Fish Eyes in the clearcoat ?

[axisg]

Figured I would clean up the wheel rash on wifeys summer tires. I did a "test" wheel back in November and it came out stellar. Omni Base / Clear. Medium Hardener, all omni stuffs.

Yesterday
Sanded out the worst of the wheel rash yesterday with 120, 280, 400, then green scouring pad. 50/50 water vinegar rinse ( thats what was in the bottle ) then water and blow dry. Evercoat finger skim to even out the rash, 280, 400 sand, and rattle can 2x light coats of self etching primer ( thats what I had ) then home for the day.

Today
Around 10 I blended out the primer with the green scouring pad, rinse, blowdry and 30+ min in the sun.

Around 11 am I hit it with a dusting of base, come back 10 mins later with 2 more coats to blend it all in. Got busy with work ( because we all need money), at 3pm I hit it with clear.
First dusting was OK, 5 mins later I hit it the second time it was a little bumpy. I waited 5 more mins to hit it with the heavy gloss coat and it all fisheyed like crazy. I dont mean a couple but the whole damn thing looked like hammertone finish. As a test I hit the other wheel with some lacquer from a rattle can and it comes up smooth.

Any ideas ? The rinse was all done with shop towels, I suspect the dollar store scouring pads but the base went down smooth and without a single issue. And the lacquer seems unaffected

Too much time between base and clear ?? The one from november sat overnight before they it was cleared and it looks like glass. And the ones one my van only waited maybe 30 mins before I went from base to clear.

Frustrating to take lacquer thinner and wipe it all the way back to the bodywork stage ( but its better than sanding ).

 

[pagrunt]

Did you use MX190 cleaner when you wiped everything down before clearing? The clear, is it MC161? You have up to 24 hours to clear MBC, 5-10 minutes @ 12 deg. C (70 F) between coats. Your gun, was it the same for the color coat & did you get all the cleaning solvent out of it? I like to spray either the MX190 (or other similar cleaner) or thinner (Omni MR or DBC/DCC DT) after wards.

 

[axisg]

MH267 hardener, MC262 clear. Typically I blow it off with air thru an inline filter and never wipe from base to clear. FWIW I am painting in a warehouse with 3x box fans wedged under the dock door or outside so I don't have super high expectations in regards to finish. I do drain the tank daily, and use a disposable inline filter for less than an hour of spray time before I toss them ( just for added insurance )

Today I used 2 different cheap $20 HF HLPV guns that hold appx 1/2 pint. No wipe between coats. When done I clean the guns first with "old" lacquer thinner. 100% full disassemble and soak in the same "old" stuff. Then rinse in "new" thinner ( which gets added to the old ) and reassemble so its good to go next time. Never had this happen before.

Honestly its like somebody came in wiped it all down in wd30 between base and clear.

 

[pagrunt]

If it might be environmental causes, try Marson Smoothie Fisheye Eliminator.

 

[melloelky]

Steer clear of the fish eye eliminator if you can help it,once you start using that you have to stick with it or you'll get fish eyes all the time.

 

[joesregalproject]

Pardon my ignorance if you already answered these questions, I only skimmed through your post.

Did you apply base directly over the self etch primer? That can cause fisheyes. Put a layer a regular primer on top of the etch primer, then base coat over that.

Also what wax and grease remover are you using? I've been using G-O-N made by Rust-Oleum for several years with PPG products and it seems to work well. Prior to using G-O-N, I was using Transtar SCAT and I think I maybe got a bad gallon or something because the last two cars I prepped with it, I had reactions. I switched to GON and it didn't react.

Also was there ever any wax or tire shine on the wheel? I had a customer with an El Camino who washed and waxed his car excessively. The original laquer paint had dried out and was cracking on the hood and roof, so he wanted me to repaint them. I stripped both panels to bare metal, primed with my usual Transtar and blocked it down ready for paint. When I went to paint it (I use Deltron DBC almost exclusively on customer cars) it fisheyed everywhere on the second coat. Pissed off, I called my paint supplier and told them they must've mixed a bad can or something. So they mixed another can, I stripped the panels back down and started over. I opened up a brand new can of primer just in case the primer was bad. When I painted it again the same thing happened. I used a different gun and the water filter on my compressor was working fine.

I think the problem was due to the fact that the car had been waxed so many times, I just kept getting contamination, no matter how careful I was. Eventually I ended up putting the coats on super thin, and I still had some fisheyes but I was able to wetsand them out.

I've never had to use fisheye eliminator, so I can't speak to how it works.

 

[axisg]

yes I put the base on over the scuffed self etch. Its only road rash so the strips are only 1/2" by 2 to 3" long and blended into the existing paint/clear on the rim. Bought the car from an older couple and with the road rash and brake dust I doubt they were washed less any tire shine. I blended in another coat of base right over the blended areas before I left work tonight. Lets see what they look like in the AM when I hit them with the clear.

 

[Gozer442]

You must have had some sort of contaminate oil or silicon land on the rims while sitting outside(aerosol tire shine can float on the wind from a neighbors's yard), or whatever you were using to clean them left particles. Always use bodyshop scuff pads like 3M makes, wipe with a good wax/grease remover, and then a fresh tack cloth before paint. Also, prepping and paint inside your garage(making sure its well ventilated) will help eliminate environmental contaminates.

 

[axisg]

well the clear laid down like glass this morning with only 1 tiny fisheye. They are baking in the sun now. Only thing I can think of is if I didn't wipe out the gun after the last cleaning with fresh lacquer thinner