ARGHHH!! (painting probs!)

[RedSquirrel]

Okay, yesturday I painted my CP in an undercoat. Today at 11am I gave it the first coat of black paint.

at 3pm I gave it a second.

At 6pm, I went to check it. And the thing was very unsmooth with loads of bumps etc. I decided to sand it all off (well most of it) and started again with the painting. Checked at 9pm and it was not as bad, but a few bumps (and small hairs..probably from the brush?) were present - which i scratched off and repainted.

Just been back out and it had some smudge marks and a few bumps. I have just given it another coating.

Im, gonna check at around 12:30-1am and i really hope its looking okay! I wanted to start wiring it tonight grrr.

Any tips?

I wasn't really concerned with the CP box, but i want the main cp to be as smooth as possible. The same goes with the cab really (when I build it).

thanks..

[Apollo]

Need more info.
Are you using gloss, semi-gloss or matt paint? You should be using semi-gloss.
What is the weather like where you are? ( seriously ) If it's too cold you aren't waiting long enough between coats, you should give it 24 hours minimum.
What grit sand paper are you using between coats? You shouldn't be using anything lower than 300 grit.
Truth is you are going to fast. A decent paint job on a cab should take you about a week.

[CanStick]

At 6pm, I went to check it. And the thing was very unsmooth with loads of bumps etc. I decided to sand it all off (well most of it) and started again with the painting. Checked at 9pm and it was not as bad, but a few bumps (and small hairs..probably from the brush?) were present - which i scratched off and repainted.

One thing you might want to try is using a roller...you will get a much smoother finish that way.  I think it is a foam roller that you want, from what I remember...

[AlanS17]

Also, what time does the sun set or what time does it start to get dark? If it gets hot enough during the day then you're likely to have dew start settling at night. That causes major issues with a paint job.

Whether it's a blessing or a curse, it's always hot here so painting isn't hard. However, you got to be careful for the humidity. If dew starts to settle while it's still drying you're screwed.

[RedSquirrel]

Well, it says on the paint to do a second coat after 4 hours.

I am using a roller too.

The paint is "low odour satin black - waterbased and quick drying for wood and metal" . My mum got it for me due to it being on a sale. I did say gloss was the best, but she couldnt see any (apparently..).

I am doing this thing in the garage. Today has been between 60-70F.

The paint is mostly okay, its the small bumps etc that are the prob.

[RedSquirrel]

I did a last check for tonight, it was dry after 2-3 hours. Anywayz, it wasn't too bad only a few bumps now which hopefully i just sorted. I gave it one final coat after, and Ill wait and see what its like in 9 hours time.

When it was drying though, i noticed some looks more wet(darker) than other bits. Is this normal, or is it gonna leave nasty marks when its fully dry? thx

[Apollo]

That's pretty standard.

[RedSquirrel]

Okay 10 hours after the last coat, i just went and looked at it. Firstly it is very smooth now, maybe one of two very small bumps (which are hardly noticeable). BUT.. at different angles you can see dark and light parts of paint. So.. im really not to sure whether to give another coat or not.. hmm

edit..

im getting some black gloss paint. Lets hope that does the job  

[Justin]

The glossier the paint, the more blotches you will see...  If you want to avoid dark/light parts on your finished product, use a FLAT BLACK paint.

[RedSquirrel]

The glossier the paint, the more blotches you will see...  If you want to avoid dark/light parts on your finished product, use a FLAT BLACK paint.

oh well too late, ive done a coat of gloss. The max I am doing is one more coat, and that will have to be it.

[Yarb]

You should always lightly sand between coats of paint, this will knock down fibres in the wood that have swolen and raised up as well as ensure that the next coat bonds well for an even look, I usually use 120 grit for this but anything from 100 to 220 should work.... also as a tip if I find that the paint is binding up in the sand paper its a good idea to let it dry a bit more before continuing.

Yarb

[rampy]

You should always lightly sand between coats of paint, this will knock down fibres in the wood that have swolen and raised up as well as ensure that the next coat bonds well for an even look, I usually use 120 grit for this but anything from 100 to 220 should work.... also as a tip if I find that the paint is binding up in the sand paper its a good idea to let it dry a bit more before continuing.

Yarb

Yarb, you should post a pic of your very slick cab's paint job so that they can see, without a doubt, you're advice is valid (it is valid, lest you think I was being sarcastic)

rampy

[RedSquirrel]

yeah i did sand at one point, but well it was okay after that except for a few little bumps. This last coat i done though looks quite nice, and i am not touching it after that. Ill give it several hours to dry and maybe wire it all up around 5-6 hours time. It can then continue drying over night.