What causes pinholes in clear coat?
Mia Moss
Published Jan 17, 2026
Tiny holes in the paint finish. Pinholes are small blisters whose surface has broken during the drying process. Pinholes are often caused by trapped air, trapped solvents and trapped moisture escaping from the film.
What causes pinholes in clearcoat?
For every 100 degrees that you raise the temperature of a part, gasses trapped inside the substrate will double in volume. That's why, during the curing process, it's common for gasses trapped inside the substrate to push out and escape through the surface of the part, creating pinholes.How do you fix pinholes in paint?
Pinholes can only be repaired successfully by thoroughly sanding the substrate or by filling the holes with body filler.What causes clear coat to fisheye?
One issue that may occur on a paint job is called “fisheye.” Fisheyes (also known as craters) are an unattractive occurrence that can happen when dirt, wax, oil, or silicone gets stuck under the paint on your car. This causes spots or bubbles in the paint job.What causes dimples in paint?
They are a direct result of the presence of minute levels of contaminants on the surface. The paint will not wet these materials out (e.g. water on wax, grease or oil) and withdraws to form a bowl shaped depression. Cissing/dimpling may also be observed if an unsuitable thinner/retarder has been used.How to prevent Pinholes
What is pinhole defect?
Pinholes as a surface defect, and blow holes as an inner defect, occur in billet / bloom / beam blank casting, particularly for Si-Mn killed steel cast with metering nozzle and oil lubrication. If they are present in abundance or have a large size, they may originate defects in the rolled products.Will high build primer fill pinholes?
Unfortunately, primer is very thick and does a horrible job of filling pinholes. You've no doubt heard the horror stories of builders spraying coat after coat of primer trying to get rid of them. The bottom line is, you cannot fill the pinholes with primer.Can you paint over push pin holes?
If you don't have any toothpaste on hand, mix up a bit of baking soda and white glue to fill in all the holes. It'll create the thick consistency that you'll need and will dry rock solid. From there, smooth the surface with a putty knife, and paint right over the area with a color that matches the rest of the wall.Will sealer fill pinholes?
IF the sealer is to thick...it will cover over the pin hole and not fill it in....which leads to trapped air...or make the pinholes get bigger....and begin to look like 'fisheyes'.What is the purpose of a high build primer?
The term 'high-build' is used by most paint manufacturers to refer to the primer used to prepare a surface for application of colour coat. High-build primer can be mixed with thinners in various ratios to provide coatings of various thicknesses.Should I prime before body filler?
46 Epoxy primer must dry for one hour and all metal work must be completed before starting the body filler process. Applying body filler over epoxy primer provides maximum corrosion protection for the metal. Apply filler within seven days of applying epoxy primer to maximize adhesion.What is crater in paint?
Craters are caused by low surface tension contamination that is on the substrate being painted, is in the paint, or falls on the paint. This produces a surface tension gradient that causes flow away from the low surface tension area, resulting in a circular low spot (see Figure 1 for an example).How do you remove fish eyes from paint?
Remove wet paint film with solvent, clean and refinish. Add the recommended fisheye eliminator and respray the affected area. If fisheyes appear in a basecoat, allow the color to flash then spray a mist coat over affected area. Do not use fisheye eliminator in undercoats or basecoat color.How do you stop solvent popping?
Prevention
- Ensure that the surface is scrupulously clean.
- Use only recommended thinner.
- Apply paint in thin, wet films. ...
- Use correct compressed air pressure.
- Allow sufficient flash off time before force drying, ensure that the correct drying temperature is not exceeded.