problems. They say the problems happen with recoating the catylized bases. Clark
I'm going to have to check my P-sheets from PPG, but I think 885 is for 85 degrees and cooler temp range. It my be drying to fast and the metallic are drying before your hitting the panel.Then the clear is "moving" the metallic when you apply the clear. Can you possible get a hold of some DT895? or wait till a cooler day? TB33anda3rd its DBU that uses DRR reactive reducer, DBC uses DT reducers.
No problem Clark, go have a beer or two. I still think the booth is too hot though..with this humidity the past week...and the past few days... and that's the culprit. Certain colors are funny like that, even with a slow reducer. You'll get it figured out though, I know you will.
I did a quick search. The 885 is 75-90 degrees. I guess I was at the upper end of the scale. Hell I've gotten away with 860 on hot days before. It aint easy but nothing like this. This is just costing me too much money. I've already sold 999 because of this project, next my 34 will be on the auction block. Clark
Yeah..that's what I was thinking. For ****s and giggles you could try spraying a primed test panel outside of the booth...some s**** or something. I think you'll find it lays down better. If it does..drop the booth temp and have at it.
I didn't mind scuffing it once for a recoat but now I'm worried I've got too much product on there and need to sand some off. Clark
I've gotten lucky pushing the reducers as well, sometimes they work better it seems when you do. Sometimes I have to wait till 2 A.m to paint things here in Iowa during the summer. I'm hoping that its just too warm for the reducer, it really really ****s to paint things twice let alone 3times. Times like this you got to walk away for a while so that you don't get madder and have something happen that puts you further behind. Hang on to the 34.... hope your saying things out of frustration.
what are you scuffing the panel with? I've had a high metallic color show streaks where I had hit it with a scotch bright and should have sanded. I'd hit the whole thing with 400 wet and then re-shoot it again just to eliminate that possibility.
Funny thing is most of the time I have shot cars late at night ....just works out that by the time your done prepping it gates late. Well I thought I'd do things right and shoot during the day. especially since I got the warm temp reducer. I shoulda stuck to my routine of shooting at night and using the wrong reducer. Loosing the 34 is part frustration and part reality. This project just keeps dragging me down. I thought the paint would get it to a downhill point for me. **** it just drug me further down. Clark
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