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[A14jojo]

Last night I found my Loki emblem looking like this:
http://www.cosplay.com/photo/3305596/

Last I had night poured a thin layer of acrylic paint into the recesses and everything seemed fine. I had tested this method before but did not have this result. I am not sure what to do to save it and right now I don't have time to make another.

I thought of maybe filling in the cracks with something, like for instance mod podge, but I really don't want to make thing any worse.

[Midnight Dawn]

I'd suggest basic white glue to fill in the cracks as it will fill in the gaps and dry clear to which you should be able to color over it later.

However I generally don't have this problem, so I suggest a second opinion.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful

[A14jojo]

Originally Posted by Midnight Dawn

I'd suggest basic white glue to fill in the cracks as it will fill in the gaps and dry clear to which you should be able to color over it later.

However I generally don't have this problem, so I suggest a second opinion.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful

No no Midnight! your input is helpful. I really don't know what went wrong. I tested doing this before and had no real problems.
And I did go ahead and fill the cracks with white glue, though I am still afraid that the surface will be uneven when I add another layer of paint. Do you have any input on that? I think I might upload a picture tomorrow after the glue has dried.

I wouldn't be so worried if I did not need to fix this before Saturday.

[Midnight Dawn]

I'd guess the problem would maybe due to an air bubble that formed when you overlayed with paint. Whether big or small, it caused a hairline crack.

Thinking about how most cracks are dealt with, after filling it up you'd want to apply another overlaying count of the compound as a finishing to smooth anything out as well as level out any unevenness. So if the glue hadn't completely filled in the crack, I'd then suggest putting a thin layer of white glue until the surface area was leveled. Now if it's laying on a completely flat surface, gravity should do most of the work for you as you need to do is make sure you don't put too much white glue.

Well I hope this goes well for you.

[verdatum]

Gloss black can play some tricks on the eye, so it is a little difficult to tell what is going on in the photo but I can guess.

I believe you've experienced the icky soup skin effect. You poured a layer of thinned paint. The surface, being exposed to the air, dried, while everything below the surface was protected. As the paint dries, these molecule chains link up together, forming a skin. As the skin continues to cure and lose water, it shrinks, and as it shrinks, it tightens, and since the only thing beneath it is liquid paint, it cracks. In the opposite direction, the wet paint beneath is still trying to evaporate and push out. You see the same effect in mud as it dries out.

If you tried this before with no problem, it might be because you were working in a different humidity or a different temperature, or you just didn't apply it in such a thick pool when you tested.

Any time you deal with a product that involves something that must evaporate off for it to cure, whether it's water, or alcohol, or paint thinner, the product must be applied in thin coats or you'll get this sort of cracking.

If you want to fill in a section, you need to use a product that cures through a chemical reaction alone, like plaster, or epoxy, or has enough solids mixed in so that the water is forced to diffuse through slowly, like wood putty or jointing compound. Even then, it'll still crack if dried too quickly, so it can relieve stresses built up as it shrinks.