Question about spray paint

[wormwoodz]

I'm trying to paint the roof on my bay windows in a metalic finish, I picked some spray paints for this purpose: one mate grey wood paint and another in metalic finish. I've started with the solid color as base, the label said it was ok to use on wood surfaces, but as I apply the 1st coat I notice the paint is making "air bubbles" on the surface instead of laying down evenly :/

Sorry for my ignorance but I'm not experienced using spray paint, am I doing something wrong? Weather conditions are windy at the moment but nothing I can do about that, I've applied it according to the instructions but I don't understand why it's making these bubbles. Any advice?

[Elsbeth]

Primed wood or bare wood?

I have found with miniatures, you need to do several light/thin coats...letting them dry in between. Are you trying to get good coverage all in one spray? Because that can cause pooling/ripples, bubbles...but if you do very light coats, let them dry, then continue to build up until you get the coverage, it works out better. It takes a lot of patience.  I have sprayed wood with and without finishes, plus a lot of plastic items and found it is best to be patient. Good luck!

[wormwoodz]

20 minutes ago, Elsbeth said:

Primed wood or bare wood?

I have found with miniatures, you need to do several light/thin coats...letting them dry in between. Are you trying to get good coverage all in one spray? Because that can cause pooling/ripples, bubbles...but if you do very light coats, let them dry, then continue to build up until you get the coverage, it works out better. It takes a lot of patience.  I have sprayed wood with and without finishes, plus a lot of plastic items and found it is best to be patient. Good luck!

I did not prime the wood, I was hoping the spray paint would work well as primer. I wasn't trying to get full coverage with 1 coat, the plan was to sand each layer before applying a second coat and so on. I just wasn't expecting all these tiny bubbles to appear, it can mess my surface a bit if it keeps happening. Never had this problem with plastic or metal miniatures, but I use a diferent kind of primer for those. Could it be the lack of primer? I have just sanded this 1st layer, will try a second coat with the same paint and hope for the best :s

[Sable]

The initial squirt should be off the piece you are spraying to avoid blobs and such. Did you shake the can really well for at least a minute?  If I see bubbles they usually settle down while drying. Windy can also be dusty. Get a large box opened on the top and front and use that as your spray box. This way the paint is confined to a dust free area and you are not wasting paint in the wind. I prime first then sand. Short squirts, dry and repeat.Also, make sure you are a foot away from the piece. Do not inhale the fumes. I suffer with a terrible cough if I do.

[wormwoodz]

2 minutes ago, Sable said:

The initial squirt should be off the piece you are spraying to avoid blobs and such. Did you shake the can really well for at least a minute?  If I see bubbles they usually settle down while drying. Windy can also be dusty. Get a large box opened on the top and front and use that as your spray box. This way the paint is confined to a dust free area and you are not wasting paint in the wind. I prime first then sand. Short squirts, dry and repeat.

Yes I shook it for about 1 min or 2, watched the paint dry for a while but the bubbles were not settling so I had to 'burst' them with a needle. I am moving the pieces inside to dry after painting but can't apply the paint indoors. Great idea I'm going to try that with the box, many thanks!!!

[Elsbeth]

I use Fusion spraypaint (which is for plastic) on wood and other things - it works great! I love it for plastic minis. It goes on well in thin coats/sprays.

http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion-for-plastic/

[Sable]

I place my box at the end of my garage with the door open. I hold my breath, spray, shake the fumes off my clothes  and run to fresh air.  

[wormwoodz]

32 minutes ago, Elsbeth said:

I use Fusion spraypaint (which is for plastic) on wood and other things - it works great! I love it for plastic minis. It goes on well in thin coats/sprays.

http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion-for-plastic/

For plastic and metal I use Games Workshop primers and Tamiya Colors in spray, they are specifically made for miniature work and I buy them in small cans from a local hobby shop. But this time I've used plywood for the roof so I bought spray paint for wood at the hardware store... it's a bit thicker than what I'm used to but I hope I can make it work.

34 minutes ago, Sable said:

I place my box at the end of my garage with the door open. I hold my breath, spray, shake the fumes off my clothes  and run to fresh air.  

I've just tried it and it worked, no bubbles! Triggered my allergies a bit being so close to the fumes, but I'll survive  Million thanks, now I'll wait till it dries and do the same for the metalic finish.

[L Swearengin]

I've never (yet) had issues with bubbles  and spray paint.   I have used the "hammered" metal paints for many roofs,  have I mentioned I hate shingles,  lol. I like the hammered copper and use it on a few houses.  I also spray the stairs on some of the houses when I don't want them wood.   Much easier than trying to paint them with a brush 

[L Swearengin]

Oh, and I have used spray stain.   I used it on my log cabin and the result was a awesome oops.

[havanaholly]

When I didn't know any better I used spray paint on my Cambridge; never again.  I do use the metallic aerosols on roofs (primed) and aerosol flat gray primer on plastic I want to paint; outside on sunny, windless  days.

[KathieB]

5 hours ago, havanaholly said:

When I didn't know any better I used spray paint on my Cambridge; never again. 

What was the drawback, Holly? 

[havanaholly]

I shook the can very well and I thought I was spraying thin coats, but I still got globs and yuck places.  The paint wasn't the aerosol I usually use, which probably contributed to the mess.  A lot of sanding, brushwork and hiding helped, but I just get better results with a brush.

[KathieB]

2 hours ago, havanaholly said:

I shook the can very well and I thought I was spraying thin coats, but I still got globs and yuck places.  The paint wasn't the aerosol I usually use, which probably contributed to the mess.  A lot of sanding, brushwork and hiding helped, but I just get better results with a brush.

Bummer. 

[wormwoodz]

8 hours ago, havanaholly said:

I shook the can very well and I thought I was spraying thin coats, but I still got globs and yuck places.  The paint wasn't the aerosol I usually use, which probably contributed to the mess.  A lot of sanding, brushwork and hiding helped, but I just get better results with a brush.

I've used a brush to paint the rest of the house as well, but I must admit the more complicated lasercut trims took me a really long time to paint throughly and got me feeling very tired in the process, so I can see how it would be a lot easier to use spraypaint for some things. In the future I will probably try it more often.

In my case I think the wind was contributing to the paint messing up on the surface. Unfortunatelly where I live trying to wait for the wind to stop would be like expecting for the sea to stop making waves. It's hard to pick a spray paint without having some experience before hand, I hope after I try a few I'll find one that works well for this kind of wood work.