How can I salvage this paint job!?

[Focalized]

Like a dope I read the inside humidity, 55%. So I ended up clear coating this with actually humidity at about 78%.
So it's very hazy around the sides and has dimples on top. How can I safely sand this down without ruining one of my favorite paint jobs yet?

[kurtlives]

Let it cure for a long time (maybe up to 2 weeks depending on the weather).

Then I would wet sand it with some fine sand paper.

[Focalized]

Yeah I figured that was the only thing I could do. I'm afraid to though. There is no way i'm going to replicate that skull you can see in the middle.

[cheeb]

Shoot, I'd leave it. It looks freaking sweet to me.

[Focalized]

It's lost its metallic luster though. 

I'll probably see how I can recover the bottom first.

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

I think it looks great. The sanded sides give it a kind of "ghosted" look which works with the skull and the other white "spectres". A coat or 3 of clear-coat should make it come up nicely

[theundeadelvis]

As kurtlives said, I'd let it cure, then hit it with some really fine grit paper. Then maybe even try a buffer, then hit it with another coat of clear.

[Focalized]

I think it looks great. The sanded sides give it a kind of "ghosted" look which works with the skull and the other white "spectres". A coat or 3 of clear-coat should make it come up nicely

Well it's not sanded just hazy. I guess it might look cool as is. Another clear coat, once the humidity is down might look good. I'll have to think about this a bit.

[caress]

let it be, let it be.  let it be... oh let it be!

[sleepybrighteyez]

Something you could try, but I'm not sure if it would work in this case. I've heard that you can remove a heat spot (similar foggy look in a clear coat) typical to kitchen tables by laying down a damp cotton rag/tshirt and ironing over the top quickly at a low temp setting. Something about reheating it brings the fog spot out. I don't know if this would work in your case because it was caused by humidity. I work as a painter, and live in one of the most humid places in the US, and I have never had that happen to a clear coat on me. Good luck.

BTW, I really love that paint job too.

[John Lyons]

When the paint cures the foggyness should become clear.
You didn't say what the finish was. Lacquer, enamel ?

Put it in a warm dry place. A low heat toaster oven would work well.
Do not use one that you will cook food in though.
100-150 degrees works well.

john

[Focalized]

It's Krylon Crystal Clear. Dries in 12 minutes. I suppose some buffing might help. I think i'll try that first.

[John Lyons]

Believe me, nothing "dries in 12 minutes". Even 5 minute epoxies take a while longer to cure.
Maybe at 100 degrees 10% humidity it would dry to the touch but not fully cure...
Buffing will not help with fogging.

john

[railhead]

Pop it into an over for about 20 minutes at 150 degrees.

[sleepybrighteyez]

Put it up to your nose and give it a whiff. When the paint thinner type smell goes away, it should be cured (this can take a couple of weeks). I shot a couple coats of clear on my Fuzz Face clone enclosure a couple of days ago. It was dry to touch in like 15min, but it's still not cured. I can smell it, and I just noticed my wife placed the bottom 'lid' face to face with the top of the enclosure, and it stuck a little so now I have to sand and clear again before I can paint the labels on it. :/

And no, buffing will only make it shine. The fog is humidity trapped inside the clear coat. You gotta draw that moisture out somehow. The low temp toaster oven sounds like a good idea. Probably the same principle of using an iron on a heat stain.

[Focalized]

Ok! I baked it a bit. Now it's a very old toaster i've never used for this. It has no temperature marks below 250. I need a thermometer. So it got it a little too hot and made some of the white kind of orange. But I took it out before it cooked. BUT! It did get rid of the dullness and haze. A little more clear coat and it still looks good. Just lost some color brightness.

I'll try to get to using the oven more. Once I get the temp down right. Thanks for the help.

[morcey2]

Just gotta say, that's one of the coolest looking paint jobs I've ever seen here.

Matt

[sleepybrighteyez]

Well, at least you found out that baking it will remove the fog. I still think the paint job looks killer. Did you post a thread on how you did it?

[Focalized]

Yeah I thought it was too late to try baking.

It's just a Dragonfly swirl style attempt. Made some splats with the white and once I saw the skull, I stopped. It was actually more pronounced but ran some as it dried.

It's now a Fuzz Face. Very similar to the one I just made. It's in the Pictures thread. I'll add this one too.

[SUPER VELCROBOY]

i would have used paint stripper and start over, but i guess you wanted to save that work. Usually if i really want to save something, i would let it dry for a day or 2 and go over it with 400 grit sand paper and clear on top of that.