Need some help with a pinstriping issue

[freddyguy1]

To anyone who can help me with a pinstriping isse:

Hey everyone,

I'm currently in the process of repainting and placing graphics on a helmet worn by a harness racing driver.

I have primed and painted the helmet itself using a spray paints purchased from a local automotive paint retail store. I then applied a bit of airbrushed graphics using the acrylic paint specifically used with an airbrush gun. I have also added a bit of pinstriping to box in some of the graphics and give them with extra depth to the overall look.

I am now almost ready to clear coat the helmet but, I thought that I had seen somewhere previously that a hardener of some type should be used over the pinstriping prior to applying the clear coat finish.

My questions are: (1) is it a fact that a hardener should be used first? (2) what kind of hardener should be applied if required? and (3) Does it matter if the hardener gets on any painted surfaces or does it matter?

Any help and/or advice that anyone can provide will certainly be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

freddyguy1

[Aminus]

Yes you need to catalyze the striping enamel

Use whatever hardner in the enamel you are going to use with the clear is what I have always been taught.
If your using HOK enamels you might want to use the HOK hardner. House of Krap is another ball game. I don't use their paint and clear anymore I only use 1 HOK striping enamel color and that's because 1shot and Roth don't offer anything close to it and it's looks awesome on brown panels and I love to work with browns but never cleared over it since I use it on things that are rearely going to see the outdoors

Your clearing over the whole thing so I see no issues on the 3rd questin I'd just mix the hardner in the striping enamel away from the helmet

[image1]

you should have added hardener to the striping paint as Animus has mentioned.

At this point, i would wait a couple days to allow the striping enamel to cure out some before trying to clear. Cross your fingers that it doesn't lift.

[pantspisser]

I've shot several different types of single stage and two part clear coats over one shot enamels with no problems. Just let that one shot cure for as long as you can.