Painting metal surface with rattle can.


Applied primer (epoxy) and waited 48 hours then applied paint (nitrocellulose base) then in 60 minutes followed with clear coat (acrylic base).


When three days later used masking tape on the clear coat and removed it minute ago it took off clear and paint and only primer left attached. :confused:



1. How long i am supposed to wait before using masking tape on newly painted surface?


2. If i have waited 24-48 hours before applying clear coat layer would paint have chance to dry better?


3. If i remember correctly some years ago i read TDS for spray paint or primer that said - need to apply next coat within 48 hours, does it sound true or i misunderstood?

I mean logically for example if i apply glossy paint and it dries then clear will not stick well?


4. Its better to apply clear coat on matte spray paint or it will hold as strong on glossy paint?


5. In TDS to primer it say "after drying, sand the base layer (grain 600)" are they serious i need to sand the primer?
What if i paint something like bike frame that is not a flat surface, it will take ages to sand...

Uggghhh.... here we go.... We do try to encourage people here in the art and skills of automotive painting. RATTLECANS don't fit in that sentence. A rattle can is a bottle of Elmers Glue All and pro auto coatings, guns, etc., are a TIG Welder. Oddly enough they are both capable of sticking stuff to stuff but, come on, they are worlds away from doing the same thing.
Just a few guesses since you mention no products here. Your epoxy was probably a type of air activated pre-catalyzed epoxy. When it hit the air it started to cross link and after 48 hours was probably cured. You probably didn't scuff that at all, for your next coat of low solids paint to stick, and then applied your low solids clear over that. Notice the words low solids keep coming up here. Rattle cans may have solids as low as 8 to 10%. Compare that to high solids auto clears which can be over 50%. With rattle cans like you are using I don't know if you can get enough coating on there that the tape won't pull it.

Exactly what kind of epoxy primer was that?
Sure it wasn't a urethane 2K primer?
Did the can have 2 compartments that mixed the two
when spraying?
Regular primer from a rattle can is usually lacquer and not
meant for bare metal.
But lacquer primer and urethane primer must be sanded for
base to stick.
Only a true epoxy primer doesn't have to be sanded first and even then
it has a window that once expired has to be sanded too.

So now we'll find out what kind of rattle cans they have in Finland?....