1972 Cutlass - Wet-sanded and Ceramic Coated - PBL Diamond Paint Coating

[Paul A.]

I'm guessing Ryan said"YES" before you finished asking!

Unbelievable display of professional craftsmanship!!!

Here's everything in 1 thread to test it out on a test panel. Thank you, Mike.

[2black1s]

Here's another explanation of dieback from forum member Ken Tuep

Take from post #3 in this thread,



Newbie advise on minimizing "paint dieback"



From Ken Tuep

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What usually causes dieback is applying too wet, or too soon between coats. The reducers need to completely flash before the next coat is applied. Fast reducers are more likely to cause dieback because they trap the solvents under the paint.

If I apply 3 coats of clearcoat, I'm sure to give ample flash time before the 3rd coat. If the film build is thicker than recommended by the paint manufacturer, it can cause dieback. I usually follow the manufacturers directions, and dont usually have issues.

Your best bet is to wetsand the paint to open it, and let it outcast for a day or two, then try polishing.
I'd recommend a rotary polisher if you don't have one. A Porter cable will work,( probably taking 3 times longer) but you'd need to finish out with a minimum of 3000 grit sandpaper.

You will have to sand it either way, but it might not completely remove all the dieback, time is gonna be your friend, depending on temperature and humidity.

Me personally, I'd block sand with 600 grit wet, let it dry for a week, and respray the clearcoat.

Perform a test spot on a panel, and see if polishing will work before sanding the entire vehicle down, to make sure you're getting the results you want.

Hopefully this helps ya out.



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Hope that helps...

To continue the conversation regarding “die-back” let me throw in the following...

Die-back is also described as paint shrinkage, paint shift (Mike's term), and holdout. They are different terms used to described the same phenomenon that occurs as the paint film cures. Holdout is the term I use most often as that is the term used by DuPont that I became familiar with way back when I started painting in the late 1960s.

In trying to describe die-back to the general population, it is the change in appearance and texture of the paint that occurs from the moment the paint's application is completed until the paint is fully hardened/cured.

Immediately after spraying, the paint will have a slick, wet appearance. (Note: This is true for most paints used today although lacquers from the past and some of today’s basecoats are exceptions as they dull-out relatively quickly/significantly). As the paint dries the slick/wet appearance diminishes slightly and this diminishing effect continues throughout the hardening/curing process.

The paint’s texture is also changing during this period and contributes to the diminishing of the slick/wet appearance. I would describe the texture change, as related to die-back, as a slight wrinkling effect that occurs primarily as the paint hardens and cures in the days and weeks following, not so much during the initial dry time. You could also describe this wrinkling effect as “orange peel within the orange peel”. It is a surface condition that traverses the peaks and valleys of the typical orange peel.

This change in texture is the primary visual indicator that “die-back” (or any of the other terms identified) is referring to. Diminishing gloss is a secondary indicator. To the general public, the diminishing gloss may be the first indicator, although I consider it as secondary due to the fact that it is a result of the texture change.

The less die-back, shift, or shrinkage occurs, or the better the holdout is, the less obvious any change will be.

Die-back will occur in all paints even under ideal conditions, although the parameters identified by Ken Tuep above will certainly exaggerate the condition.

[Mike Phillips]

Nice additional information John.

I'm confident this thread will be "hit" hundreds, if not thousands of times in the future from people searching for information via Skynet.