Painting a 1411WU - Mission Impossible?

[ghostsauce]

I purchased a Hammond 1411WU and am trying to paint it and it won't stick. The paint, Krylon's standard metal spray paint, goes like leopard print moments after application... kinda like when you try to mix oil and water.  Assuming it was having issues with the adhesive on the protective film that came on the 1411WU, I've used acetone, varsol, fingernail polish remover, and even dish soap to try to remove whatever is on there and no luck. I even tried sanding it!

Anybody have any idea what I can do to make this paint stick?

[defaced]

Bad can of paint? 
Temps too cold? 
Primer first?

Do you have access to a sand blaster? 

[ghostsauce]

No sand blaster.. Paint works fine on all the other enclosures I've done.. Temps are no colder here than usual, except maybe 4 degrees celsius, but I doubt even that much.. Didn't primer first, but I've never had to do that before.. Been thinking about picking up primer but I'm hesitant to spend more money at this point cause it's eating into my profit. :s

[ghostsauce]

Varsol, rinse, sanding, rubbing alcohol... will post results.

[ghostsauce]

Man, still going fisheye on me! It's better, but barely noticeable. Starting to wonder if it's just something with the metal itself

[R.G.]

Fisheye is one of those things that causes a knee-jerk reaction in the car-painting industry. It's nearly always caused by a silicone oil contamination of the surface.

Worse yet, silicone oils are nearly impossible to get rid of entirely. Mostly you have to remove the contaminated surface to get it off. You can try sanding, then lacquer thinner, then acetone.

[ghostsauce]

Hmm, now that sounds like a plausible solution... thanks RG!

[ghostsauce]

Nope, still getting the same results.  It appears that the box is unpaintable unless I go with latex or something, heh.

[davent]

I've seen it said in woodworking circles that dewaxed shellac will seal in silicone contamination of a surface and allow the following coatings to bond properly. I use BIN Primer Sealer Stain Killer as part of priming enclosures (after etching primer), a shellac based product available in a spray can or larger, for brushing, quantities. High solids, seals and sands well but i haven't had experience with resolving fish eye issues. Maybe worth a try. (I get the larger quantities/cans and spray it with a cheap single action airbrush, much more economical.)

dave

[R.G.]

Worth a try.

Sometimes silicone can get into pores and crevices and be almost impossible  to remove. I understand the the auto repainting anti-fisheye potions do what you're suggesting, sealing over the contamination, not removing it.