Major paint scratch off

Cpt.Nemo

Cpt.Nemo

Gravity Guru
Hey guys I'm so frustrated right now I could scream! I just repainted my recurve bow, and even with sanding, degreasing and self etching primer from duplicolor, the paint just scratches right off the metal! I put a clear coat over it and since I'm a noob at clear its uneven and orange peel everywhere. I'm not too concerned with the orange peel as much as the paint. How tha heck do you paint metal?! It's like nothing but powder coat sticks!! This self etching primer seems useless as it scratches right off. Is that how it's supposed to be, and I just put a super thick layer of clear on top? I don't want my bow paint to scratch off as soon as a start shooting. There must be a better way to paint metal and make it durable.
Also how long should I wait before assembly after clear coat? A week? A month? Some parts are metal on metal and I don't want it to scratch. Is that just inevitable?
 
Never had that problem with an etch primer, that sucks. The acid should be eating into the metal and making it stick. Maybe try a dust coat first, letting it fully dry before giving a full coat???
 
@Squishy is right, the acid should eat into the metal, however, only a very light coat is required. This primer is not like normal primer where coverage of colour is needed. It may be the reason for the easy removal. Give a good 24hrs before applying any other primer or base. If the etch primer is still easily removed then I would suggest a fault with the primer itself. If this is not adhering, then it does'nt matter what you put on top, it will still chip or scratch off.
As for the orange peel, this could be a number of reasons but Im guessing the piece was painted with a certain haste and the under coats were not properly dry? There are a host of other reasons if this is not the case.
a/ to thick application
b/ spraying in too warm an environment so clear is drying and not flowing out
c/ incompatible clear coat
This is not all of the possibilities but a good start.
cheers
Iv
 
Ahh ok I guess I should have read up on the etching primer. I put a full 3 coats on and didn't put another primer on top. I'll try a different brand of etching primer. It's so frustrating seeing my hard work chip off like that! Think I'm going to just stick to paying the extra money for the good stuff from now on. Piecing all these paint brands and primers together to get a deal isn't paying off.
As for the clear I think maybe I did put it on too thick. It was almost dripping. It's pretty thick stuff and I wasn't seeing the gloss I wanted with light coats so I laid it on heavy. Thanks for the tips!
 
Was the bow powdercoated to begin with? If your painting on powdercoated parts your going to have to rough up that surface, self etch primer alone wont do.
 
It was but STUPIDLY IM SO STUPID I stripped the powder because someone said it was better to have bare metal. Took 6 hours to strip powder. Never again
 
You wont be the first person on nere to repaint something. If your flaking off primer and all you are going to have to strip it sgsin however. I know that sucks.
 
Yes, start with the etch primer REALLY thin, you should be able to see through it, then put a higher film primer over that. Cars go etch primer, hi build build, colour, clear... advantage is, you should have NO trouble stripping it this time...
 
From what I've heard above, I'd also guess the etch primer may have been too thick. Another thing to keep in mind is the type of metal. Some etch primers work good on bare steel and galvanized steel, but not very well on things like aluminum.
 
Oh great a primer for each type of metal, I can see the dollar signs piling up now haha. I'll see how long this lasts and when it gets too scratched I'll strip it and maybe do a different design. Keep things interesting. I really need a sand blaster, doing everything by hand sucks
 
Cpt.Nemo said:
Oh great a primer for each type of metal, I can see the dollar signs piling up now haha. I'll see how long this lasts and when it gets too scratched I'll strip it and maybe do a different design. Keep things interesting. I really need a sand blaster, doing everything by hand sucks
Click to expand...
Lol. It's not that bad. Most etch primers do work with most metals, but it's something to keep in mind. We paint bare metal almost every day at work with no issues. We also carry a lifetime warranty on repairs so if it wasn't working we would know about it. Just do a little research to find a product that will cover what you want to do, and how to use it. Just like everything else, it's a little rough to get started but once you get it figured out it goes a lot better.
 
Well thanks for the encouragement there I was getting pretty frustrated with metal painting. Have to paint my bike so I'll give the etch primer another try
 
Cpt.Nemo said:
Well thanks for the encouragement there I was getting pretty frustrated with metal painting. Have to paint my bike so I'll give the etch primer another try
Click to expand...

