That fender I did at a shop in Phoenix changed how I prep for clearcoat

I was at a friend's shop in Phoenix last August helping on a 2018 Camaro that had a bad rear quarter. We laid down three coats of clear and it alligator skinned on me within 15 minutes. Turns out the humidity was way lower than what I usually deal with back home, and I didn't adjust my reducer. Now I'm debating whether I should stick to a universal mix or start checking weather reports before every job. What do you guys do when the conditions throw a curveball?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordancoleman19d ago

Grabbed a weather meter after that same thing happened to me on a silverado hood. Now I check temp and humidity before I mix anything, no exceptions. I run a slower reducer in summer and fast stuff in winter, but I also tweak it based on the actual numbers that day. It sucks when you have to stop and check your phone, but it beats sanding and redoing a clear coat that turned into orange peel.

jesse_cooper19d agoMost Upvoted

Buddy of mine did a whole fender with no humidity check and it looked like a golf ball by lunch.