Well, I ordered a stencil ( http://store.yahoo.com/directron/spiderwindow.html ) from Directron.com the other day, and today was the first chance I've had to be able to paint. With my complete lack of artistic ability, I figured a stencil would be the way to go. I followed the directions that came with the stencil, and I cleaned my case panel with Windex before painting. I applied the stencil to my case panel exaclty as the intructions told me to, even though I figured it couldn't be brain surgery to put a sticker on a case. I used the enclosed plastic piece to make sure I had no bubbles and that the stencil was adhered firmly to the panel. My choice of paint was Dupli-Color Auto Spray Paint, in Autumn Maple Metallic. I sprayed the first coat of paint, and everything seemed to be going well. Then I came to spray the second coat, and the first was already dry to the touch. I thought I was supposed to apply the second coat before the first completely dried, but it was too late so I went ahead and sprayed a second coat. I checked back sooner this time, and to my surprise the stencil had began to bubble up. I checked the paint, and it seemed fairly dry, but not totally. So I decided to remove the stencil. As I peeled the stencil away from my panel, all of the paint came with it. Except for in the large open area of the spider's body, zero paint had adhered to my case. And the paint that did in the middle was easily pulled off. End result: My panel looked exactly like it did before I sprayed it!!! And my stencil of course was totally wasted!!!

I'm not really sure what went wrong here, but I'm sure one of you paint experts will tell me so I'll know next time. It might have been too humid outside. I might have let the paint dry too much, or not enough before removing the stencil. Also, I didn't use primer because my panel is painted black and I wanted to spray the red on the dark background. The directions said I could paint right over the existing paint on the case though. Maybe it was my choice of paint.

What a waste of $10........

To the best of my knowledge the paint didnt stick because the surface it was being applied to wasnt scuffed up. Again im no expert on this but I think that may be why.

Dupli Color is a thinner based paint, it's one of few spray bomb paints that still is. I take it the stencil was a plastic/vinyl type? Thinners and many plastics don't play well together.

My guess for not sticking is two fold. One, you probably didn't prep it well. Something like sanding with a 400 grit paper in order to give the surface some "tooth" for the paint to adhere to. And two, windex or any detergent is likely to leave a residue that would hinder adhesion.

A stencil should also be pulled off while the paint is still somewhat tacky to prevent the paint coming off with the stencil.

Being a Custom auto painter by trade two things:You need to scuff the surface, sandpaper is too harsh, you need to use a red grade scotchbrite, fine. If you dont have one a sponge with a potscrubber on one side will do, second you need to use a degreaser not windex, I'm sure you don't have that so use laquer thinner or rubbing alchohol, of cours after you scotchbrite it and put the stencil on. Oh and another thing you don't want it too humid or to dry, about 40% humidity is perfect. Any more painting help feel free to give me a yell. and IKayin is right you need to pull it off while the paint is still tacky.

I went with Windex because that's what the directions suggested, but now I know for next time.

Don't use laquer thinner on plastic. It can attack it and will leave a hazy finish or make the stuff just fall apart. Use denatured alcohol for degreasing plastic. If the decal is not directional, you should paint it from the inside, darker colors first. Go to your local habby shop and see if the have the colors you want in aersol cans that are specifically designed for Radio Control car bodies. This stuff actually etches into the plastic adn has a flex agent so it won't pull off.

Vada right about the laquer thinner on plastic, soory didnt notice you were painting plastic. The besrt solution is a degreaser you can get from paint supply store or hardware store and it will say on the bottle for paint prep only.

Actually my case panel is not plastic, it's metal. So was my main fault in the type of paint I used?? Or the lack of prepwork??

Sorry, I stand by my orginal post, when Vada posted he he made me think that it was plastic so my bad, his mistake.