Dark Streaks in Flame red

E

esahlin

Hi, Im using a single stage urethane GM flame red color (Kirker). I am painting 3 coats of flame red single stage over a gray 2K primer. I am letting that dry for 24 hours and then I am dry sanding that with 800 grit (garage paint booth so I get some trash). Then I am clear coating that with SPI universal clear with three coats. I am working on one of my fenders (off the car) so I am inspecting it with my bifocals on high.

What I just noticed is that there are some dark streaks in the flame red. I am wondering if this is happening during my sanding of the single stage and the streaks are caused where the flame red pigment becomes too thin in areas or is there something else that is causing this? Ive already decided I am going to re-paint it with single stage then re-clear.....there are some dark streaks that are quite noticeable.

I have painted some smaller pieces of my car (front valence etc) with the same process above and not noticed the dark streaks. I am wondering if its just because I got more color on these pieces or?

Any help or insight is appreciated!
 
That is a tough one, flame red has a little black in it but not much,never have seen this happen with that color but it could.

I will just list things i think could cause it ant maybe other people will have some ideas.

Dispersement in paint is dead or not enough or got frozen.
Fan on gun is heavy on one side.
One cure to try id dispersant problem, would be add a shot of clear activator at the rate of 1 oz per mixed quart of base.

I'm kind of stumped here.
 
Thanks Barry......How about if I didnt stir the single stage red enough before I mixed it with the activator? Would that possibly affect how it looks sprayed?
 
Could well be with a an SS, not sure how I got base.
Also could do it if first say quart was poured up and the gallon not mixed real good first and the tint settled.
 
not sure how transparent kirker single stage red is...imo it sounds like the fan on the gun is heavy on one end, like barry said... and add that with not enough coats...maybe?? Dark streaks is the primer underneath. More likely to see it on a big flat panel, rather than a smaller valance panel. I know the "general rule" is 3 coats but we all know there are some colors (and it varies manufacturer to manufacturer) that require a lot more. the roadrunner i painted a few months back was dbc lime green metallic...and took 6 coats (although it is base).
 
Also, sanding red SS will change its color slightly, it should be cleared without sanding, then resanded for clear, or one more coat of red should be shot over the sanded SS before clearing.

It seems most likely to be a coverage issue, though, but really clearing over sanded red SS can cause other appearance problems, so if/when you redo it you ought to adjust your technique a bit as far as sanding on the red.
 
The gallon of color SS sat for about 6 months......It shouldnt have frozen. I bought new activator recently.....I stirred the gallon really well a couple of weeks ago before painting a smaller piece. But I might have forgotten to stir it again before mixing this time. Im using an Iwata LPH400 and I'll check the cleanliness cof my gun again....but I did clean it prior to painting that fender so maybe the fan was OK.

All good points.......I know Kirker isnt the top of the line and might be a little stingy on pigment etc.....so I'll make sure I stir the SS and I'll try 5 coats of SS on my second attempt and see how it turns out.

Thanks.
 
Crashtech: Yes.... ive seen that sanding the red single stage does change the color somewhat.....but I was hoping the "change to be uniform" but maybe thats not possible.

I wish I could clear over the red SS without sanding the SS......but I get too much trash in the paint for me to be able to clear it without sanding.......any ideas on a way I can sand the SS for best results?

I think I used a 3M finishing film 800 grit disc for sanding the single stage on the smaller parts.....I think I'll go back to that and see if it helps with the dark streaks.

Thanks.
 
If you are getting trash in the red, you are getting trash in the clear. It's almost six of one, half dozen of the other. Try picking the stuff out with a pin or tiny tweezers maybe. Because even if you sand your red, you need to put more red on top of the sanded stuff, so there is no way around it.

Sometimes it's possible to use a bit faster products than usual on SS that will not be the final finish, because gloss and perfect overspray absorption are not an issue with something that will be cleared. Faster flash times will help keep trash from sticking.
 
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