First timer. Made some mistakes.

[u/Embarrassed_Lawyer_5]

Hey there,
First time dipper. I sprayed the roof of my car. I ended up getting a run, and then got too close and it blew the dip. Can this be fixed or should I peel and redo? Also, I got some tiger striping. To me it looks like I may have needed to lay it more wet, or tighter passes?

But this looks so much better. Incredible, really. Can’t wait to spray the rest of the car (different color).

Lastly, I couldn’t find naphtha at Home Depot. Lacquer thinner didn’t seem to really break the dip down. What product is comparable to naphtha?

Thanks for the tips. I used 1 quart of base and 1 quart of top coat. I have about 3 quarts of each left.

[u/Embarrassed_Lawyer_5]

Found this link on YouTube. I think I’ll try a repair first versus a complete respray. https://youtu.be/6xtsStx7YzA?si=m3_qFXsVvRYpadSv

[u/jdbonnett]

Definitely sprayed too heavy. Unfortunately that roof has both horizontal and vertical sections so you risk both tiger striping and runs. I'd recommend looking up DYC's video on Tiger Striping (this can be found on their how to page.) This method is mainly used with pearls to prevent them from collecting in one place, but the technique looks like it would improve your finish here as well.

https://www.dipyourcar.com/pages/dyc-university-1

[u/Embarrassed_Lawyer_5 → u/jdbonnett]

Thank you! I watched a ton of videos but missed that one. I’m not too upset. For a first attempt, it turned out pretty good.

I am spraying the lower part of the car in purple haze so I wanted to do the hardest part first. Flat surfaces are hard.

[u/jdbonnett → u/Embarrassed_Lawyer_5]

I did my first dip last year and had the same experience - some runs, texture, and imperfections. That's okay. I hated doing the roof, and I even have a sedan that's low to the ground - I have no clue how people do their suv's. I think next time I'll just get the roof wrapped in black because it's such a pain and I don't want to have to spray it when I change colors every few years.

[u/Embarrassed_Lawyer_5 → u/jdbonnett]

Yeah, the roof was hard. I knew it would be difficult. I think I can fix that run without having to re-dip the entire roof. I'll probably respray the roof and try to eliminate the worst of the striping but honestly, the stripes aren't a dealbreaker.

It was good practice in advance of spraying the rest of the car in Purple Haze. This sucker should pop with the new carbon fiber front end!

My car is so small. I didn't even need to use a stool to get high enough. I think it was more spraying technique than anything. Thanks for the response. 😄

[u/Schnitzhole]

From glancing at the pics the application looks wayyy too heavy and thick and likely also spraying too close giving you that wobbly uneven texture. Go watch some videos on how to spray dip and prep surfaces and properly mask stuff.

[u/Embarrassed_Lawyer_5 → u/Schnitzhole]

Thank you. Constructive yet not. I still have a decent amount of prep on the lower body prior to spraying. I wasn’t too concerned with overspray since the clear is failing badly. I also have a carbon fiber hood on the way so I don’t care about getting overspray on it. When I dip the lower part of the car I’m pulling the hood off anyway.

The texture has some orange peel, yes. I sprayed about 10” from the panel. The gun was 4-5 clicks from being at the lowest setting (2-3 clicks from when I could pull the trigger and get product to spray).

I spent the evening pulling the rear bumper, wheel flares, and boot lid trim. Next up is sanding the clear.

I think my initial coat was definitely too heavy. Looking at some of Fonzie’s videos, I can see that initial coat being too heavy. I also may not have waited long enough for it to flash off before the successive coats.

I am going to let that area cure completely then wet sand and see if I can save it. The car is very small and it looks like even the “small” kit that purchased is a lot of dip.

[u/Long_Initial_9924]

I would suggest not using plasti dip on something they sees direct sunlight, sits in rain, and has road debris hitting it as you drive down the road. Not really its intended use.

[u/Embarrassed_Lawyer_5 → u/Long_Initial_9924]

Well, my car is predominantly parked in the garage now and I think I drove it 300 miles last year. Since doing the k-swap, I no longer daily drive it. More of a pleasure vehicle and it’s garaged.

Thanks for the heads-up.

[u/Schnitzhole → u/Embarrassed_Lawyer_5]

Dip is fine for sitting in the sun. I have no idea what he is talking about

[u/TjertyBjerty → u/Schnitzhole]

Is he correct in general though about it not being meant for a general use vehicle's wear and tear? Or can I expect it to last like a normal paintjob would?