Found a trick for blending clear that saved my ass on a Mercedes last Friday

I was working on a 2022 C300 in Portland and kept getting this weird halo around my blend. My coworker Dave told me to back off the pressure and use a 2-inch fan pattern instead of a 3-inch. It laid down perfect on the second try, no sanding needed. Anybody else run into halo issues on metallic silver?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor_barnes5911d ago

That metallic silver is a nightmare sometimes! Had a similar thing happen on a Toyota Corolla last month, except I was using a different brand of clear and it just wouldnt lay flat no matter what i did. Ended up having to strip the whole panel and start over because the halo was so bad in the sunlight. Your coworker nailed it with that smaller fan pattern though, I've noticed that helps a ton on those tricky metallics where the basecoat is already finicky. Made me wonder if the humidity in the air was causing it too, since it was a muggy day when I messed up.

milam4211d ago

Man that humidity thing is real! I remember last summer I was painting a buddy's old Ford F-150 and the weather was like soup outside. I thought I had everything dialed in with the gun settings but the clear started fisheyeing like crazy right in the middle of the hood. Had to stop mid coat and wait for a dry day to finish. Meanwhile my compressor was spitting water like crazy even with a dryer on it. Makes you wonder if those cheap moisture traps are even worth buying sometimes.