Painting sintra

[jerry_stanek]

I have been cutting letters out of komatex and sintra our painter is having a hard time painting them without the clear coat fish eying. What paint would you recommend to solve this problem?

[joewino]

Why are clear coating them?

What paint are you using to paint them?

[jerry_stanek]

The jobs that we are doing are for trade shows and the customers want a high gloss on the letters.

[joe]

Jerry,

It's hard for anyone to know the answer, with so little information. We must assume it's an automotive type paint. If that's the case you can purchase some Anti-Fisheye.

I'm sure you found the solution for your problem by now.

[terryjones]

Jerry,

Fisheyes are tiny crater or pock-like openings (like on a cheese pizza) that appear shortly after one sprays a coat of paint or primer over the intended area. Fisheye is caused primarily by spraying over a surface that's contaminated with oil, grease, or silicones. Does the komatex or sintra have any silicones in its manufacturing process? To prevent fisheye you will need to use a pre-cleaner and possibly fisheye eliminator in the paint. If you end up with fisheye, there are a few ways to address the problem. First, you could let the area dry and then sand it to a smooth surface (below the fisheye craters) and respray the area. Or, if they show up in a basecoat, you can let the coat flash-dry and follow it with a real light mist coat to try and seal and bridge the fisheye. For really bad fisheyes you might want to grab a can of thinner or reducer and wash the entire area off, and start over.

I have now started with all refinishing jobs of top surfaces is to spraying several light coats of lacquer sealer to change the surface tension to cover any silicone contaminates from Pledge or Endust.(Silicone can be an expensive headache).

Also, check check your air lines for water/oil. Blow down your compressor and drain any water that might be in the tank. Also, check and change the air line filters. This is basic stuff, but sometimes it is just a basic problem that gets over-looked.

Terry

[joe]

Terry,

All this information is spot on, however he hasn't told us what materials he's using. Like you I'm suspecious he's using automotive enamels.

Sometimes these guys will use OneShot. Which is much more of a mess since it's slow drying and real sticky. Also there is the possability of acrylic latex causing the problem.

Anyway, we have got to go with Auto Paint as the problem.

[jerry_stanek]

I will have to ask the painter what type of paint he is using. I am not involved with that part of the process.