Not all is smooth sailing and calm seas.
For the first coat I made a number of mistakes. First of all, I didn't mount the parts on stands. I just used the barrel and my hands to hold them up. that was a big mistake. Next I didn't have a hook to put the spray gun on while I move things around. Rookie mistakes.
The really big problem was getting the spray to behave. For the first coat it was coming out like cotton candy or spider webs. Fluffy dried paint everywhere. I tried adjusting the pressure and the spray pattern and got it sort of flowing but not really. Not really knowing if this was normal I sprayed away. the results were not good and I had to sand everything with 400 grit again.
Coat #2 went a bit better. I thinned the primer out some more. I mixed it in a separate container and stirred it well. This time I was able to get wet paint on the parts if I kept the spray pattern tight and the gun about 6" from the surface.
Third coat went about the same. The results are not great. This pic shows some of the problem.
Most of it will just brush off, its not stuck to the finish at all. The finish itself isn't smooth. Even after sanding I can see some areas that are not perfectly flat.
So now I'm left to ask questions:
What was I doing wrong?
What should I do now? Sand and forget about it? Sand and add another coat of primer?
Your feedback is greatly appreciated.