I tried to seal a waterslide decal. What went wrong?

[cymn14]

So i tried to seal an laser waterslide decal with Acryl clearcoat. I applied it outside. It was cold (like 5 degrees celsius). At first i applied a rather thick coat of clear coat. Then i put it inside again (20 degrees celsius). Then after 10 Minutes i went outside again, put on the second coat, and put it inside again to dry. After maybe 30 minutes it looked like this:

What did I do wrong? Was it the thick coat? Or maybe the wrong laquer? I also thought maybe the temperature difference was causing the warping...

[davent]

I'll guess way way way too cold to paint, too thick initial coat, not enough time to dry before a second coat... The paint can usually states a minimum temperature for painting.

dave

[GGBB]

Was the decal completely dry to start with? Might have been a factor.

But probably exactly what Dave said. Dry time before second coat is very important - either keep it short with thin coats (a full coat not a light dusting) or wait 24-48h. Haven't painted in a while, but used to have good results with 3 thin as possible coats 5 minutes apart.

You can paint in the cold but the question is how cold? The colder it is, the faster the paint dries or forms into larger droplets as it passes through the air. Metal cans and enclosures also cool down fairly quickly - a cold surface is the worst thing. Some things you can do to improve your chances: keep the enclosure and spray can warm; use a portable heater or heat lamp to warm the air where you will be spraying; get it in and out of the cold fast.

[bluebunny]

My $0.02...  The thick coat will never dry, particularly if you put another thick coat on top.  And thick clearcoat will start to distort (dissolve?) your decal.  Paint or clearcoat needs to be applied thinly.  The low temperatures don't help either.      I'm in the same boat: I effectively have a painting moratorium during the colder winter months, so probably nothing new from me until the spring, unless we get an unseasonably warm weekend. 

[italianguy63]

My $0.02...  The thick coat will never dry, particularly if you put another thick coat on top.  And thick clearcoat will start to distort (dissolve?) your decal.  Paint or clearcoat needs to be applied thinly.  The low temperatures don't help either.      I'm in the same boat: I effectively have a painting moratorium during the colder winter months, so probably nothing new from me until the spring, unless we get an unseasonably warm weekend. 

What exactly is a "warm/dry" month in the UK?   

MC

[Rob Strand]

The thick coat will never dry, particularly if you put another thick coat on top.  And thick clearcoat will start to distort (dissolve?) your decal.

I used to do panels with dry transfer lettering (like letraset).  Once I changed the lacquer I normally used to a different type, one which was harder and better wearing.   All my letters shrivel up.   A lot worse that the original poster's example.  It was fairly obvious the reason was chemical.     The lesson learned is if you try a new process always do a small test sample!

What did I do wrong? Was it the thick coat? Or maybe the wrong laquer? I also thought maybe the temperature difference was causing the warping...

If you aren't convince the problem is chemical you could try warming the plate.   You might need to read-up on tricks for cold weather.  Then try a small sample.

[bluebunny]

What exactly is a "warm/dry" month in the UK?   

Ha ha!  Not November, that's for sure!  And having just returned from vacation in the Caribbean, it's something I'm acutely aware of right now...

[danielzink]

I *always* lay a coat of clear down first....let it dry for a couple hours under a lightbulb

Then apply the decal....

Let it dry overnight under the lightbulb.

Then - 1 light coat of clear - almost a mist....then..let dry for 2 to 3 hours (under the lightbulb)

Then...additional light coat of clear....let dry (under the bulb again).

If needed one final "heavier" coat to smooth it out - then let dry for at least 1 day...if not 2....

Typically the first two light coats smooth out without need for the third coat.

The reason for the first coat is that way you're laying your additional layers of clear over the same paint and there's less of a chance of a reaction between the paint/powdercoat on the box and the decal and clear...

Dan

[stallik]

What exactly is a "warm/dry" month in the UK?   

Ha ha!  Not November, that's for sure!  And having just returned from vacation in the Caribbean, it's something I'm acutely aware of right now...

There were several warm days in 1976 and I'm hoping that this year I won't have to come back from the Caribbean 

[pinkjimiphoton]

most def too thick a coating. i've had the same happen with guitar builds while learning.
with any kind of clear coat, "dust" it multiple times rather than any thick coats.
thick coats never dry completely, as they're sealed by the outside of the paint.
the solvents in the paint also will tend to melt the decals... this can look fantastic if done right, like, a couple coats of clear then decal then more clear... looks like the decal is "floating" above the object when ya do that.
but keys are here, time, temp, and humidity.

you need to let the coats dry. thinner coats dry faster. give it a full day between coats, and build up each coat by running several thin passes letting it dry.
i would scuff the box with 400-600 grit paper then wipe with naptha or acetone to get it as clean as possible before painting. then i'd do about 2 coats. let it dry thoroughly, and then scuff the laquer lightly before adding the decal.
make sure the decal is completely dry, may take a couple days... then again dust a couple passes over it, let dry, repeat.
paint will not dry if its too cold. either take it inside somewhere and use a fan exhausting in the window, or something similar, or accept ya gotta wait til you have an ambient temp of at least 60 degrees <farenheit, no idea what the celsius equiv is>
also humidity will @#$% you up, every single time. so ya need to do it dry, and warm, if ya want it to work out well. laquers, poly, i don't think it matters too much in this respect.
if ya have a toaster oven, you can bake it for a while too i guess.

all i write is based solely on guitar finishing, so ymmv and probably should. just shit i discovered @#$%in shit up on my own.

i built a firebird and a flying v over the summer. both were mahogany bursts, red to brown to dark brown. the firebird came out great.
the flying v did exactly what your box did, all over the place. the diff was i was trying to take advantage of proper weather... i live in new england, and the weather here changes about as quick as big blighty does... and i pushed it by doing thick coats. it looked STELLAR when i hung it.
the next day it looked like a shattered mirror.

paint can also "move" for a while after its "dry" and impact can make it shatter like this as well.

good luck mate!