Getting a better clear coat finish?

[HeavyFog]

How does everyone else clear coat their pedals? I've been using spray can clear coat for a long while now and i just can't get it to work for me. The end result has no shine to it and remains sticky for long after I've sprayed it. All that and if left in the sun for too long the finish gets sticky and tacky. I'm not looking for something overly shiny or glossy but just something to protect the undercoat that wont remain tacky forever. Not entirely sure if the enamel swirl paint jobs i do even need clear coat. Any tips?

Here's what i'm painting

[EBK]

Same problems here.  Even after the stuff is no longer tacky, it remains "delicate", seemingly forever (I think I once read 5 months to full surface hardness, I hope that I remember incorrectly).  If I hold it for more than a few seconds, the surface has clearly visible fingerprints that cannot be wiped off.

[Kipper4]

Is the swirl paintjob the same brand of paint as the clearcoat?

It could be a reaction....

Has this only started since you did swirl?

How come it worked before and not now? environmental changes? clearcoat a new brand?

[karbomusic]

Sounds like you are coating too thick, otherwise enamel should be dry in minutes. Even if thin, probably needs to be thinner between coats to where each previous coat is dry to the touch within about a minute - yes that thin - otherwise the top coat acts as a paint can lid for the underlying coats. Even sun/baking typically won't fix this. 

[stringsthings]

+1 to very thin coats.

I usually spray about 4-5 very thin coats allowing 10 minutes or so between to let the solvents flash off.
Very thin is the key.   Only passing over each surface until I can see it's been coated.  One to one and a half passes at most.

So far, I've not had any problem with stickiness.   Clearcoats are not the best protection against chips.
But I just build for personal use so that's not an issue.   I've been using Rustoleum clear.  Cheap and plentiful.

[HeavyFog]

Iv'e had this problem for as long as I've been making pedals. I've tried very light coats and heavier coats with various times between coats and it's never really came out that great. I might try just not clear coating swired pedals. The enamel swirl always comes out well and the only reason I clear it is to protect it from posdible flaking and to shine it up a little. IL give it a try to see how it goes. As for what I use I use krylon clear gloss with 1-2 light passes. The enamel is testors that Is thinned out for better swirl results.

[karbomusic]

Iv'e had this problem for as long as I've been making pedals. I've tried very light coats and heavier coats

How light? Each light coat reactivates the previous, becoming one good/single coat of paint in the end. I only ask because I truly didn't understand what 'light' meant for the longest time, it should be called 'like a light dusting, not a complete coat'. If you aren't sure you are going that light, where it might take 5-10 coats before it becomes a complete coat, it is often too much.

If you are sure you are going that light (dry to the touch in a minute or less), then I suppose it could be the substrate. Double check the can instructions just to see what devilish details are there; there are also recoat time windows etc such as all you want first hour, none after than until 24 hours and so on, depends on the paint so double check the can.

You can always try EnviroTex which is great (like a clear armor epoxy) but comes with it's own caveats and labor to get right.

[Kipper4]

My process is different. I've never worked with enamels or swirl finishes.
I also use rustolium clear. It's only gone south on me a couple of times, reacting and giving me a cracklure finish.
Me too on the thin coats thing.
I hope you get it sorted.

[karbomusic]

reacting and giving me a cracklure finish.

I sure wish I knew how I could reliably repeat that! Has happened twice and one of the best looks I've ever achieved. I could never repeat on demand as it had something to do with both the paint and how I sanded between primer and color coat.

[HeavyFog]

Usually i spray back and forth 2-3 times (from about 1-2 feet away) on each surface with 1-2 total coats (with about a half hour in between coats). Iv'e tried just skimming the enclosure with the clear coat but that didn't give me any shine. I'm starting to think that maybe i might have to try another method of painting all together.

[karbomusic]

Usually i spray back and forth 2-3 times (from about 1-2 feet away) on each surface with 1-2 total coats (with about a half hour in between coats). Iv'e tried just skimming the enclosure with the clear coat but that didn't give me any shine. I'm starting to think that maybe i might have to try another method of painting all together.

Gotcha, my 'good results' are usually 10-15 coats (1 minute or 2 apart) that are so light, if it were colored paint, it would take 5-6 coats before it even fully obfuscated the underlying color. So light, as I said, it is basically dry to the light touch before applying the next coat within that 1-2 minute per coat time frame. 2-3 coats and waiting 30 minutes sounds too heavy to me but.... I got this off the can of the paint I used albeit most of them don't really explain in such detail what light really means.

Before I started using this method, I was never really happy with the results.

[Ripdivot]

Humidity can be an issue with paint as well. You could try Envirotex 2 part epoxy clear, it looks awesome and is really durable.

[arkatom]

I haven't had a problem too much with my pedals chipping but then again the paint went on super thick. When I tried to add decals the heat gun made the entire top coat of paint sticky. Sounds like the thinner coats of paint will probably fix the problem with sticky mess.

I'll try on my next pedal and see how it goes.


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[HeavyFog]

I think the swirled pedals need a bit of clear coat after testing it just now. Some parts of it are thinner than others so it chips and dents easily

[G. Hoffman]

In general, most finishing problems are easiest to eliminate by doing a better job of surface preparation, though insufficient cure time and excessive film thickness don't help either.  Carefully sand and clean your surfaces before you start finishing anything, and try to keep the time between the final surface prep and initial finish application as short as you can (a matter of a few hours at most, maybe a day.  Definitely not weeks!)  And then, as each application of finish is completed, deal with any flaws before preceding to the next step.


Gabriel