that was dry sanding. after a few practice runs i found that after the primer coat i wet sanded with 600 then re cleaned and added next coat. came out very smooth.
ok well i got that Krylon Fusion stuff cuz the RustOleum crap got skrewed up still... i cleaned teh surface and it still come out bubbly... would paintthinnner work good to use before it or sill that just skrew it up?
paint A lot of good info in this post. I worked for Sherwin Williams as a paint rep in the not-too-distant past, and here's some thoughts ... I have had good luck with Krylon Fusion on plastic parts, but I don't know how it would work on the metal part of the dash. I would go with regular Krylon there. Rustoleum, btw, is very slow-drying and harder to work with than Krylon. If you are getting splotchiness or bubbling, the surface was not clean and there are oils/silicones getting in the way. Might be Armor All that was used on the dash pad, fingerprints, etc. You need remove all the paint that you just shot, and start over. Sorry for that bit of bad news, but repeated layers will keep having the same problem. On plastic parts brake fluid and/or oven cleaner will take paint off and not harm the plastic, but protect the gauge lenses. Start with a clean surface. After any necessary sanding, and I would hit it with at least a 600 grit even if it looks perfect, to give the new paint something to grab, then wipe it all down with lacquer thinner, and then wash with a bit of dish soap. Do not touch the surfaces that you want paint to stick to. The oil in your skin will make the paint fisheye. Krylon Fusion should not need a primer on plastic. Metal parts should be primed before painting. Bulldog, as mentioned, works good. I tend to like white Krylon primer, too. Your first coat should just be a "mist" coat. Do not worry about making it cover. The same goes for primer. The strongest bond you will get starts with a first coat that you can see half-see-through. Then you can build paint and coverage in layers, ending in a nice final gloss coat. Vinyl dyes work well for freshening or changing colors on dash pads and seats, even carpets!. There will be a wear factor as noted on seats, but this can be minimized with good prep, just like other painting. Make sure that you have very clean surfaces, again use dish soap. Instead of using lacquer thinner here, on vinyl parts finish your prep with a quick wipe of acetone. What this does is actually etches the surface of the vinyl a bit to give the dye something to grab. Again, I want to emphasize, quick. Don't use a lot or let it set for too long. Use vinyl dyes just like paint, mist coat first, let dry, and build your coverage with additional coats. Best of luck with it!
