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| | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 12 Junior Member | | Junior Member Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 12 | I recently painted my frame with some left over Imron I had and it has great gloss but it doesn't seem to want to harden. I've been told the activator has a pretty short shelf life so that may be the problem.Can I just scuff the paint and shoot some Dupont clear or will it be my worst nightmare and I'll have to strip it down again.Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks | | | | | Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 | z28chevy,
I was also told that after being opened, catalyst has a short shelf life.
If the hardener was out of date, your paint job was fine, it just wasn't a "2K' job.
It's not uncommon to paint with a acrylic enamel and not use the hardener. The paint takes longer to cure, and maybe isn't as hard when dry, but it's still OK.
I think if you tried to clear over it (why) before it was dry, you would be asking for trouble. Can you just give it some time to cure and call it good.
These are all unprofessional observations. Good luck.
Stuart | | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 12 Junior Member | | Junior Member Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 12 | Stuart, thanks for the advice. This has been a couple weeks now and if pressed hard enough I could leave a fingerprint and thats when I became concerned. I used an epoxy primer DP90 underneath, could that be the problem? | | | | | Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 | z28chevy,
Again, I am not a body and fenderman, so this is just my opinion. If the DP90 was catalyzed and applied properly, it should be rock hard.
It does seem like the Imron should be hard enough not to show a fingerprint after several weeks. If the paint didn't react at all with the catalyst, it might take several months to get fully hard.
If you applied it in thick coats, this might be another reason it doesn't appear to be hardening quickly.
I think your only two choices would be to let it sit and see if it sets up to your satisfaction, or strip it back to bare metal and start over. You have to have a bullet proof foundation for anything you would put over it.
Keep in mind that this is a frame. Softer paint might be better when it comes to rocks and debris hitting and chipping the paint.
Stuart | | | | | Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 85 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 85 | z28chevy,
You might try picking up a can of new hardener mixing a fresh batch of paint and spraying a couple of light coats over your existing paint it should soften the underlying layers and then harden up with the catalyst from the new batch of Imron this should work if the base layers are still soft | | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 12 Junior Member | | Junior Member Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 12 | D Sinclair, thanks for the tip do you think a coat of clear would work the same vs another coat of solid black, I worried about the mils of paint tickness which will only intesify my problem | | |
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