Paint bubbling
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 594
Likes: 0
From: Gotham City CA
Paint bubbling
I had my 72 painted and some bubbles appeared not long after. The guy who did it is normally a good painter and will stand behind it, but wants me to get the repair work done by someone else and he will pay. He does not know what caused it and I don't want it to happen again. Any ideas?
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 11,874
Likes: 263
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
thats interesting that he wants some else to do it.......my guess he wants a happy customer and wants nothing more to do with your car.....very interesting, i'm not sure what to make of it though
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 22
From: Yooperville MI
Is the guy who painted it a business or a home garage? At this point the cause is unimportant. You are in a touchy situation with no warranty and need to be careful. I would get a quote from whom you choose to repair it, and discuss the charges with the original painter. You'll need to collect the cash from the original painter before you award the job to someone else to prevent getting burned and paying twice. If he can't come up with the cash or develops memory loss, you'll be in court. Too bad and good luck.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,669
Likes: 3
From: Kingston Ontario
How about some pictures?
Paint bubbles would normally indicate an adhesion problem to lower level.
By that I mean clear coat not sticking to base coat, base coat not sticking to primer coat, primer coat not sticking to previous paint, etc.
This can be caused by use of inferior products, poor preparation, dirt/oil/silicone on surface prior to application, mixing different manufacturers products, or a host of other mistakes in the paint job.
Post some pictures so we can see what the degree of failure is.
Paint bubbles would normally indicate an adhesion problem to lower level.
By that I mean clear coat not sticking to base coat, base coat not sticking to primer coat, primer coat not sticking to previous paint, etc.
This can be caused by use of inferior products, poor preparation, dirt/oil/silicone on surface prior to application, mixing different manufacturers products, or a host of other mistakes in the paint job.
Post some pictures so we can see what the degree of failure is.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 594
Likes: 0
From: Gotham City CA
The guy who did it works at his house, but has a paint booth, etc. and has a good rep. Since he only does it part time and plans to do less in the future, he just didn't want to take it on again. I will post pics, but it doesn't look like a clear coat problem. The car was not chemically stripped.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 8,918
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From: New Hill NC
You never said if it was stripped or not. With 1/2 inch type bubbles, my guess is that it was not, and he probably used something like feather fill, morton eliminator, or some other sprayable polyester product over the old paint or maybe even on bare SMC type fiberglass. Either way, it is not the thing to do on these cars.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 594
Likes: 0
From: Gotham City CA
The car had been stripped and primed before I got it. It was the red primer, but I know nothing else about it. He repaired some cracks, but did not restrip it. He sanded and painted with new primer before painting.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 10,723
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From: EAST TENNESSEE
If not,your problems will come back again. Good luck
Pro
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 650
Likes: 14
From: Highland Mi
If I had anything to do with it I would most surely try to find out why it occurred so it does not happen again. A blister that is 1/2" is a serious blister. Take a small razor knife and a magnifying glass and cut into the blisters and see where the separation occurred. Also look for small craters in the center of the blister. Try to peel back the layers of the problems area to try and find the spot where the delamination first started. It could be in the fiberglass as well as any of the layers of paint or filler. To strip a car is bad enough but to do so and keep your fingers crossed could be even more costly. I have seen problems occur like this in the glass and I have seen primer delaminate within itself (rare). It could be the process or procedure or the materials or silicones or oils. Try to find out why and you may save yourself some heartache as well as some money. If you strip it first you will never know. Good luck-Jim
