Paint Didn't Stick

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pat1027
Posts: 444
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2004 3:45 pm
Location: Michigan

Paint Didn't Stick

Post by pat1027 »

I've been repainting and lettering the cab of my locomotive. Primer, couple coats of enamel, it all looks good. I put my first paint mask on and a nice light coat for the lettering. When I pealed the mask off the next morning the lettering came right off with it. Not chips or tears at the edge, whole letter pulled up with the mask. You couldn't hardly tell the lettering had been applied. Zero adhesion the paint below. I'm assuming my nice gloss finish is the culprit.
Kevin S
Posts: 81
Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2010 4:11 pm
Location: Rocklin, CA

Re: Paint Didn't Stick

Post by Kevin S »

First a couple of questions, what type of paint did you use? How long did you let the base color dry before applying the paint mask and lettering color?
-Kevin S.
765nkp
Posts: 776
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 9:24 pm
Location: st louis, mo

Re: Paint Didn't Stick

Post by 765nkp »

Need to let the base coat set up for 3-5 days. I had the same problem many years ago.

Tim
Pontiacguy1
Posts: 1566
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:15 am
Location: Tennessee, USA

Re: Paint Didn't Stick

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

Also, as soon as the paint 'flashes', I pull my stencils and tape off. I don't let them sit on there a long time. You also should lightly scuff the underlying paint so that you'll have better aderence. A light rub with a brillo pad or scotch brite after you put your stencils on should help out a lot.
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makinsmoke
Posts: 2260
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2003 12:56 pm
Location: Texas Hill Country

Re: Paint Didn't Stick

Post by makinsmoke »

That’s another reason I use a stencil brush and lightly tap the paint on in very light coats. You can still see the base color two to three applications into the process.

The lighter application lets the paint flash with a very thin edge up against your stencil, and you can keep the majority of the paint inside the stencil.

I do this for lettering.

For large logo type stencils I do use spray. The Santa Fe circle and cross herald is three stencils.
Again, very light applications, allowing it to set between shots. And as noted above, get the stencil off as soon as possible. You may even need to have a #11 Xacto nearby to snip a few tacky spots. I used Duplicolor for the logo.

Definitely do not let it dry overnight.

My two cents.
Brian
pat1027
Posts: 444
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2004 3:45 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Paint Didn't Stick

Post by pat1027 »

When I lettered the tender I pulled the mask off as soon as the paint flashed. My concern was the mask lifting and chipping and edge. The cab has some small lettering and the inside bits are a challenge to pull off when the paint is still soft. The graphics guy convinced me leave it on overnight. The second side I pulled the mask off as soon as the paint flashed off.

What surprised me on the first side is the lettering came off in whole pieces. I wiped the side off afterward and couldn't even tell the lettering had been there.
Yellow_13
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:22 am

Re: Paint Didn't Stick

Post by Yellow_13 »

Isn't the issue of paint not sticking to its support related to heat as well? Especially since metal is a great thermal conductor. I've often had issues with hot surfaces reacting to paint in "interesting" ways that always ended up in a complete catastrophe and a job that I had to redo.
That's actually one of the things I'm worried about; I was planning to buy one of these houses in Greece for the holidays, which would be a better place for my pet project (a functional r/c battleship made of metal, which will look much better in the sea on a windless day than in the park ponds of the city I live in) to be created and exploited. The issue is that holidays will mostly be in summer, summer is hot there, and I can't work on a big metal project and with seawater-proof paints in the living room or any other room that has the a/c on.
pat1027
Posts: 444
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2004 3:45 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Paint Didn't Stick

Post by pat1027 »

Third time was a charm. I'm not sure why the paint didn't adhere at all on the first go-around. The paint wasn't what I usually use but it was on hand at the hardware. I switched back and had no issues. The next two sets went on fine. Crisp edges, no lifting.
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