I got the evil fisheyes

[wisdonm]

I've gota bad case of the evil fisheyes. The car is a promo Geo Storm cast in yellow plastic. I thoroughly washed it in Dawn dish soap and tried to spray it with black Rustroleum  enamel. The results was a bad case of fisheye. I threw it into the pond. The offending paint came off very well.  Yesterday I tried again. First I wiped it all down with 91% rubbing alcohol. I then tried to mist on a coat of the same paint.

 

I got the same results. What am I doing wrong? What do I need to do to prevent this?

Edited October 27, 2019 by wisdonm

[iBorg]

First off I'd scuff the surface to knock down the shine then use a good primer. Then I'd switch paint to something designed for plastics.

[gman]

Could be mold release on the surface- scrubbing with something caustic may help.

Westley's Bleche White used to do the trick, but I hear the formulation has been changed. You want something with a good amount of sodium hydroxide to cut and remove the mold release so it doesn't cause fisheyes in your paint.

[Plowboy]

28 minutes ago, iBorg said:

First off I'd scuff the surface to knock down the shine then use a good primer. Then I'd switch paint to something designed for plastics.

Agree. Always sand before primer.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Primer, primer, primer.

 

 

 

Steve

[Deuces]

Yep, primer!!.....

[Bucky]

Sanding and primer is my suggestion.

[Curt]

Check the Dawn that you’re using to be sure it’s the plain old Dawn and not one of the different “special” versions.  Some dishwashing formulas contain silicone for extra shine on dishes.  Silicone is guaranteed to give you fisheyes. Test this with some plastic spoons.  Also, avoid “rubbing” alcohol which typically contains a fragrance oil.  You are better off with 91% isopropyl. 

Edited October 28, 2019 by Curt