When You Forget the Catalyst
What to do if you forget to add catalyst to your post-cat primer. June 17, 2009
Question
For some reason I have left the catalyst out of my Clawlock Primer. It seems to have hardened anyway. Can I just go ahead and put on my catalyzed finish coat or am I asking for future trouble?
Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor E:
I think you can spray another coat properly catalyzed on top and you should be good to go.
From contributor J:
If you can sand it without anything funny happening your should be fine. I remember one time somebody who didn’t normally spray put uncatalyzed Krystal on a piece thinking it was Magnamax and a light coat of a catalyzed Krystal was enough to get it dry to touch but was still impressionable. Good thing that piece was only for a photo shoot.
From contributor R:
With time un-catalyzed Clawlock will dry by solvent evaporation, however no cross-linking will occur without the proper catalyst. You will lose some chemical and moisture resistance. I would recommend scuff sanding as much Clawlock off as possible and being careful not to burn through your edges with the sandpaper. While not likely, it is possible to hit a recoat problem and get some minor wrinkling. So, spray one door first before doing all of the doors. Spray another coat of Clawlock catalyzed and a coat or two of the pigmented topcoat.
