Help Please - Paint not sticking

[Sharpworks]

I painted my foam armor with black plasti-dip, then Rust-Oleum gloss black as a base coat, then Rust-Oleum bright coat metallic for weathering and doing paint chipping, then I put toothpaste on the areas I wanted to chip off and painted Rust-Oleum colonial red on top of the silver. The problem is I don't think the red bonded to the silver very much (if at all) and now when I go to mask off areas I need to paint black, the red paint is peeling off with the tape. I'm currently putting a Rust-Oleum satin clear coat on one piece to see if it'll help but I won't know until tomorrow. Has anyone had this issue and is there a way to fix it?

Gloss Black: Rust-Oleum Stops Rust 12 oz. Protective Enamel Gloss Black Spray Paint-7779830 - The Home Depot
Silver: Rust-Oleum Stops Rust 11 oz. Bright Coat Metallic Chrome Spray Paint-7718830 - The Home Depot
Red: Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X 12 oz. Gloss Colonial Red General Purpose Spray Paint-334030 - The Home Depot

 

[ButterBacon3000]

I'm sorry but I dont know how to foam... I 3d print my stuff... I bet someone here can help you... just not me sorry... the only thing I would ask is: did u wait about 24 hours before adding the second coat? If not it could be peeling off because it isnt dry yet...

PS. That armor is looking pretty good though

 

[Sharpworks]

I'm sorry but I dont know how to foam... I 3d print my stuff... I bet someone here can help you... just not me sorry... the only thing I would ask is: did u wait about 24 hours before adding the second coat? If not it could be peeling off because it isnt dry yet...

Yeah I waited about 30-ish hours after the silver paint went on before putting on the red paint, and the red was done in 3 layers across 3 days

 

[ButterBacon3000]

Yeah I waited about 30-ish hours after the silver paint went on before putting on the red paint, and the red was done in 3 layers across 3 days

Hmmmm... is the area your working in moist? Sometimes that makes the paint not stick

 

[Sharpworks]

Hmmmm... is the area your working in moist? Sometimes that makes the paint not stick

No but it's between 40 and 55 degrees out. However I heated my paint up in a bucket of warm water before applying it to help it go on thinner and dry faster/easier. I think it might be an issue with the way the glossy silver interacts with other paints but I'm not sure. I'm hoping someone else has had this or something similar happen.

 

[ButterBacon3000]

Did you put the glossy paint on first before the red? If the bottom layer of paint is too glossy the non glossy paint wont stick to it... that's the last thing I can think of... sorry if none of it helped

 

[PlanetAlexander]

Hopefully the clear coat stops it. Maybe it could be that the glossy primer didn't dry properly (it usually takes a LONG time) and it's causing layers above, including paint, to stick. I find that even satin primers can remain tacky for several days, so I always try and stick to flat primers.

 

[Sharpworks]

I let the clear coat dry for 24 hours indoors and put a piece of delicate surface painter's tape on it and the paint still came up so I'm going to let it dry some more and try again tomorrow.

 

[PlanetAlexander]

Hmm, a very odd and worrying issue indeed. It may sound stupid, but have you tried using other tapes to see if they pull it up? You never know. Also, I imagine the room you keep these in to dry have plenty of ventilation, right?

Otherwise, I'd try experimenting. Take something like a piece of wood and spray one part with just the red, then the other with the silver and the red on top. Then when dry, use the same tape to see if it pulls up. Another thing; I just noticed you were using enamel paint. Based on my experiences I would avoid it for foam, as it takes a LONG time to dry properly (sometimes multiple weeks) and it cracks easily.

 

[Sharpworks]

Let's just say, worst case scenario, the red just won't bond to the silver at all and it'll always peel up: what should I do then? Is there a way to remove the paint without destroying what I've worked for months to make?

 

[Sharpworks]

I will try other tapes though just in case, and I'll try painting some test pieces like you said

 

[PlanetAlexander]

Someone back me up before you commit to this, but will metho work to remove the paint without damaging the foam? Might take off all the paint though, and I'm really not sure about the Plastidip.

 

[Sharpworks]

Ok, for anyone who has this problem in the future, I bear good news (I think). Putting a top coat of satin gloss does seem to work so far, but you have to REALLY let it dry. I would recommend giving it four or five days, depending on the temperature and humidity of the area. If any pieces of paint have peeled off beforehand, you have to put another coat of clear on it and let it dry again, otherwise the tape will just peel up more paint from the edge of where the chip is.

 

[xXDashIVXx]

Did you use did fee rent brands of paint? Even with clearcoats, certain brands like to fight each other. Let the paint rest until it has no odor or what the directions on the paint can if it is the same brand. Rustoleum usually is the best. If you are using different brands, let the paint dry for 7 days. This will usually help, but read the instructions. Sometimes certain chemicals in the paint will eat at others no matter what, even though this is more rare

 

[Sharpworks]

Did you use did fee rent brands of paint? Even with clearcoats, certain brands like to fight each other. Let the paint rest until it has no odor or what the directions on the paint can if it is the same brand. Rustoleum usually is the best. If you are using different brands, let the paint dry for 7 days. This will usually help, but read the instructions. Sometimes certain chemicals in the paint will eat at others no matter what, even though this is more rare

All of the paints I used were Rust-Oleum paints. I followed the directions on all of the cans and gave them more than the required amount of time to dry, but they still didn't want to stick.

 

[PlanetAlexander]

How long did you leave the tape down, and how firmly did you apply it?

 

[Dire]

I had a similar issue, my gramps said "hey, dumbass, you have to sand the first layer with 400 grit if you want a different color on that layer." Soooo my advice would be to sand your silver lightly with 400 grit sandpaper and then lay down the red. The old man said something about giving the paint something to stick besides a somewhat smooth metallic surface.

 

[PlanetAlexander]

Just found this thread on the RPF, it may be useful to you:

Paint Cure Issue

Have a tacky final coat days after applying. Was perplexed because thought it was Rust-O-Leum laid on Rust-O-Leum... But it wasn't. Had a Krylon Chrome sandwiched in between. Is that my problem?

www.therpf.com

I'm quite interested in this issue, really curious to see what the problem is.

 

[Sharpworks]

How long did you leave the tape down, and how firmly did you apply it?

Before putting the clear coat on I tried leaving the tape for a few seconds, a few minutes, and a few hours as well as applying it lightly, normally, and firmly. It peeled paint off in all cases.

 

[Sharpworks]

I had a similar issue, my gramps said "hey, dumbass, you have to sand the first layer with 400 grit if you want a different color on that layer." Soooo my advice would be to sand your silver lightly with 400 grit sandpaper and then lay down the red. The old man said something about giving the paint something to stick besides a somewhat smooth metallic surface.

I'll try that next time, but unfortunately that doesn't help me right now because I already painted the whole costume