There will be other primers maybe more suited to your bike, at the very least I wouldn't use the same primer in case there is some kind of fault with it, if you must use etching primer, at least find out what the best brands are and go with one of them after checking that they are suitable of course.

In my early days as painter and decorator we used etching primer only for bare steel and galvanised steel, for aluminium we normally used another primer called Calcium Plumbate which probably no longer exists due to it's high lead content, the word Plumb is Latin for lead and anything with "ate" at the end of it means it has been oxidised, therefore oxidised lead containing calcium.

And for tomorrows lesson we will be discussing fluid dynamics and in particular the devastating corrosive effects of air bubbles on ships propellers, be there or be square, and take notes, there will be a test afterwards:):):)
 
Madbrush said:
There will be other primers maybe more suited to your bike, at the very least I wouldn't use the same primer in case there is some kind of fault with it, if you must use etching primer, at least find out what the best brands are and go with one of them after checking that they are suitable of course.

In my early days as painter and decorator we used etching primer only for bare steel and galvanised steel, for aluminium we normally used another primer called Calcium Plumbate which probably no longer exists due to it's high lead content, the word Plumb is Latin for lead and anything with "ate" at the end of it means it has been oxidised, therefore oxidised lead containing calcium.

And for tomorrows lesson we will be discussing fluid dynamics and in particular the devastating corrosive effects of air bubbles on ships propellers, be there or be square, and take notes, there will be a test afterwards:):):)
Click to expand...
Nicely put M ate .... lol. sorry :laugh:
 
Madbrush said:
There will be other primers maybe more suited to your bike, at the very least I wouldn't use the same primer in case there is some kind of fault with it, if you must use etching primer, at least find out what the best brands are and go with one of them after checking that they are suitable of course.

In my early days as painter and decorator we used etching primer only for bare steel and galvanised steel, for aluminium we normally used another primer called Calcium Plumbate which probably no longer exists due to it's high lead content, the word Plumb is Latin for lead and anything with "ate" at the end of it means it has been oxidised, therefore oxidised lead containing calcium.

And for tomorrows lesson we will be discussing fluid dynamics and in particular the devastating corrosive effects of air bubbles on ships propellers, be there or be square, and take notes, there will be a test afterwards:):):)
Click to expand...
And thats one i know about. Cavitation... what causes and howbto help stop it etc.
 
Cpt.Nemo said:
Oh great a primer for each type of metal, I can see the dollar signs piling up now haha. I'll see how long this lasts and when it gets too scratched I'll strip it and maybe do a different design. Keep things interesting. I really need a sand blaster, doing everything by hand sucks
Click to expand...
I used to get paid to strip metal with chemicals and a Plastic Media Blaster (PMB) That stuff rocks... you so need a PMB machine, doesn't damage the substrate. Stripped an empty coke can - 4 thou thick aluminium... so yes, I was a male stripper...!
 
markjthomson said:
I used to get paid to strip metal with chemicals and a Plastic Media Blaster (PMB) That stuff rocks... you so need a PMB machine, doesn't damage the substrate. Stripped an empty coke can - 4 thou thick aluminium... so yes, I was a male stripper...!
Click to expand...
Woah there, I might have to look into that career :p I'm not sure if I have a large enough compressor though. It's just a 5gal from Home Depot. Sand blasting definitely doesn't work with it but I assume I would need less CFM for plastic? That sounds like the answer to a lot of my problems! If I could strip paint on bows quickly I would offer my stripping services to friends for a discount :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

SeniorXJ
Most Durable Paint For Metal
Replies
13
Views
794
Vaportrail
Vaportrail
J
Question regarding metal primers
Replies
3
Views
177
tatocorvette
tatocorvette
L
Over Spray
Replies
10
Views
275
Ltank
L
S
House Of Kolor Help Please
Replies
15
Views
570
skydbe76
S
Dude_Slick
Just wanna say hello.
Replies
5
Views
139
Franc Kaiser
Franc Kaiser
Back
Top