I'm trying to get that deep glossy finish on my carbon parts, but I keep getting tiny pinholes in the clear coat. What's causing them, and how do I get the wet look properly?
Pinholes almost always come from tiny air voids at the surface of the laminate, either trapped during layup or outgassing from the part as the coating cures, so the fix starts underneath the clear coat. Getting a well consolidated, void-free surface first, with good vacuum or careful consolidation, removes most of the problem. From there, the deep wet look is built by filling the weave fully with a flood coat of resin or clear, letting it cure hard, then wet-sanding it flat through progressively finer grits, taking care not to cut into the fibre, and finishing with a compound and polish or a final clear. Warming the part and materials a little before coating reduces outgassing, and it helps to avoid laying the clear too thin. Rushing the sanding and polishing is the usual reason a finish falls short.
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