Sprayed some Slick Sand for the first time and really messed up

rustover

rustover

Member
I had two coats of epoxy down, waited the 48 hours and was ready to go for slick sand. I did reduce it about 10 % with 885, but I really don't think I needed to. I used the flg4 Finishline gun with a 2.2 tip at 25psi, fluid was wide open and the fan was just dialed in a touch. I was really worried that it would set up quick so I mixed two batches of 16 oz's ready to go. First batch went down good and seem to go quick to me. I did eventually slow down so that I could get the build I was after. Every now and then the gun would spit out these larger droplets and I'm not sure why? I really stirred the stuff well before I poured. It was my first time using the dekups and so maybe it had something to do with the bag compressing. Next time I'm going to use a regular cup. The 16oz did half of the bed cover and so I went to grab the other 16oz batch. I left the hardener out so that I could add it when I was ready. That is where I really messed up. I left the hardener out and that side had to come back off.

So I scraped most of it off with a plastic razor blade and the rest will come off with some Acetone and a scotchbrite pad. I'm worried I will damage the epoxy because its only 48 hours old.

So I have some questions.

1. What to do to keep from damaging the epoxy?
2. Does 32 ounces sound like too much for one coat on this bed cover and a 72 Camaro trunk lid? Seems like a lot to me.

I feel like an Idiot!, My wife said "I bet you wont do that again". I said I hope not. The one side that I did right looked funny while spraying it, but dried really nice and slick.




Thanks for the help. Russ
 
Well, any Slick Sand without hardener will have to come off one way or another. If you waited 48 hours, the epoxy should be becoming solvent resistant. Slick Sand without hardener will never become solvent resistant, so it will wipe off with reducer. But it's likely that you will damage the underlying epoxy at least a little. Once you get done wiping everything off, throw that thing out in the sun for a day to let the solvents out, then bring it in and sand it down until everything looks and feels good. It would not be surprising if you needed another coat of epoxy in preparation to spray poly primer (Slick Sand) once more. This time, activate enough for a first coat, keep track of your usage, and activate enough for your second coat during the time you are waiting for the first coat to flash.
 
Thanks crash . That was a stupid mistake on my part. I had the tube sitting there and I put a splash of reducer in it, mixed it, and said let's go. Arrrrhhhh. A time consuming mistake on my part.

I will wipe it with reducer this evening and start sanding it after a few days in the sun.
 
never measure anything in advance. never mix more than one cup . clean your gun after every cup .
 
Thanks Shine That's good advice. Something I will need to focus more on. Once I started spraying I was so focused on that, I believe that's why messed up with the mixing the second batch
 
rustover;n75495 said:
Thanks Shine That's good advice. Something I will need to focus more on. Once I started spraying I was so focused on that, I believe that's why messed up with the mixing the second batch
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Don't beat yourself up too bad. Everyone has done something similar. I mixed epoxy as sealer and went for lunch while it induced. When I got back from lunch I reduced it and started to seal a Baracuda. Just about the time I finished the drivers side I looked behind me and saw what looked like Niagra Falls. I had reduced it before I went to lunch. :-(( I got to work three extra days for free. :-((
 
John Long;n75496 said:
Don't beat yourself up too bad. Everyone has done something similar. I mixed epoxy as sealer and went for lunch while it induced. When I got back from lunch I reduced it and started to seal a Baracuda. Just about the time I finished the drivers side I looked behind me and saw what looked like Niagra Falls. I had reduced it before I went to lunch. :-(( I got to work three extra days for free. :-((
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Thanks John. I'm learning a lesson here. Next time I will slow down a little and maybe make a check list.

I got the one side back down to the epoxy last night. Tonight I will start sanding the other side that i did right. I figured it probably cost me a couple of days of work.
 
Well after a couple of evenings of sanding, and more sanding I now have no finger tips left. When I spray the slick sand again I'm thinking I will keep it out of the jam area, It was really a pain to sand down in that area, I may let it roll over into the jam, but not spray the entire jam and I will just put a couple coats of epoxy in that area. Overall the slick sand sanded very well. I need to clean it really good but I think I'm ready to spray again. It wasn't a total loss because I was able to block the epoxy and I had a lot on it. I can tell already that its starting to straighten up. Its probably better now than it has been before with the exception of a few small areas.

 
Thanks guys for all the help. Its back in black, Epoxy that is. Thinking about getting a poster board and writing HARDNER in big letters at my mixing table.

 
Being the genius that I am I mixed universal 1:1 with polar accelerator and only 1oz of activator one time! Now I not only read the tech sheet everytime I also read the can out loud so maybe I will hear myself before I screw up again.
 
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