I think I know what is going on with this paint. Since I raged on Warbird Colors paint in the last few days, I figured I owed you all and them a bit of what I learned. No thanks to Warbird by the way. Except for Chuck telling me in an email to try 240 grit on the primer.
Here is what I learned that is not on the website...first I have been working on two small projects...two wheel pants about a foot long, so painting with my touch up gun was stupid...use the airbrush. The airbrush was clogging and spitting at the 20 and 30% thinning so I added water and things smoothed out at 50/50. First mistake.
Tom Crump suggested 40% and that worked just fine and was the key to success.
Second, very few of you were having problems so that told me it is something I am doing...the light dawned when someone mentioned not clear coating. All the paint I had applied to this point was Dull, Dull, Matte absolutely no shine. It was the thinning! I was doing like Chuck recommended spray light coats and several, but his two or three with a wet top coat was no where close to covering because I was spraying mostly water. Then thinking about it, this paint does not interact with the primer to bond like Lacquer or Epoxys. It bonds like a band aid to your finger, with its own glue and if there is not enough glue to grab onto the primers surface then it will let go and lift when pulled on with striping tape. The key was having enough paint (not WATER and paint) laid down with enough glue to bond to the primer or whatever it was being sprayed onto...when you do that, the paint will have a semi-gloss sheen to it and not a matte finish.
That was the key....more paint....less water....= a paint that will stick. Do it the way I was doing it and it will lift...spray it onto a smooth primer and it will lift. spray it on finger prints and it................enough said. I think the paint will be fine for my larger project once I switch over to the touch up gun.
rick