Need help from the DIY people on here

[pfeiffjay54]

Hey guys, working on refurbishing mask for next season. How can I prevent these streaks/lines from rattlecans? Fortunately I’m just using this paint job as a tester for the spring and repainting during the regular season so the streaks don’t really matter right now, but I’d like to know how to stop these for next time. Really happy for my first time though! Red accent lines going on tomorrow afternoon

[chile57]

Easy fix @pfeiffjay54 - you just need to go thinner on your coats. Maybe extend the distance you are spraying from too. 

A lot of getting a good finish is the prep work too. Looks like you maybe could have used a little more initial sanding to get a better overall finished coat. Good luck.

Edited March 11 by chile57

[Puckstopper]

6 hours ago, chile57 said:

Easy fix @pfeiffjay54 - you just need to go thinner on your coats. Maybe extend the distance you are spraying from too. 

A lot of getting a good finish is the prep work too. Looks like you maybe could have used a little more initial sanding to get a better overall finished coat. Good luck.

All of this^^^  If you're actually seeing color build up rapidly you're probably spraying too heavily.  Also, using a good quality primer that matches that paint being applied over it and working in a dust free environment are equally crucial.   Good paintjobs cost a bunch because it's meticulous, time consuming and detail oriented work.  Great paintjobs require all of that plus experience and an artist's touch.   I've never even managed a mediocre paint job, and it's largely because I get impatient with the amount of detail work in the prep.  

Edit:  I forgot to wish you luck.   You probably won't actually save money painting your mask, but it's worth trying at least once for the opportunity to learn.

Edited March 11 by Puckstopper

[johncho]

Wet sand those off, and then go back and do MUCH lighter coats and keep your hand moving in a linear motion (not an arc). You should be doing like 6 or more very very light coats that seem way too light and wait for the paint to dry each time. Watch how cars are painted and try to mimic that.

[johncho]

16 minutes ago, Puckstopper said:

All of this^^^  If you're actually seeing color build up rapidly you're probably spraying too heavily.  Also, using a good quality primer that matches that paint being applied over it and working in a dust free environment are equally crucial.   Good paintjobs cost a bunch because it's meticulous, time consuming and detail oriented work.  Great paintjobs require all of that plus experience and an artist's touch.   I've never even managed a mediocre paint job, and it's largely because I get impatient with the amount of detail work in the prep.  

Edit:  I forgot to wish you luck.   You probably won't actually save money painting your mask, but it's worth trying at least once for the opportunity to learn.

Painting is 80% prep.

[Puckstopper]

5 minutes ago, johncho said:

Painting is 80% prep.

I have learned that the hard way.  The best paint job I ever did was the first one because I was meticulous (for me anyway) in my sanding, dust removal, etc... and when I made a mistake I started all the way over and did it all again.  Future endeavors were not as successful due to lack of patience.    Going forward, it's a "pay the man" sort of thing. 

[Nova]

Are you 100% stuck using spray cans? HVLP equipment really does not need to be high end for mask painting. Small compressor and a cheap 1mm touch up gun is totally adequate.

Obviously it can turn into a can of worms as far as buying supplies, but mask painting can be a PITA with the right equipment. Trying to be meticulous tests my patience every time, and there's no way I could ever handle trying to make something look good with a spray can.

[pfeiffjay54]

On 3/11/2024 at 11:06 AM, Puckstopper said:

All of this^^^  If you're actually seeing color build up rapidly you're probably spraying too heavily.  Also, using a good quality primer that matches that paint being applied over it and working in a dust free environment are equally crucial.   Good paintjobs cost a bunch because it's meticulous, time consuming and detail oriented work.  Great paintjobs require all of that plus experience and an artist's touch.   I've never even managed a mediocre paint job, and it's largely because I get impatient with the amount of detail work in the prep.  

Edit:  I forgot to wish you luck.   You probably won't actually save money painting your mask, but it's worth trying at least once for the opportunity to learn.

The prep was my favorite part. When I move on from this mask probably not gonna paint my own mask again, but it was really fun I'm gonna be more patient when I repaint for the season. 

Also I think the paint I used wasn't great. I had a white base of some sort of Rustoleum, then I sprayed krylon red for lines and it worked so much better. Gonna grab that same paint in white for a base next time.

[Puckstopper]

37 minutes ago, pfeiffjay54 said:

The prep was my favorite part. When I move on from this mask probably not gonna paint my own mask again, but it was really fun I'm gonna be more patient when I repaint for the season. 

Also I think the paint I used wasn't great. I had a white base of some sort of Rustoleum, then I sprayed krylon red for lines and it worked so much better. Gonna grab that same paint in white for a base next time.

Man, that's awesome!   If you've got the patience it's got to be super rewarding.

For paint I had better luck with automotive paints than anything else I tried.   They're a little more expensive, but there are so many good options for color and topcoat effects, plus the primer helps cover minor scratches.  

Edited March 12 by Puckstopper