Toolbox paint problem

[thoraudio]

well.... it's going to be a tool box/project center.

Picked this up a month or so ago. Metal office furniture that I am turning into a tool box and project center.

Office beige isn't gonna cut it, so paint is the plan.

Got started, and it looked ok.

Got to my last 2 big pieces this week. Prep consisted of scotchbright pad to scuff the paint, and Goof Off to get rid of oils and random tape residue. I let the piece sit for 24 hours after prep before paint.

Next step is paint the whole drawer front in Navy Rustoleum gloss protective enamel. Let it dry for a day. Next step is tape and masking.

Final step is to paint the drawer grab with Rustoleum engine enamel (something I had around).

You can see the result.

After a lot of Goof-off and paper towels and elbow grease, I completely cleaned out the drawer pulls, back down to the factory finish. Went straight orange, and it worked fine.

Any ideas why this happened?

The can of blue I used on the bad stuff IS a different can (same product, just a different can) than the other units I painted and had no problems with. Could I have gotten a bad can of paint and now I need to worry about the other stuff I painted blue?

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Did you wipe it down with Wax & Grease Remover prior to paint?

Nice job...know what you mean about the Office Tan color, next year I hope to get some of mine painted. I'm a big fan of the commercial furniture in a garage, Construction quality on most of what I've seen is KRL/Macsimizer Quality (Minus the Chrome Bling & Paint)...I'm actually jealous of that setup you got there.
The one in the left corner here is the one I hate the color on the most....straight up "Office Tan". The 2 in the right corner are a light gray that I can live with, and the other one is a storm gray which is pretty nice.

 

[SlappyWhite]

Looks like solvent pop to me. The first paint was likely not entirely dry before the second one went on assuming you put the orange over the blue. With these spray bombs it can take a very long time to fully cure, there is no hardener. The orange likely also has a different cocktail of solvents in it.

 

[The Cobbler]

I think the paint you used has a solvent that the previous paint didn't like . the new paint attacked the paint underneath . .... a strong solvent in the orange

 

[thoraudio]

Did you wipe it down with Wax & Grease Remover prior to paint?

I used Goof Off to clean and prep

 

[jakemac]

Paint may dry in 24 hours or less, but it can take 72 hours or more to fully cure. Your blue paint was dry, but not cured. This allowed the solvent in the orange can to react with the partially cured blue paint.

 

[thoraudio]

thanks for the info, guys. I learned something, which is always a good thing

 

[ZRX61]

Incompatible products. Solvent pop looks nothing like that.

 

[cburnscrx]

Incompatible products. Solvent pop looks nothing like that.

I'd tend to side with this assessment. Though the paint not being cured is certainly possible.

 

[G_P]

Rustoleum is in no way dry after 24 hours. It may be dry to the touch but before you can really use the item you painted or put other finishes on it you need to wait about 4-5 days.

The engine enamel dries much quicker but I still give it several days. Heating the item will also speed drying time but its kinda hard to heat something that big!

 

[Tinner]

If I can't paint it with a brush, I give the painter at work a few bucks to do it for me.

 

[creativecars]

Incompatible products. Solvent pop looks nothing like that.

This^^^

Some of the spray cans use a more aggressive solvent to help get the paint out of the can. It is not necessarily a cure thing. One product was attacked by the other. This is lifting just the same way as a paint stripper works.

 

[CWP1616L]

I used Goof Off to clean and prep

And that's your problem right there. The Goof-Off is leaving behind an oil film that's not compatible with the spray paint.

What you need is a Rustoleum Paint Prep Wipe.

They come in a little envelope. Most auto parts stores will have them. I get mine at Walmart in the body shop supplies section. You take the wipe and wipe off the area you're going to paint and then go over the area immediately afterwards with a clean dry T-shirt.

 

[hemifalcon]

I'm assuming the drawer pull areas were painted blue first before being masked for the orange??
Funny thing about Rustoleum that I've always experienced--it doesn't like being topcoated once dry. I believe the solvents in the paint are what cause the shrinking and scaling of the first layer. I've only had luck during application of wet coats when doing multiple coats.