Kawi2strokes.com Forum

No that inner red is painted. It wrinkled all over the tank and in fact, the only place where it did not is where the "kawasaki" is and the pin striping.
It's a shame because the color is beautiful.

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Jim
Atlanta, GA
1974 H1
1976 KZ400
1979 XS650 Cafe
1982 GPz750
2001 KZ1000P
1965 Mustang
1967 Triumph GT6
1976 Bronco
"If you didn't build it; it's not really yours"

A couple of things...

The bodywork may have been subjected to some sort of "solvent" that was in the air which found itself between the base and clear coat.... Meaning, he may have had the tank/bodywork sitting in an area where someone was doing a final detailing (ARMOR ALL!!!) of a car leaving the shop. That, or he used the WRONG sort of degreaser/wax remover before shooting?

I have also seen similar things happen to clear coat when the clear is was sprayed in too cold temps over a cold base coat...which is also a "humidity" issue.

BUT.... Here's what I would try before throwing in the towel. That may be able to be saved believe it or not?

Order 2 cans (of find a local store that carries it) of SprayMax 2K Urethane Gloss Clear Coat.

Wet Sand (with mildy dish-soapy water) the wrinkled crap as flat as possible (without buring into the color or Kawasaki Lettering). It may take some time/patience, but I think it's worth it. Don't worry about getting it all perfectly "flat" as the final step will take care of it (hopefully)

Now don't wait to clear it a few days... You want to do this ALL IN ONE DAY to keep anything in the atmosphere (silicone/other solvents) from contaminating the surface again...
Make sure your shop/garage is heated to at least 70 degrees F (I like 75 degrees) and just as important is make sure the stuff you are shooting is at the same (or slightly warmer) temp. (I use a halogen lamp to "pre-heat" bodywork before spraying in the winter)

And then SHOOT THE CLEAR.... First a light "tack coat" and watch to see if it reacts. If it does, then you are probably screwed...and you can stop here. but if not..... that is an AWESOME sign.

I would wait about 10 minutes for that first light coat to flash and then BURY THE SUCKER IN CLEAR...waiting 10 minutes between coats.
It might take 2 whole cans (4 or 5 coats) to cover the tank and get her back to "smooth", but the up side to that is that you'll have no steps between paint lines after final wetsand and buff..

Worst case scenario is you are out $30.00 more in clear coat, but who knows? It might work??? I've been able to save worse "reactions" when painting.

*disclaimer* This has worked for me in the past, and this is what I would try...but Your mileage may vary.

I am willing to give it a try Scrambler. I found that clear on amazon for $30 a can. Pricey but if it saves me a few hundred in paint and graphics, I'm in.
What grit would you recommend for the color sand?

_________________
Jim
Atlanta, GA
1974 H1
1976 KZ400
1979 XS650 Cafe
1982 GPz750
2001 KZ1000P
1965 Mustang
1967 Triumph GT6
1976 Bronco
"If you didn't build it; it's not really yours"

That's pretty rough, I would start with 220 wet/dry and go very slow. And dry the section, and you will see the when you are close to flattening the clear. And you can shoot right over the 220 sanding. no need to fine sand.

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........

I agree that I would go REALLY REALLY SLOW... but I don't know if I would be brave enough to go as course as 220.

I would sand with 400 grit WET (water with a drop or three of dawn dish soap in a squirt bottle). And like John says, every once in a while dry the area you are sanding with a fresh/clean paper towel to see how it looks.
You might go through more paper using 400 instead of 220, but it's not as aggressive and less chance for another uh-oh...ESPECIALLY SCRATCHING THE FACE OF THE KAWASAKI DECALS!! (It's easy to do.. I've done it...more than once )

And once again I wouldn't worry about making it "perfectly flat" either. Just get it close and let the final coats of clear do the job. If you get enough material on it, and you do the final sand properly (do not overdo it!!!! as you need enough clear on there to accept a cutting compound, finish compound and swirl remover...all of which remove some material while polishing), that tank should turn out excellent.

I sprayed my tractor tins a few days ago (Omni Single stage) and ran the crap out of it.. When I worked in the bodyshop (as a detailer), the painter always said:
"You know that you have just enough material on there when it starts dripping off the edge...." And he wasn't kidding. I used to use razor blades to knock the big runs down before blocking it out. Today was like the good old days.

I literally spent a couple of hours wetsanding stupid tractor fenders today....

you know... in looking at that pic again.

It seems that whatever clear he used, just didn't like the candy (or metallic) base coat of the lighter red. So probably not a "atmosphere" or humidity issue as it would have probabaly effected the entire tank (dark red and decals).

that said, I'd still try wetsanding and giving the Max2K a try. It may get along just fine with whatever clear he used.

Keep us posted

I would use 220, 400 is going to take forever. You could try 220 and follow with 400 if you aren't sure.

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........

220 is too coarse, and you "will" rub thru! Wet rub with 400 as described. It looks to me like incompatible hardener and/or ratio - can you put a fingernail print into it - if so it has to be re-done or it will probably react again! Painter here, JMHO!

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

Painter here too.....

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........

I got told you were a House-painter........

_________________
"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.