Createx clear - gloss or matte?

[scottw]

yes, just skip the scratch coat I should have just gone with that...hey, I am curious though ...since this is the topic....when you guys have problems with "that clear coat between the paint and finish epoxy"..is it a problem getting the epoxy to lay out well on the plug an over a scratch coat or is it an issue later discovered with poor adhesion and peeling?just curious, I realize that there are a whole host of things that can go wrong....

thanks Prof. I think it was one of your posts that sent me off to the System3 data sheets, it actually vastly improved the finished product that I've been putting out in my own business and eliminated a lot of problems that were dogging me for years....now I need to investigate "UPOL"

[PNG]

I too eliminated the scratch coat... almost. Silvers/metallics create an adhesion problem. UPOL works ok on them and like Paul said sometimes I wont even use epoxy or anything else just UPOL.

Mostly now for me its straight urethane clear. Easy, quick, OK not great.

On the adhesion front Ive done a little experiment with spray painting the plug quickly all coats and spraying the clear urethane while the silver (at the very least) is still wet. Seems to have worked. Rattle can paints mind you.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by scottw

..when you guys have problems with "that clear coat between the paint and finish epoxy"..is it a problem getting the epoxy to lay out well on the plug an over a scratch coat or is it an issue later discovered with poor adhesion and peeling?just curious, I realize that there are a whole host of things that can go wrong...."

When things peeled on me, the failure was between the createx and the primer, the epoxy stayed stuck to the createx ok. Hasn't happened since I changed my primer to ZSpar undercoat......though I'm starting to wonder why I just don't prime with white createx after sealing and eliminate a step.

When the epoxy/scratch coat stuff went bad, it was an adhesion problem with the epoxy pulling away in spots (system three claimed it was because of "wetting agents" in the scratch coat). It is less of an issue over just the createx, but still occurs if any oil or silicone gets into the process (like on your brush, mixing stick, mixing cup, measuring syringes, hands, or thru God's wrath....so go to church). System Three Clear Coat was the fussiest, probably because it is the thinnest of the epoxies I tried.

[scottw]

one more question that just occured to me...maybe this should be in a different thread....which System3 epoxy were you using? they have a variety of products...I use the waterbased polyurethane(mainly because it's an exterior marine grade product) for painting additives and sealing the paint job...but the finish epoxy that I've been using is the SB-112... it's the one used for surfboards....

I've noticed a lot of compatibility issues over the years with many products....some will create a surface residue as a result of the curing process, there have been many instances where I tried to put one coat over a previous coat of another product(both waterbased) and they just don't like each other...and of course...if you eat a bag of chips, handle your plugs and then try to epoxy them...there will be problems...