New some painting help

[Scott Shepherd]

Okay, I'm about two steps away from being on top of the roof standing on the ledge over this issue.

I had my best customer ask me to make a memorial sign for him. I told him no problem. He wanted wood and paint so it'd be outside. Well, guess what? I'm no painter.

So, I get some wood, design this 3-D sign, looks like I want it to and everthing is just fine.....until.....

I prime it, paint the base color, go to the next color and it looks sweet. Look back over after about 1 hour and the paint is all wrinkling up. Crap.

Scrap all the paint off, out of every nook and cranny (whatever a cranny is), and start over.

Same result.

Can't recall who made the primer, but the paint was Rust-O-Leum.

Bought some Kilz spray, the oil based stuff. Primed it, painted it, 2nd color wrinkles up again.

Too much paint to remove so I just make another sign from scratch.

Start with Kilz, using a different brand of paint.

Same problem.

Finally searched out Krylon and tried it and it works like a champ.

Made a 3rd one. Primed it with Krylon primer, first color, perfect. Second color. Perfect. Third Color. Perfect. Until...... I stuck my thumb on it and left a big thumb print (did I mention I'm not a painter yet?).

So, I plan to deal with that. Remove the tape I used to mask it all off, which was 1/4" wide and commonly used for airbrush work, and guess what? It left the imprint where the tape came off. So now I have this light set of marks everywhere the tape was.

I have 1 color left and the final plan was to clear coat this thing. Is there any way to save the work I have done that has the tape marks in it? It didn't peel the paint off. The paint had been sitting for 2 days, so it was good and dry.

Any chance I can do something like put the last color on, wet sand it with 800 or 1200 or something and then clear coat it and everything is happy again?

Or am I screwed and I need to paint those colors again?

I'm normall up for a battle of wits, but this time, I think the can of paint is smarter than I am, so I'm here, asking for help from someone who is actually smarter than a paint can.

Any ideas?

[Bill Cunningham]

Also being a 'non-painter' I have made some discoveries that may or may not work for you.. A fiberglass rubbing compound (it's like a paste wax, used for taking oxidization off of fiberglass gelcoat) can even things up, and may remove your marks, but the paint must be real dry, maybe a week old, then clear coat it....(test it on a tiny area in a bottom corner or something first) Remember, it's only natural, your 'going' to see things the customer will never notice in a million years.. The other thing I discovered is that many oil/laquer based paints can only take a second or third coat with-in two hours of the previous coat, or it will wrinkle(this info is usually written on the can).. If you can't get to it with-in two hours, you have to wait a week for it to fully cure(dry) before the next coat..

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks Bill, the can of rust-o-leum did say you have 1 hour to recoat or wait 24 hours. What the heck kind of paint is that? Sorry, but life doesn't work on that schedule, and with 4 colors on this project, I couldn't see myself taking 8 days to paint 2 coats on it all.

Krylon dries in 15 minutes, but everyone stopped carrying it. Home Depot and Lowes have both stopped carrying it. It's down to Ace Hardware and craft and hobby stores now.

I can't wait for the paint to fully cure before polishing it out at this point. I need to get it completly finished this weekend.

I'm doing this memorial to donate to the cause, so there's no money involved, only reputation and pride.

Thanks for your help, it's greatly appreciated.

[Doug Bergstrom]

Try using 1-shot paints which are available from most sign supply companies. These will go on better and mor even.
Doug

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks Doug, my second step was to go to a place that I had seen that paint. I went in, they had a wall of it and I was so happy....until.....I saw two empty slots where the colors I needed sat. They had 2 of the 4 colors I needed, and didn't plan on getting the missing ones in any time soon, so I gave up on that idea.

I'll know next time (if I'm supid enough to ever let there be a "next time").

[Scott Shepherd]

Might have lucked out. I took a piece of scrap and painted it yesterday, then came in this morning and put tape on it for a couple of hours. Peeled it off and had the exact same impressions as my problem piece. Took some clear and sprayed over it and it all vanished! Couldn't see any evidence that the mark was ever there.

Whew.....I was getting tired of making, painting, stripping, painting, stripping, painting, remarking, painting, stripping, painting, remaking, painting.....etc :)

I've got a little touch up to do and then it'll be complete. Hopefully it'll look good enough to post the results on here.

Thanks for the tips guys, it's all in the memory back in case there is a next time.

[Frank Corker]

A cranny is a small crevice

[Frank Corker]

Well thanks for that Frank.


Actually on this matter with paint and stuff, you should have gone to a motor factors that supply car paint, they have a special barrier paint which allows you to handle two different types of paint on one another. Failing that they certainly could have mixed you precisely the colour of paint that you needed and the appropriate type to paint on top of the other. Still I'm sure that your persistence will have paid off, believe me the number of jobs I've done/done and re-done have always ended up being the non payers. Maybe they are just there to test us.

[Scott Shepherd]

Of course hindsight is 20/20. At the time I started, it was a "get this done today" kind of favor for the guy. So, I approached it from a "need to have it done today" kind of angle. Wasn't looking to spend $100 in paint at the time. Tried brushing some stuff, looked horrible. Tried airbrushing, went to the art store, guess what colors were missing?

Dang it. So I worked with what I could find, which ended up killing me.

It's a sign pointing to a memorial for some people who were killed, so it's all charity work for me. Not because I took so long, but because I think it's the right thing to do in this situation.

Should have bought the right stuff in the beginning. I thought I learned that lesson long ago, but apparently I needed a refresher course in Murphy's Law :)

I'm on the home stretch now. Will finish it this weekend for sure, providing the paint doesn't fall off of it or I don't drop it face down in the gravel walking it to my car.

My crannies are all smooth right now :)

[Frank Corker]

Glad you aren't letting it get the better of you and that you can still smile. Take photos and post