What do I need to get to clean the surface to avoid the dreaded fish eyes? I've used dawn, and also some degreaser with mixed results--or no results at all. What product do I need to be getting to do a good prep on a surface so the paint won't do this?

 

I would think dawn would leave a film behind. Works great for removing grease though.

I've had the best results with Wax & Grease Remover. Comes in a large round metal bottle with a green label. I think it's made by Kleen-Strip.

The other thing I've noticed is that if your paint and surface are different temps or cold it can cause the fish eyes to start popping up. I've always has the best results when both are at 65* or higher. A lot of paints say you can spray them as low as 55*, but I've had more problems at that temp.

 

Two biggest things to cause them are moisture and contaminants(oils and silicone). Get a good moisture separator and an inline desiccant type by the gun. Make sure the compressor is drained of condensation, try not to paint on too humid of a day. Clean panels real well with a clean rag and lacquer thinner.

 

Ok, so wax and grease remover and lacquer thinner. I'll check hardware/auto parts stores to see what they carry. But I haven't advanced to the point of having a gun and compressor yet. I was just trying to spray paint some trim pieces, door handle, and hood hinges and t-top trim, etc. Eventually I want to be able to have the gun and compressor. One step at a time. LOL Any more tips are welcomed.....

 

Trim pieces and the surrounding panels can be the worst for fish eyes. We use armor all and stuff like it to make it nice and shiny. Mainly silicone. Hinges have oil on them. Clean them more extra gooderer. Don't touch anything you will paint because body oils will do it too. If you plan on cleaning lacquer based primered parts use denatured alcohol because lacquer thinner will liquefy it obviously. Tack rag to get the dust off of parts.

 

Yeah, the car is clean, but 22 years of oil changes, armor all and general fondling mean anything on there you want to paint has some kind of oil on it. Thx for the tips, very helpful!

 

3m, DuPont, etc. make surface prep solvents.

Use two clean cloths. Wet one with solvent and apply to the surface. The take the clean cloth and wipe off before the solvent dries. The idea is to get the solvent to lift and hold the contaminates in suspension and then wipe them away with a clean cloth.

Change cloths often or else you end up re-contaminating the surface.

 

Most people will recommend oil and grease remover. That's OK. About 30 years ago, I had fisheyes from the o & g remover itself, probably because I did wipe it off well enough. I've never used it since. Water, soap, more water and more water is all I use.

Although I haven't had a need to use it for many years, there is a fisheye eliminator available for situations where you want "insurance" against fisheyes.

 

Not that it pertains to this case because he's using rattle bombs, but everything I've read about fisheye eliminator is it is a vicious cycle. The stuff is petroleum based and winds up contaminating your booth and tools. Then you have no choice but to use it and the contamination gets worse. Round and round we go.

 

I've recently been doing some body work and the best combo I've found (and so far had NO fish eyes with) is this:

After a good wash with warm, soapy water, rinse, dry. THEN wipe the entire area down with rubbing alcohol. Once that has evaporated you are good to go.

be sure to wear a mask and gloves (keeps anything from coming from your breath or if you need to touch something.

 

Not my field of expertise, but I will warn you that lacquer thinner is not all the same. If you go cheap, you may be getting a recycled thinner. I bought a gallon of this stuff for cleanup, and it's OK for that. But was warned not to use it for painting. It's reclaimed thinner used in plants / production environments to clean equipment. These folks recycle it...clean, filter, whatever...then resell it. But it is NOT guaranteed to be 100% free of other contaminants. Just something to keep in mind.

 

Rattle bombs! LOL...That's a good one, never heard that before. I'd love to get away from them, but don't have the tools and skills yet....

 

Ok, thx!