Duplicolor drying to dull finish?

[STLAssassin]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has had this same problem or knows why its happening. Im painting a Iron Man helmet with duplicolor paint and the red went on well at first but dryed with a few random spots looking matte/dull vs the metallic look that it should have. Since then Ive tried going back over those spots and now it seems to be getting worse each time. Thanks for any help in this matter.

 

[LrdSatyr8]

When painting, to get the metal shiney look to it, you must first make sure that the surface you're painting is completely smooth. By that I mean buff the heck out of your surface until you can see yourself in it. Otherwise, no matter what kind of paint you put on it will come out looking dull because the initial surface below wasn't smooth to begin with. I suggest stripping the paint you put on it so far and then go back over your surfaces and sand and buff them until all of them shine. It's quite possible you missed a spot before painting... it's happened to me, that's why I know what you're going thru.

 

[STLAssassin]

Thanks, might have to put this one down as a loss then since its a foam build and I'm not sure how well stripping paint will work.

 

[RiotJavelinDX]

Yeah, you might have to redo it, make sure it's sealed well and covered with a good primer. It's entirely possible the paint is reacting poorly to the foam, glue, etc.

 

[LrdSatyr8]

You can still fix it... using the paint you've already done as a sealer, go back over what you've already painted and sand and smooth the surface. Make sure there are no defects over the entire surface. Use putty or filler where possible to get the surface as smooth as possible, then try painting again. If you end up with any rough surface, sand it down and paint over again. It may take several layers of paint to achieve a good glossy look... the key is the sand/buff between layers until you have a smooth finish. One thing you can do between layers is use a clear gloss coat. Make sure to let each layer dry and cure completely between paintings... I usually give each coat 24 hours (but it depends on the type of paint your using, read the can it should tell you cure time).

 

[SofaKing01]

All is not lost! I've had issues like this in the past. You could spray the piece in question with KILLZ primer sealer. This should resolve most of the paint adhesion issues. When the primer dries, sand smooth - you may have to lay a few layers of the KILLZ to seal up the paint. Then begin to build up with mutliple layers of primer (your choice) with a light sanding in between. Once the primered surface is smooth you can begin to add color and the number of coats is again up to you. Whether you want to sand in between the color coats - that's up to you.

That's always resolved my paint issues. Also, be careful you're not mixing oil and water based paints.

 

[STLAssassin]

Not sure if it matters or not but it actually seems to have gotten worse when Ive added paint. Like I had smaller areas that had the issue and when I tried to touch them up, I had bigger areas that now have that duller finish where it used to be shinier paint. Was trying to get it finished for tonight's premier so wasnt working with a lot of time to spare. Its might just have to do for now. Thanks for the tips on what to try out from here.

EDIT: Tried the second can of paint and it went on nicely. Not sure whats going on but least its looking good now.