Crows Feet - Lacquer Cracking - Paint Checking

[Mike Phillips]

Crows Feet - Lacquer Cracking - Paint Checking




Here are pictures of Crows Feet and/or Lacquer Checking


Crows Feet in modern basecoat/clearcoat paint




This is a cropped out section of the original picture above to better show the cracks.






Crows Feet in modern basecoat/clearcoat paint






Crows Feet in modern basecoat/clearcoat paint






Crows Feet in original single stage piant

[/B]1970 Mustang Mach 1 Detailing Clinic at AutogeekOnline.net







Frequently Asked Questions


1: What causes crows feet or lacquer checking?

One cause is the repeated expansion and contraction of the underlying panel. Crows feet and lacquer checking is common on the hoods of cars. One reason for this is due to the heat generated by the engine. The engine heat transfers up to the underneath of the hood and causes the panel to expand. Exposure to sunlight also heats the hood panel and expands the panel and thus the paint. When the hood cools off the panel contracts. To some degree, paint is formulated to be a flexible membrane but there's a limit to how much a layer of paint can expand and contract. Over time and exposure to heat, both engine heat and sunlight heat, paint can become more brittle and less able to flex, when this happens, instead of expanding it cracks.

Old school solvent-evaporation paints like lacquers and enamels are more porous than modern clearcoats and dry out over time which causes them to become more brittle. This is why you can often find lacquer cracking on old single stage paints on other panels besides the hood.



2: Can crows feet or lacquer checking be fixed?

No. The cracks go through or into the paint. Compound, polishing and even wetsanding will remove perfectly good paint surrounding these cracks without removing them.



3: How can crows feet or lacquer checking be fixed?

The only way to fix crows feet or lacquer checking is to repaint the affected area or repaint the panel.



4: How come the crows feet or lacquer checking showed up after polishing?

When you run a polisher over paint that has crows feed or lacquer checking with a compound, polish or AIO, these product lodge or embed into the cracks making them visible.



5: How can I get the compound, polish or wax reside out of the crows feet or lacquer checking cracks?

You can try washing with soap and water. Another option that is risky is to try pressure washing the area, the idea being to blast the residue out of the cracks with pressurized water. The risk with this approach is it's possible to get water UNDER the paint via the cracks and the blast paint off your car. This in essence turns a Mole Hill into a Mountain, as the expression goes.



6: Is there any way to reduce the visibility of the crows feet or lacquer checking?

Some people have had good luck using a colored or pigmented wax.







Paint Checking

The below info and image are from an article on HOTROD Network

Help With Troubleshooting Paint Problems – The Causes And Curses

Paint Checking, sometimes referred to as crow’s feet, are cracks of various lengths and widths that show up in a topcoat (if you’ve ever been to El Mirage or any other dry lake bed, you’ll recognize checking right off the bat).

This is one problem that has a number of possible causes. The most common causes are excessive film thickness, too short of a flash time between coats, force-drying your undercoat (like using the blowgun to dry primer), and sometimes by using too much hardener or catalyst in the primer or paint.

The only way to fix checking is to strip all crazed and cracked paint film and do the whole job over. You can usually save yourself a whole lot of work by preventing the problem by actually reading and following all label instructions, by removing checked surfaces completely before you spray over ’em in the first place, and by making sure your material, both undercoats and topcoats, are thoroughly mixed before spraying.


Paint Checking






My comment....

The image above showing paint checking visually shows you why you cannot fix any of these types of defects, Crows Feet, Lacquer Cracking or Paint Checking by abrading the surface. Abrading the surface simply uncovers MORE of the cracks in the paint. If the cracks are very shallow, then it may be possible to remove or at least improve the appearance of this type of defect by my experience is trying to wet sand or compound paint with this type of defect never removes it and results in thinner paint in the area.

The only true fix is to repaint the area. Your other option would be to learn to live with it.

[BillE]

This is a single stage paint problem only or CC also?

Anyway to correct it?

Thank you...

Bill

[Mike Phillips]

This is a single stage paint problem only or CC also?

Anyway to correct it?

Thank you...

Bill

It's really a problem related to singel stage paints, both lacquer and enamel.

There's no way to fix it because the cracks go "into" the paint and you risk exposing primer if you try to remove 100%.

What I do is just maximize gloss and clarity and tell the owner to either live with it or consider a new paint job. It's never fun to tell someone this but that's the facts Jack as Bill Murry would say...

[bmwgalore]

There's no way to fix it because the cracks go "into" the paint and you risk exposing primer if you try to remove 100%.

So a glaze is the way to go? (Other than a paint job)

[Harleyguy]

Wow that looks like it could use an extreme makeover .

[Mike Phillips]

So a glaze is the way to go? (Other than a paint job)

Compound, polish and seal.

Lacquer checking doesn't mean the paint is thin, just cracked. I've buffed out lots of cars with lacquer checking over the years.

Single stage lacquers and enamels are real paint and they buff like it.

[Mike Phillips]

Wow that looks like it could use an extreme makeover .

It's this car and it's coming up...

[BillE]

Thanx for the answer Mike.

I've seen 'that' on what they call antique Fine Furniture, but never on a car.

Looking forward to seeing that Ford...

Bill

[BillyJack]

The hood of my El Camino looks about the same (1987 original lacquer).
The old guys used to tell me that generating enough heat with a rotary will melt the paint film back together, but I think it's a bodyman's myth, as no one has ever been willing to try and in my tests heat seems to open the defects up wider.
My routines are:1) Keep it fed with plenty of Meguiars' #7. 2) If polishing is needed, use an oil-rich product such as M03 or M80 and keep the speed slow, pressure light.
I've got mine shining enough that the checking isn't very noticeable until you get your nose up close to the paint.
Maintaining a "survivor" is no picnic, so I'm all ears if the "Master Mike P" has some yet undisclosed tricks.

Bill

[Mike Phillips]

The hood of my El Camino looks about the same (1987 original lacquer).

The old guys used to tell me that generating enough heat with a rotary will melt the paint film back together, but I think it's a bodyman's myth, as no one has ever been willing to try and in my tests heat seems to open the defects up wider.

I've heard that type of statement all my life but never met anyone that can prove it.

My routines are:1) Keep it fed with plenty of Meguiars' #7. 2) If polishing is needed, use an oil-rich product such as M03 or M80 and keep the speed slow, pressure light.
I've got mine shining enough that the checking isn't very noticeable until you get your nose up close to the paint.

Maintaining a "survivor" is no picnic, so I'm all ears if the "Master Mike P" has some yet undisclosed tricks.

Bill

Nothing that you're not already doing, the key is regular polishing with a time-proven product for single stage paints. Both #7 and #3 fit the bill.