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Well, it's not fisheyes. These are definitely bubbles. Prep work should have eliminated any contaminants. 1)Sanded to bare metal 2)Primed with Rusty Metal Primer 3) Wet sanded 4) Wiped down with mineral spirits.

I've applied 3 coats to the hood, one fender and gerry can. No problems on first two. Millions of bubbles on third. Also painted the cowl and sides (first coat) at the same time. Bubbles everywhere. It was sanded down to bare metal, washed with soap and water, wiped with mineral spirits, then painted (no primer). So it's the same paint, same mineral spirits, same rollers, same roller pan. This is what baffles me. Even when I blow the bubbles out they don't flow together. They just look like flattened bubbles. Definitely a head-scratcher to me.



It's an interesting problem. You mentioned that the first two coats went down nicely... and it was only on the third coat that it decided to go bubbles on you....

Initially I was thinking that somehow the paint combination ( you created an Army Green (Equal Parts Rustoleum Hunter Green and Leather Brown) but if there was a conflict between the two paints being blended... it in theory would have shown up earlier in the first or second coats.

Now... what I am thinking is this.... WHAT IF the bubbles are actually bubbles... ie gases trying to escape from the previous coats. IF that was the case, the answer might be that you need to allow more time between the coats to let the previous paints cure more and let their gases escape.

I think somehow the difference between this project and your other project probably rest with the blending of paints. It just might be that the brown and the green pigments fight it out a bit longer that your previous blendings on the first project. Or if you are doing your work outside... possibly the green pigments cure faster than the brown pigments ( or vice-a-versa )

I was almost thinking that it might be a problem with the initial metal primer that was wiped down with mineral spirits... but the fact that the first two coats laid down properly sort of rules that out.

What you might do as an experiment is sand out the present bubbles and just heavily rinse the sanding crap off it with JUST water and a clean cloth. Then wipe down with a lightly wetted mineral spirited CLEAN CLOTH. Let it dry for a few hours to ensure the mineral spirit has fully evaporated. Then use a tack cloth to give it a final wipe. Then just lay a mineral spirit thinned coat of your green/brown mixture. By not using any soap in your wiping and rinsing down of the sanding, it will eliminate the soap as having left any residue that buggered things up. By providing extra time for the mineral spirit wipe down to fully evaporate you will be ruling out that it left any artifacts that were still evaporating...

One odd thing about the rinse down and washing of the sanding with water that 'could' impact how the paint lays down is the very water itself that you are using to wash the car. Some folks have to cope with hard water... some folks have to cope with soft water... some folks have extra doses of chlorine in their water... while other folks have high concentrations of sodium or minerals. I don't think that applies in your case, because you were able to successfully do your other vehicle. I am assuming you did it at the same location and so it is the same water this time as previously...

Or... maybe the answer rest with some contaminents during your previous washing... ie there was still soap residue on the body from not having been thoroughly rinsed off.... OR.. maybe the cloth/sponge/whatever you used to wipe the body while rinsing held some contaminants ( previous sanding particles... or maybe the wifey/mom had previously used that cloth/sponge/whatever and washed it with Bounce fabric softener or used it to apply Pledge or furniture oil...

The oddity in this is that your first and second coats laid out properly... and it was only with the application of the third coat that it decided to go all bubbly.

Maybe the answer if the bubbles keep happening is find some of that Penetrol stuff the guys were mentioning here... and see if by adding that to your mixture is buys you some additional 'leveling out' time...

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Last edited by Marq; 10/27/07 08:06 PM.