Club 80-90 Forums

I found the bubbles soon disappeared when working the roller on a large panel.
you just need to let the paint really soak into the roller 1st.
alot on previous pages about bubbles etc. Good luck with you're rollering.

You'll only get bubbles with a fresh roller. Its not such a steep learning curve if you have the DVD.

Oh, I do have the DVD and have watched it more than twice… I’ve also read every page of this thread but there’s only so much info you can glean from words and pictures. Sometimes there’s no substitute for practice!

Since the idea as I understand it is to use a fresh roller for each session I will always be starting with a dry roller. Obviously, I need to work it in the paint and/or on a scrap panel for a lot longer than I have done. AND have the paint consistency just right. The DVD doesn’t actually cover working the roller to get rid of bubbles. Not in any detail anyway. That’s not a criticism by the way, there’s only so much ‘classroom’ learning you can do before you have to have a go.

Next attempt this weekend – pesky weather permitting. Plenty of practice potential in doing the roof

Just painted recycling bin lid as a trial ...air bubbles.tried to counter with more paint 'not the way to go..... Nice colour though merlin blue.will see how it flattens out .

just use the weight of the roller to dispel any initial bubbles. After a few minutes you won't get any.

I suppose starting with the small panels didn't help me as they only take literally a minute to cover - so no time to work the roller to dispell bubbles. Need to do that on scrap beforehand.

I must say I'm surprised how bright the RAL3004 Purple Red is. It's much brighter than the original maroon. I've only bought a litre up to now so I'm now dithering about whther to change to RAL3005 Wine Red. If I'm going to change now's the time to do it! Decisions decisions...

Hi covkid, I have the DVD ,very inspirational,so much so I have the paint .just put the van through mot ,so paint time ! When you say just use the weight of the roller to dispel bubbles do you only use the weight of the roller when loading with paint or do you squeeze it when in the paint tray. And if just lightly going over bubbles on van , do you do that with a freshly loaded roller or one that's got 'dryer' .I'm sure I'll get the knack soon, I hope .....lol

mrdp wrote:Hi covkid, I have the DVD ,very inspirational,so much so I have the paint .just put the van through mot ,so paint time ! When you say just use the weight of the roller to dispel bubbles do you only use the weight of the roller when loading with paint or do you squeeze it when in the paint tray.

Light pressure (roller weight only) will 'pop' bubbles in paint on the vehicle but remember the working time is about 3 minutes on average so don't dwell too long. Don't squeeze the roller too much in the tray as that can cause foaming or encourage yet more bubbles. You just work it gently. You could try soaking the first roller in the paint for a while before you start (put cling film over it to stop it drying out).

mrdp wrote: And if just lightly going over bubbles on van , do you do that with a freshly loaded roller or one that's got 'dryer' .I'm sure I'll get the knack soon, I hope .....lol

Drier yes. To be honest the problem soon vanishes and is made much easier on a larger panel certainly as by the time you've done that, the bubbles are soon gone. Working on scrap may ease things. You can also use a wide dry soft paint brush to dispel bubbles too. Once they're gone, you can whip down a whole side in no time at all. When you get a feel for it, and the temperature/consistency is just right, you can literally go right round and round again! Only managed that once on a van but weather was lovely that day and first coat had skinned nicely.

Generally you'll find bits that you've done so well, they look sprayed. Its sussing out how you got that and replicating it. I tend to think you can judge a lot by the sound of the roller. When its going on right, it sounds right - hard to explain. Load the roller and take off the excess before hitting the panel. Just don't (as others did) pile it on the belief that the more paint, the better. That won't work. Just aim for even coats, work those lines out then leave well alone. If you try to come back to it 20 mins later, you'll be in BIG trouble. Just let it dry. Have a friend to follow you, checking the paint at all angles to spot where you've muffed it, and correct quickly then move on briskly.

If you're nervous, try it on a scrap door or panel (even an old worktop) first to get your confidence up. I tried to show consistency on the DVD - very like evaporated milk. If its like treacle its WAY too thick.

Got the van all keyed and ready for painting. Usually I don't paint in April but May and June are very busy months for me this year

I was looking at tomorrows weather forecast for PR5 which is

Friday: Sunny 11 degrees and a low of 3 at night
Saturday: Sunny 13 degrees and a low of 5 at night

Would 11 degrees on Friday be too cold for painting? I usually paint in May when it's slightly warmer

11 degrees should be ok - just

I'm hoping it will be a bit warmer with the sun out

Just looked into it and combicolour site says useable down to 5 degrees C

Yeah it is but it can take an age to go off if its too chilly. Not so much of an issue right now as bugs still asleep, hence why these are perfect months to do this outside but a little more warmth does help your enthusiasm.

If its ok in the day but could plummet at night and paint not fully cured in time, it can 'bloom' and you want to avoid that really. If you have a night heater, I guess you could leave it on through the night - I'm sure that'd help a bit.

covkid ..remember the working time is about 3 minutes on average so don't dwell too long. .... When you get a feel for it, and the temperature/consistency is just right, you can literally go right round and round again! Only managed that once on a van but weather was lovely that day and first coat had skinned nicely.
.... work those lines out then leave well alone. If you try to come back to it 20 mins later, you'll be in BIG trouble. Just let it dry.

I’m slightly confused about the recoating thing. There is a 3 minute working time, after which it becomes unworkable. Leave it alone! Don’t try to rework it after 20 mins, but you can go round the van twice once you are good at it. ??

I heard that you can recoat within 24 hours but after that you have to leave it 3/4 weeks before flatting and recoating.

So, you work it for a max of 3 mins then leave it to dry. You can't then come back after 20 mins but you are OK if it has skinned - so is that after an hour or so? You are then OK to recoat up to 24 hours but then it has to be left to cure properly before flatting and recoating.

Is that right?

Going to do a bit of rollering myself tomorrow. My fingers are well and truly crossed.

Trundler, all above is true except that if you're painting on a very warm day (rare I know), you turn the drying side to the sun and this almost bakes it so by the time you come around again, you can get a second coat on. Thats just a fast way of doing it since you should always paint in shade on such a day and let the hot side cool down before trying to get more paint on. This time of year thats not going to apply.

I should point out, thats NOT the way I paint, but some do.