Camo painting...paint won't dry after 6 days - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Camo painting...paint won't dry after 6 days

Posted: 7/8/2014 8:22:42 AM EDT

I'm having an issue painting a cheek riser for my rifle. I did a sponge camo paint job on it, however a section of it won't dry and is still tacky after 6 days. The rest of it dried to the touch within an hour. Of course, the part that is tacky happens to be exactly the part my cheek touches.

Here's what I did:

Rustoleum camo 4 layers, about 20 minutes apart like the cans say (Within 30 minutes or after 24 hours). I followed this up with a layer of clearcoat (krylon brand). I did the rest of the rifle this way earlier and did not have an issue.

I shot the rifle soon after painting, which is when I noticed the tacky area. Is it possible sweat from my face caused it? I let the cheek rest sit for 5 days and it has not changed.

Posted: 7/8/2014 11:07:36 AM EDT

[#1]

The cheek rest area won't dry?
Sounds like you didn't degrease before painting.

Posted: 7/8/2014 11:29:48 AM EDT

[#2]

Quote History

Quoted:
The cheek rest area won't dry?
Sounds like you didn't degrease before painting.

View Quote

Posted: 7/8/2014 12:11:20 PM EDT

[#3]

Makes sense. However, it was a brand new cheek rest, never had my cheek on it, and painted it before I installed it for the first time. Don't understand why the rest of it dried fine.

Is it possible oil/sweat from my face seeped into it before it was fully dried?

Posted: 7/8/2014 12:13:46 PM EDT

[#4]

sun bake it

Posted: 7/8/2014 1:09:28 PM EDT

[#5]

Is it rubber or rubber like?

Set it out in the sun for a day or more.

If that doesn't work, restart.

Posted: 7/8/2014 2:06:53 PM EDT

[#6]

dont forget even new plastic has fresh oil on its surface

Posted: 7/8/2014 2:16:50 PM EDT

[#7]

Clean the paint off, use a good plastic primer first and start over. Let each color dry completely before moving on to the next one.

Posted: 7/8/2014 6:47:01 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
Clean the paint off, use a good plastic primer first and start over. Let each color dry completely before moving on to the next one.

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Yep, that's what I did. So far so good. Only have clearcoat left but I'm giving it extra time to dry before I apply it. Think a full day is enough?

Posted: 7/8/2014 6:50:04 PM EDT

[#9]

Not on a gun, but I've had freshly painted surfaces feel tacky/sticky, but NOT because they were still soft and not yet dry, but because they were actually so clean and perfect.

Is the paint actually soft if you test it with a fingernail?

Posted: 7/10/2014 5:46:49 PM EDT

[#10]

So I repainted it and the same thing is happening. I had let it dry two days before adding clearcoat, and it was dry after clearcoat. However after putting my cheek on it a few times, it started to become tacky again.

Posted: 7/11/2014 8:53:44 AM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
Clean the paint off, use a good plastic primer first and start over. Let each color dry completely before moving on to the next one.

View Quote

This guy is correct. Although I would just let each layer dry to touch.

Posted: 7/11/2014 8:58:03 AM EDT

[#12]

So I did as above, and the exact some thing happened. This time, I did clean before applying paint.

Here's what I did:

Base layer of OD
3 layers of sponge camo
Clearcoat.

I waited about 3 hours between coats of paint and 24 hours between paint and clearcoat. It was felt fully dry when finished. HOWEVER, when I put it to my cheek the spot where my cheek rests got tacky. Any ideas on what's gonig on? If I do it again, I will just skip the clearcoat.

Posted: 7/11/2014 9:16:28 AM EDT

[#13]

Might be some oily resin embedded in the plastic.
Strip it again and lightly rough the surface with fine sandpaper.
Try 200 grit.

Posted: 7/11/2014 9:25:32 AM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
Might be some oily resin embedded in the plastic.
Strip it again and lightly rough the surface with fine sandpaper.
Try 200 grit.

View Quote

I used 100 and then 400 grit before repainting. It was fine until I put my cheek on it. I guess oils on my face?

The paint used was rustoleum camo, does anyone know how long that takes to fully cure? I know Krylon camo lists a few hours, I assumed rustoleum was similar.

Posted: 7/11/2014 9:28:37 AM EDT

[#15]

damn. I don't know then.
Heat cure with a hair dryer?

Posted: 7/11/2014 9:50:53 AM EDT

[#16]

Did you do a mist coat at first? Barely mist it and let it dry for half an hour. Are your other coats too thick?

Posted: 7/11/2014 10:06:26 AM EDT

[#17]

What is the cheek riser made of, and how are you cleaning it prior to painting? Many plastics have mold release agents that can be a bitch to clean off prior to applying a finish.

Anytime you want to paint a plastic, you should do an extensive cleaning prior to any sanding.

Posted: 7/11/2014 10:19:57 AM EDT

[#18]

https://store.magpul.com/product/MAG326/104

Cleaned it with alcohol and water before sanding.

I did the same thing with the rest of the CTR and it's doing just fine. In fact most of the cheek riser is fine, just the section that my cheek touched that is having problems.

Posted: 7/12/2014 9:44:40 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:

So I repainted it and the same thing is happening. I had let it dry two days before adding clearcoat, and it was dry after clearcoat. However after putting my cheek on it a few times, it started to become tacky again.

View Quote

Give it time.

The more you mess with it the longer it will take to dry.

Posted: 7/13/2014 9:45:19 PM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:

Give it time.

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View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:

So I repainted it and the same thing is happening. I had let it dry two days before adding clearcoat, and it was dry after clearcoat. However after putting my cheek on it a few times, it started to become tacky again.

Give it time.

The more you mess with it the longer it will take to dry.

Also after 24 hours you can take a wire brush to the stock and that should help get rid of the tacky feeling.

Posted: 7/14/2014 9:38:11 AM EDT

[#21]

Try a different clear coat, I had a similar problem with Krylon matte clear once. It stayed sticky until I sold the gun, if you laid it on anything fabric it would stick to it like glue

Posted: 7/20/2014 12:13:20 PM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:
damn. I don't know then.
Heat cure with a hair dryer?

View Quote

This is my thought as well . Try a little heat

Posted: 7/24/2014 6:39:58 AM EDT

[#23]

This sounds dumb, but rub baby powder into the paint. It may take a couple times, as the paint cures from the inside it will tack up again as moisture rises to the surface, but it works.
Then follow up with some very LIGHT coats of clear. Preferably flat/matte clear. And try to not do it on a humid day.

Seriously...baby powder.

Posted: 8/6/2014 1:48:44 AM EDT

[#24]

I ran into o the same thing on the buttpad of my sopmod stock... Dried fine in an ergo grip, but not on that part of the stock. I fixed it by not painting it.

It was always tacky no matter what.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Camo painting...paint won't dry after 6 days

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