Need help with case paint

[nuky nuclear]

Ok so my case was going great and i had finished it but then i put a clear coat on the case and now the whole thing is screwed up. the paint started cracking and then i tired sanding it down and the clear coat wont come off. i am really mad about this because i had worked so hard on my case, i tried putting primer on after sanding it and it cracked the case even more. what do i do?

[Rekarp]

Ok so my case was going great and i had finished it but then i put a clear coat on the case and now the whole thing is screwed up. the paint started cracking and then i tired sanding it down and the clear coat wont come off. i am really mad about this because i had worked so hard on my case, i tried putting primer on after sanding it and it cracked the case even more. what do i do?

You need to take the paint down to the case and start over. What happened was you used two different types of paint which arn't chemically friendly. Next time use the same brand/type or paint.

Before you start sanding make sure the paint is completely dry. If its slightly wet still it will gum the sandpaper and make your job a lot harder.

[nuky nuclear]

oh boy this is going to be real fun lol. looks like i wont be going to bed any time soon.

[Rekarp]

Also make sure your surface is clean of finger prints and other contaminants which can cause running and cracking. Good luck!

[Chapel]

If you have a power sander use that, otherwise you will be sanding for days. Also, use the highest git your have available (40?). Using clear of the same brand is highly recommended, but nothing is as important as letting a paint job fully harden before spraying clear on it. Otherwise, the clear can dry faster than the paint below it and crinkle up some of your paint.

Don't get down on yourself too much about it, I know plenty of people who have wrecked a perfectly good paint job by doing similar things. Heck, I ruined the paint job on this on December 23rd (was supposed to give it to my girlfriend for Christmas. Luckily, I was able to repaint it and it turned out fine (if still a little gummy) by the time she opened it.

Your other option is to try to use the texture that you got in some way or another, but that might be cheating.

[Life of Brian]

I've ruined a perfectly good paint job by applying too much clear coat at one time. The key is very light, well spaced coats.

[nuky nuclear]

i was touching up the case with the normal spray paint to make it look nicer and the paint started cracking yet again but this time it wasnt even the clear coat paint. so now i have to sand it down again and repaint the freaken thing again. why is it doing this? this only happens with the front part of the case the back has no cracking.

[Rekarp]

i was touching up the case with the normal spray paint to make it look nicer and the paint started cracking yet again but this time it wasnt even the clear coat paint. so now i have to sand it down again and repaint the freaken thing again. why is it doing this? this only happens with the front part of the case the back has no cracking.

Whats the weather like where you live? Also did you make sure the first coat was completely dry?

[nuky nuclear]

there is like 71% humidity outside could that be the reason? should i close the door and try it? cause i just sanded down the cracked areas and then sprayed it again and it cracked again. each time i have had the outside door open and i paint infront of the door.

[gannon]

Humidity can be a big player I think, maybe air pressure too.
I know that one day when there was ~90% humidity here my pinball machine backglass ink cracked all over the place.

[bacteria]

One option, if all else fails - apply a fairly thin coat of one-coat house paint with a mini roller. You will get a slight textured effect but no cracks showing. One-coat covers all manner of case ills. I know, I use it!!

Varnish it after this of course.

[nuky nuclear]

i just sprayed it again after sanding down the areas where the paint cracked. this time i kept the door closed and once i was done spraying i put the case on the desk to dry. doesnt look like there is any cracking this time so it must have been the humidity