Plasti-Dip and Bubbles: Help!

[Stretch2643]

I'm finally breaking down and asking for help here, because it seems that no matter what I do I just can't figure this product out.

Whenever I use the aerosol cans of plasti-dip tons of tiny bubble seem to form, giving the finished product a textured look, rather than the desired smooth appearance. I've tried spraying very thick coats, since Plasti-dip is supposed to be self-leveling. I've tried spraying lots of very thin coats, just like you're supposed to do with spray paint. I've even tried buying different cans of the stuff, upon the suggestion that they might be "old." But nothing seems to work.

So I ask you guys, who seem to have mastered the product, to please share your wisdom with me. How to I achieve that smooth finish with this product?

 

[Ta2pro]

The cans are old,simple as that.must b shook with every spray.thin coats too.dont b rushed to coat it!!!

 

[mb1701d]

I'm having the same problem. No matter how many coats, thin or thick, I just can't get an even finish. I'm considering re-doing my Cylon helmet because I'm just not happy with the paint job. Does the brush on plastidip work any better ?

 

[Stretch2643]

The cans are old,simple as that.must b shook with every spray.thin coats too.dont b rushed to coat it!!!

I thought that was true about the age, too. But then I got this:

Both of these have 4 coats, but the dart on the right was painted with an can that I've owned for at least two years (it was just a test piece.) The dart on the left is from a brand new can that I just bought.

Is there any chance that humidity has anything to do with this?

 

[GammaGreen]

It kinda depends on the surface you're spraying it onto. Don't believe the self-leveling claims on the can. It might do that .0000001% better than when you spray it on. I hate to be one of those guys who gives bs advice, but you have to experiment. Some surfaces take a very thin spray...from a far distance. Others take a very THICK spray from a close distance.

Here's one of my favorite videos on spraying plasti-dip onto CARS. They get a smooth finish using a Wagner power sprayer:

PlastiDip a WHOLE CAR - How-to by DipYourCar.com - YouTube

You'll notice there's an optimal distance and an optimal spray method (10:58).

Also, here's Nick's "Ultimate Plasti-Dip Guide"...which says the closer you are the smoother the texture will be...but again, that's geared toward cars. YMMV.

The Ultimate Plasti-Dip Guide – Tips, Ideas & More for Cars | Nick's Car Blog

 

[Commodore Spark]

I'm having the same problem with Plastidip and it's infuriating. The first time I used the can it went on fine, but every use after that there have been massive bubbles in the spray, leaving my finished product with a textured appearance.
It made me wonder if maybe the nozzle was somehow blocked up? I did my best to clean it and am still having the problem. I don't really want to buy another can without knowing what the problem is here...

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Also, I'm not sure if it's relevant- but the plastidip appears to go on smoothly at first and then the bubbles begin to appear after a few seconds. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Talaaya]

I used plastidip for a while and never could get those pesky bubbles to not form. The only thing that seemed to help a little was to spray thin coats, but there were always some. I eventually just stopped using the stuff. I covered all my foam in Worbla instead.

 

[Commodore Spark]

I've ended up spraying, waiting until the bubbles form, and then lightly running my finger over the surface (of the whole thing... there has to be a better way). It gets rid of the bubbles, and the plastidip will self-level itself again so long as it's still wet.
However, this is still extremely frustrating and bubbles in some areas are hard to get at (I was doing a piece of armor with a raised celtic knot on it and all of the little recessed areas still have bubbles. It's not exactly the end of the world, but very irritating after the time taken to cut out, sand, shape, etc.).

 

[Lord Anvil]

Is the foam presealed? With pva/water mix or sealing the foam with a heatgun before the pva/water or plastidip? I know of a space marine build where they did this (pva/water after heatgun-sealing) and never any mention of bubbles in the plastidip.

 

[Beer_Money_Props]

PlastiDip won't cover imperfections. If the object it's covering has a textured finish, the PlastiDip will have a textured finish.

You can get better results by heat treating the foam first, but it's still not going to be perfectly smooth. The brush on stuff is slightly better than the spray can stuff, but you'll still see all the surface imperfections. You can also try exterior rated latex house paint. It will do practically the same thing for a fraction of the cost.

If you want a smooth finish, put the PlastDip away and seal your foam with 5 or more coats of PVA and sand it with 500 grit paper before using a primer.

 

[Jon Kelley]

Make a vacuum box - use whatever material you like, just make sure it holds a vacuum (for at least an hour.) Spray/paint/dip your part. Put in vacuum box. Slowly (a hand pump is better) pull a vacuum in the box. Hold for at lest 15 minutes. The vacuum will draw bubbles to the surface and rupture them - doing it slowly will (usually) allow the coating to self-correct afterward. The time is to allow ALL bubbles to express and disperse. I had to do this with my granddad when we were building his models and ultralight - we just had to build a very large box (aluminum with poly windows - 10'x4'x4', top opening and gasketed) to get air bubbles out of epoxy on critical parts. These parts were large enough that a vacuum had to be pulled and held overnight, and we had to build a large manual pump to get the proper slow vacuum. I think we were able to pull it down to about 5 Torr - and hold it for five days, in a test.

 

[Metrocop]

I remember researching Plasti-Dip heavily for certain applications. If I recall correctly, Plasti-Dip has it's habits. However, the most important thing that has to be remembered is that Plasti-Dip comes with quite a few other options. Such as: Plasti-Dip primer, metallizer, pearlizer, etc.

Also, remember that Plasti-Dip is meant to be rubberized and removable. As stated, the Plasti-Dip primer makes it a more 'permanent' coat. It should also fill in the gaps in foam which is your biggest concern.

I think the best thing you should do is to prime the surfaces prior to spraying a single coat and see if that improves your situation. But I feel that Bayouwolf has already offered you the best alternative.

 

[SMP Designs]

Don't use the spray. Use the brush on and have some naphtha handy. You can dip the brush in it to thin the plasti dip and smooth it if it gets gooey. The brush on finishes so much better than the spray and does not leave strokes if it's fresh. The only thing is, use the can all at once. If you open a can and let it sit for a week or so it starts to cure and will not thin evenly. Also, if you're in temperatures above about 72 degrees f, you can almost watch it cure as you're brushing it. Temps between 60-70f are best.