Soft Rustoleum?

[fantasymaker]

Ive painted a lot of stuff over the years with rattle cans. I'm usually pretty pleased with how it comes out. But yesterday I painted a new-to-me old tool box and while it looks great the paint is amazingly SOFT!
Ive never seen a paint dry but so soft.
Whats up? I thought maybe it hadn't dried but I experimented with a few places and even deep in a seam its dry ,not even gooey but a fingernail lightly dragged across it will scratch it.
Any Ideas?

[Roadking]

Got a bad can probably; might have froze, got old, improperly mixed? Just a guess.
Matt

[fantasymaker]

Bought it at wally world brought it home and sprayed it on.

[Cabin Fever]

Was it the 'red primer?" I have had drying problems with the Rustoleum paint-on red primer. It took forever for the paint to dry. I blame it on the fish oil base they use in the primer.

Take a hair dryer to your tool box and see if that helps.

[Windy in Kansas]

Seems to me that some paints take 2-4 days to thoroughly dry and harden.

Was this "Fast Drying" paint? Otherwise give it more time.

[fantasymaker]

Ive used this stuff before and it was always good a day later.
Ive got it in theoven now!

[Jim-mi]

I have had excellent results with Rust..... metal primer.
I used it on the 6" steel pipe and frame work for my PV panels......
Been out in the weather for years.
Maybe I should have top coated it . . .but I haven't.

Suggest you put the thing out in the sun light for a couple days.

I have never used the spray can things . . .so I have gotten a much thicker coating .....with a brush......

[foxtrapper]

Couple of things.

VOC regulations have changed, lowered again. This affects the curing rates and final hardnesses of many paints.

Rustoleum has always had different formulations in the rattle cans as opposed to the brush cans. That's for the exact same labeled product. They are not the same. Never have been, as far as I know.

Rustoleum has many different product lines. It's real easy to get confused between them, and not realize that you do not have the same can in your hand that you bought last time you were at the store.

As for the rusty metal primer, get it in the brush can, thin it roughly 50/50 with acetone, and be amazed at how much better it soaks in, and how much harder it dries.