Pactra Paint not Sticking

[cpercival]

So, I've got myself an airbrush and was practicing my technique and use of masks on some 5 mil laminating sheets, and when I peeled the mask off, the paint lifted with it.

This is exactly what I did:

-Washed the sheets with dish soap and water
-Applied the mask
-Shot paint thinned to 60/40 (paint/thinner) at 20 PSI
-Waited 24 hours, shot second coat
-Waited 24 hours again, peeled mask and paint lifted with it

I used Pactra Outlaw Black Lacquer and Pactra lacquer thinner.

What gives? Could my coats have been too thick? Should you still be able to see light through the paint or should it be opaque? I thought my coats were pretty thin, but maybe I'm wrong. They dried in my basement which is cooler than the rest of the house, maybe 62-64 degrees or so. Seems like 24 hours to cure should have been enough.
Anyone have any advice for me?

[dkf]

I had issues with the Pactra sticking on a couple bodies so I stopped using it. I switched Parma Faskcolor and didn't look back. Cleanup is much easier being water based, sticks a lot better, covers great, doesn't stink so you can spray it inside and the list goes on.

[cpercival]

I bought a dozen or so jars of the Pactra, so I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. So many people seem to rave about this stuff. I was willing to trade the PITA cleanup for a paint that was supposed to stick...

[mahgninnuc1]

Coats could be too thick (many light coats are much better than a few thick ones),

Scuff your body(with a scotch-brite pad) before you paint ( I put my window masks on then scuff that way the windows will still be crystal clear) After you apply the paint you can't tell that it has been scuffed and it gives the paint something to grip to while it is curing,

And for pactra you don't have to use their thinner, I use automotive grade thinner, it is much cheaper in the long run.

62-64 is kinda cold get a little space heater to keep the room at least 72 the warmer it is the quicker your paint will dry, or you could heat cure the body with a heat gun or hair dryer after it has air dried (don't heat cure before it has had a chance to air dry).

You will be able to see light through the paint especially for transparent, pearl, candy colors. Even opaque colors you will be able to see through for the first few coats.

My first coat I try to hit all the hard to reach spots, body corners, spoilers, and do a really light coat all over the rest of the body. Let it air dry till it is dry to the touch, I touch were i have window masks just in case it isn't dry. Then continue with light coats until you reach the effect you want. If you are going to be backing it with another color and want to see what it will look like you can spray a scrap piece of lexan with the color you are going to back with and hold it up to the inside of the body (make sure both the paint on the body and the paint on the scrap are dry to the touch before doing this) to see what the final paint job will look like. It comes in handy when painting pearls and candies to see if you need some more coats or if you've reached the desired color.

I don't know about the laminating sheets though, they may have different surface properties than lexan, If I'm trying something new out I use overhead transparency sheets, but I don't think I've ever tried to mask one off, I usually use them for free hand stuff.

[mahgninnuc1]

Originally Posted by cpercival

I bought a dozen or so jars of the Pactra, so I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. So many people seem to rave about this stuff. I was willing to trade the PITA cleanup for a paint that was supposed to stick...

I've used pactra, faskolor, createx, house of Kolor, I haven't had any real issues with any of them, House of Kolor is not as durable on lexan as the others. Cleanup is way easier with the faskolor and the createx (both are water based).

[mahgninnuc1]

Originally Posted by dkf

I had issues with the Pactra sticking on a couple bodies so I stopped using it. I switched Parma Faskcolor and didn't look back. Cleanup is much easier being water based, sticks a lot better, covers great, doesn't stink so you can spray it inside and the list goes on.

Just remember, even though it doesn't stink, It still isn't healthy for you to breath it.

Use a respirator
Amazon.com: 3M R6211 Low-Maintenance Half-Mask Organic Vapor, P95 Respirator Assembly, Medium: Dean Martin: Home Improvement

[dkf]

Originally Posted by mahgninnuc1

Just remember, even though it doesn't stink, It still isn't healthy for you to breath it.

Use a respirator
Amazon.com: 3M R6211 Low-Maintenance Half-Mask Organic Vapor, P95 Respirator Assembly, Medium: Dean Martin: Home Improvement

Ain't gonna happen. Anyone who wants to though more power to them.