Clearcoat stained by skunk!

D

davydoo

Hi painters,

This is my first post here, but I've been painting and using SPI for a few years. Just recently a bicycle that was sprayed by a skunk came in the shop . They washed off the spray (and smell) right after it happened and it looked just fine. However, the next day stains appeared where the spray had been. The bicycle has the original factory paint and clear and is at least 10 years old. Any suggestions as to how to remove the stains? We've tried wet-sanding and buffing but the stains don't move.

Thanks
 
No experience with skunk stains, but lots of bad skunk experience!
 
I'm thinking you will need to strip it, treat the metal, etch it, epoxy, and repaint. I would think it might be a lot like bird poop.
 
not in my opinion. sanded metal needs no etch. it was big back when all the cars were peeling and being media blasted with plastic. the plastic leaves no anchor pattern so it was faster to use than sand. it caused a lot of problems too.
 
I use PPG DP40 which has it's own "etching" properties in it, so they say. I will be switching to SPI epoxy once my batch is out. I've primered cars in the past without etch, and simply sealed with epoxy DP 40. Do whatever works for you, and what your comfortable with. I've painted bare steel, clean hoods with only DP40 as a sealer in the past and then base clear and never had a single one come back. We all do what works for us.
 
The old DP40 green was PPG's original epoxy line and later they came out with other colors,red,blue,white,black,yellow-it worked well IMO. Later they reformulated it and called it DPLF LF=Lead Free. The DPLF isn't nearly as good as the original-IMO. Neither of them have any etching properties. The last time I monkeyed around with DPLF I found I could wash it off with lacquer thinner years after it was sprayed-wash it right off.. SPI epoxy is a different animal all together-the best IMO!
 
DP40 was all I ever used back in school and my own projects. I never got to see the cars long enough after the fact to see how it held up.
 
dp was ok in it's day. better than most of the sealers sold then. dplf is junk in my opinion. a wet lacquer rag on it after 3 days cure will soften it . but you cant convince the guys who think ppg hung the moon.
 
Shine, I've washed DPLF off of parts that were sprayed 2years prior and I've confirmed it on several occasions. Surprised why it is that way-but if you look at PPG's tech sheets from years back scuffing for recoating at any time with epoxy was never a requirement-I guess the stuff is soluable enough that it's not needed.
 
shine;21766 said:
not in my opinion. sanded metal needs no etch. it was big back when all the cars were peeling and being media blasted with plastic. the plastic leaves no anchor pattern so it was faster to use than sand. it caused a lot of problems too.
Click to expand...

Shine, let me apologize in advance for seeming to contradict you. I think I really just want to fill in some blanks. I'm not sure if it's good to paint with this broad a brush. Lots of guys who never post might read this and think it's OK to put any old primer on metal, and most experienced techs have seen that this is not the case.

Many urethane primers just don't stick to well to bare metal. Something should be used between metal and the primers that are not designed to adhere well to it. If we can't talk guys into doing it the right way (epoxy) at least we ought to put the caution flag out that there can be serious adhesion problems without it.

Some here might be shocked to know that even high-end paint makers (Standox, for one) still commonly recommend etch primer over bare steel before urethane primer. Our forum and the way we like to do things has not yet achieved mainstream acceptance, at least not in the realm of collision repair, which is what all the tech sheets are written for.

Oddly enough, where the epoxy over bare metal process has found the most acceptance is in fleet work and semi trucks. But to me, that says something about the value of a process that is recommended for the harsh cleaning treatments, rough treatment and high mileage requirements expected of such equipment.
 
valid point . but i have seen too many failures that lead back to etch. 9 out of 10 will apply the etch wrong and in 6 months it will solvent pop severely. i would rather risk urethane over clean metal. plus most that you see pushing it on the net are the ones who do not use it properly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top