What causes fisheye in auto body paint?

Fisheye (small craters in the coating) is caused by silicone, wax or oil contamination on the surface, oil or water in the compressed air supply, or airborne silicone in the spray booth. Fix by sanding the affected area once flashed, re-cleaning with wax and grease remover, and adding a fisheye eliminator before recoating.

What causes orange peel texture in automotive paint?

Orange peel is caused by material too thick or under-reduced, air pressure too low, wrong tip size, gun too far away, or a reducer that is too fast for ambient temperature. It is corrected by wet-sanding from 1500 to 3000 grit followed by compounding and polishing.

What causes runs and sags in auto paint?

Runs and sags occur when too much material is applied in one pass, the reducer is too slow, the gun is too close or moving too slowly, or there is insufficient flash time between coats. Let the panel fully cure before razor-blading or sanding the run level, then reprime and recoat.

What causes solvent pop pinholes in clear coat?

Solvent pop (pinholes or burst bubbles) results from recoating before the previous coat has flashed, coats applied too heavy, a reducer that is too fast, force-drying too soon, or booth temperature too high. Sand the area smooth once cured and recoat with medium coats and proper flash time.

What causes blushing or cloudiness in auto paint?

Blushing (milky or cloudy haze in the film) is caused by high booth humidity, a reducer that flashes too quickly, or a cold surface. Fix by adding retarder and reflowing, or sanding back and recoating under controlled conditions with a slow reducer or anti-blush retarder.

What causes die-back or dulling of clear coat gloss?

Die-back (gloss that looked good wet but dulled later) results from insufficient flash before force-drying, rushing the bake cycle, or over-reducing the clear. After full cure, compound and polish to restore gloss; prevent by allowing proper flash and full cure before buffing.

What causes dry spray in automotive refinishing?

Dry spray (rough, sandy, low-gloss surface) occurs when the gun is too far away or moving too fast, the reducer is too fast, air pressure is too high, or overlap is insufficient. Sand the rough texture and recoat at correct distance and pressure with a slower reducer.

What causes mottling or streaking in metallic basecoat?

Mottling (blotchy, uneven metallic or pearl) is caused by applying basecoat too wet, uneven passes, wrong air pressure, or over-reduction. Apply a lighter drop coat to even the flake and prevent with even passes and correct overlap.

What causes lifting or wrinkling of auto body paint?

Lifting (film wrinkling or shriveling) occurs when fresh solvents attack an incompatible layer underneath — often from incompatible coatings, missed recoat windows, or hot solvents over lacquer or enamel. Remove the affected film to a sound substrate, apply a barrier sealer, then recoat.

What causes dirt nibs in auto paint?

Dirt nibs (specks or bumps cured into the surface) come from a dirty booth, contaminated clothing or air supply, failure to tack before spraying, or unfiltered material. Nib-file or sand the inclusion, then compound and polish or recoat if deep.

What causes bleeding or staining through new paint?

Bleeding (pink or yellow stain showing through new paint) is caused by soluble dye in the old finish, uncured or contaminated body filler, or solvent reactivating old pigment. Seal with a bleeder/barrier sealer and recoat once cured.

What causes cracking or crazing in automotive clear coat?

Cracking (fine lines or mud-cracks in cured film) results from film built too thick, too much hardener or off-ratio mixing, or incompatible layers with poor flexibility. Remove down to a sound layer and recoat at correct mil build and mix ratio.

Refinish Defect Troubleshooter

AFX Tools · Troubleshooter

Refinish Defect Troubleshooter

Spot the problem, find the cause, fix it now, and stop it coming back — with the corrective products to do it. Tap any defect for the full breakdown.

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Diagnostic guidance for trained refinishers — substrate, products and conditions vary. Always follow the product's Technical Data Sheet and your local safety requirements.

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