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Primers have varying "curing windows" in which the evaporating VOCs and chemicals are releasing. If your basecoat was applied too soon before the second coat of primer had flashed, you essentially sealed in the primer making it fully unable to cure. You're first coat of primer should have been prepped and coated over with the basecoat within 72hrs rather than waiting a week as primer has 'pores' which seal up after that 72hr period making adhesion much less likely. I am unsure why you even tried to sand the finish coat paint as it will never come out right afterwards, even at the trizac 3000grit wetsand level. You can only wetsand the clearcoat that goes on last for orange peel removal....
My diagnosis goes like this:
--The diffuser probably came coated with an industry standard 'high build primer' which helps hide a lot of production imperfections. This primer should have been prepped with 400grit dry sand paper throughout (use sanding blocks/pads were applicable)
--Thoroughly clean the surface with clean paper towels and genuine "wax and grease" remover from an automotive paint store ($15/gal) followed by a .50 cent tack clothe wipe down.
--Lightly coat the bumper with your primer now, ensuring any spots where you've sanded through the existing primer to fiberglass gets 'a little extra' for your next run of sanding.
--Depending upon what primer you used, your wait time will vary. Now you've got the option of dry or wet sanding the primer with 400-600grit before your paint (basecoat) goes on. I always prefer wet sanding but it can get messy. Do yourself a favor and get a thin flexible sanding block from that same auto parts paint department while you are there. Perfecting the primer is essential as any imperfections will be amplified x100 once the basecoat goes on.
--Ok, almost there. Now break out the low pressure air, blow off the diffuser and look for pits in the primer. Sand them out, occassionally wiping down sections with the wax and grease remover to check for progress. As long as you had ZERO clumpy buildup in your sanding adventures, the primer should be ready for the paint (basecoat).
--First off, ensure the primer/paint/clear are compliant with each other. I never mix brands..period. Paints/primers are engineered, tested, and formulated at a molecular level to work together. This may be the reason why the primer/paint you used never setup in the first place. So after you've got it all sorted out and are sure you have the right products, suit up! You want to apply two coats base minimum. Your first coat should be moderately thin as a tack coat, allowing 5 min between it and your second coat for a baby ' flash ' period. Do your second coat, check it out....If you need to do a third, once again wait about 5 min for the paint to semi setup to prevent runs or overspray characteristics.
--Ok, now the hard part..... You need to apply the clearcoat now. If the basecoat paint was true 'basecoat paint' it shouldnt have a whole lot of shine and should be ready for clearcoating within 10-15min after last final basecoat was applied. Should be pretty close to the basecoat procedure except 3-4 coats.
--The clear may come out bumpy, wavy, small runs.....No worry.. IT IS FIXABLE!! As long as you did around 3-4 coats you can wetsand with 1500grit for major mess up fixes, or 3000grit wetsand to just level out the orange peel and bring out the luster. After sanding the area, use Rubbing Compound A, followed by compound part B to polish out the sanding scratches. Word of warning. Don't even attempt to sand it any sooner than 20hrs. The paint/clear combo is best to be patient with for best results.Hope this helps. I could go on for days but my IPAD typing for tonight has reached max overload. Cheers,
1980 Datsun 280zx
1991 Nissan 300zx TT
2006 Nissan 350z |
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