What are "fish-eyes" in paint?

I do cabinet work for a living and fish eyes in the finish indicates a contaminate. wd-40 or similar spray lubricant is a typical reason. back when I worked in a towing companies shop the shop foreman would get all angered up if anyone even picked up a can of wd-40. I do not believe that the probleb will "fix itself".. sorry to say. maybe someone that actually does automotive paint work for a living will say otherwise and if so, I would take their advice.

 

Fish eye will never repair itself over any amount of time. Fish eye looks like a water drop onto a wet paint surface. Or when you drop water onto oil. If the fish eye is in the clear coat on a two stage paint surface you may be able to color sand or polish it out depending how deep it is. But they never repair themselves.

 

They are usually caused by foreign debris, or water in the air line( tiny amounts of condensation). I've never seen one "fix" itself. It usually requires wet sanding and polishing, if there is enough paint applied.



Darrell.

 

Fish eyes do not fix themselves. A fish-eye is caused when there is some contamination (oil, silicone, etc.) on the surface of the car before the paint is applied. When the paint is sprayed over the contamination it will be repelled from the area with the contamination (think oil and water), causing a little circle with no paint on it, known as a fish-eye.

I am not a body guy, but I can tell you from experience that you can't even spray more paint over it, as it will just continue to fish-eye because of the contamination. You must sand down, clean and repaint the area to fix the problem.

 

You're correct in smelling a fish; they won't repair themselves. Either have the shop redo the job to your satisfaction, or demand your money back and take it to a shop that knows what they're doing.

 

You indeed smell something "fishy". They will not go away over time on their own! They are craters created usually from either silicone or oil contamination in the air supply being used. They can also be created from a contaminated surface that has not been properly prepped and cleaned before painting.That contamination causes the atomized paint to "separate" in the form of small craters. If they are not to deep, and are either in the top coat clear or in a solid color with enough film thickness, they can often times be color sanded and polished out. If they cannot, the surface will have to be resanded and repainted. Regards, Mike Regalia, Regalia Concours Restorations

 

What they said.

Here's a pic and technical description if it will help.

http://www.generalpaint.biz/refinish/fisheyes.html

 

Care to provide a community service by releasing the name of this fine fisherman?

 

Yes, fish eyes are contaminants , either from improper car prep(wax, oil left on the car) or moisture (condensation) getting into the paint gun during paint application and they never go away by themselves. A good filter between the compressor and the gun usually traps the moisture.
They make fish eye additives, a painter can use, to reduce or eliminate them at the time of painting.(too late for that now)
A professional detail man may be able to color sand and polish them out , if enough layers of paint were applied.
I'm not a pro painter(self taught) but I've painted a dozen or so cars , even a few good enough to win 1st place in car shows and I've never had a problem with fish eyes.
If proper prep and a good air filter are used, fish eyes in paint are relatively rare.