Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all,
done quite a few bits of paint spraying in the past but Ive never had this happen before. Sprayed the front of my beetle with gloss black cellulose paint about 6 weeks ago now. The finish is really good, brilliant deep shine. The only problem is the paint is still really soft, I can leave a finger print in it. Is there anything I can do about this? Put a heater on it? Its had to stay in the garage since I sprayed it cos the screen is out. Just wait for it to harden? Will it ever set or am I gonna have to do it again?

might sound silly but you did put hardener in the paint ????

I used cellulose paint. I didnt have a suitable place away from neighbours etc to spray 2k paint.

How old is the paint?,If it has sat around for more than a couple of years un-used it may never harden properly

hi_tower wrote:I used cellulose paint. I didnt have a suitable place away from neighbours etc to spray 2k paint.

#oh i have only ever sprayed 2 pack so learn summit new there thought they all had hardeners!!!

Did you build up the layers, too much on to quick and it will stay soft. The only way to resolve i think, if you dont have a bake facility is to wash it all off and start again.

I had a halogen heater heater on it all last night and got it pretty hot. Its only the front clip and windscreen surround/scuttle on a beetle so not a massive area. Hopefully I can harden it this way.

Spoke to my brother who is an ace paint sprayer and was a specialist in celly paints. if it ain't hardened now it's time to strip and respray. It will never have the durability of a spray job that dried/hardened straightaway. The other possibility, if it's a small area, is to overspray with acrylic aerosols. Hell of a chance of a reaction but if you spray it dry (hold aerosol away from panel) you may just get away with it and be able to polish back to a shine. If it's a small area you may get away with a couple of cans and it could, therefore, be cost effective. Worth a try? Your choice! Good Luck.

kthla wrote:Spoke to my brother who is an ace paint sprayer and was a specialist in celly paints. if it ain't hardened now it's time to strip and respray. It will never have the durability of a spray job that dried/hardened straightaway. The other possibility, if it's a small area, is to overspray with acrylic aerosols. Hell of a chance of a reaction but if you spray it dry (hold aerosol away from panel) you may just get away with it and be able to polish back to a shine. If it's a small area you may get away with a couple of cans and it could, therefore, be cost effective. Worth a try? Your choice! Good Luck.

Oh bugger

Thanks for the info kthla.