Paint and clear problem

[BrettAC23]

I'm having a little problem with my crankbaits. I'm using water based paints and a spray enamel between layers to paint my baits. Everything is all good untill I get to the stripe on the back. When I clear over it something happens to my paint. Sometimes it seams to eat almost all of it away and other times it just messes up the feathering on the edges. What can I do to fix this? Thanks in advance you have been a great help already.

P.S. If there is anyone out there in Georgia that would like to make a lure making buddy shoot me an e-mail. BrettAC23@aol.com

[clamboni]

What are you clearing with? Brands of paint and enamel? How are you applying the clear?

Something's not getting along with something else. Most likely the enamel and topcoat. Could be the topcoat and the water based though. That's the simple explanation, but more details about your process would be helpful. Someone else may have tried the same stuff and could help you out.

some quick suggestions, try not spraying hte enamel between coats. Could just solve the problem. If it still happens without the enamel then the enamel isn't the problem and you might be able to do a final enamel coat before the clear. If not having the enamel in there solves the problem, try using Createx clear instead. It's still water based but is much tougher and more water resistant than the paint so if you're careful, you can wipe off the next layer of paint without hitting the last layer.

[BrettAC23]

The problem seems to be with the wasco water based when I coat it with rust-oleum crystal clear enamel.

[BobP]

Whenever you mix solvent based coatings, there's a chance of incompatibility. You just have to experiment to see what works. Look at Wikipedia's definition of "enamel" and you'll see it can be anything - the definition has devolved to a "hard shiny coating" devoid of any specific formula. It can even be water based! In my experience, water based acrylics don't usually have much problem accepting solvent based topcoats. It's what's UNDER the acrylic (or in your case layered between the acrylic) that causes the problem. The wet solvent topcoat penetrates the acrylic paint (often a good thing) and reacts with an incompatible solvent coating under it (always a bad thing). Bottom line, I suggest getting rid of the spray enamel. Heat set each shot of acrylic. Fly without the net - if you screw up, just wash it off and start over. If the previous acrylic layer was heat cured, you can usually wash off a mistake without harming what's underneath.