problem with paint, tiny pin holes or specs

[65 drop top]

Im new to painting and decided to paint my gas tank. I used valspar urethane single stage black. I decided to color sand and buff it and used 1000, 1500, 2000 to sand. The surface looks totally smooth after sanding, but after starting to buff these very tiny white specs show up. Im guessing that is could be tiny pits in the paint and the compound is getting in it. Any ideas as to what could be causing it? Can I just sand it and then recoat? Thanks for any info!

[Deeznuts]

Sounds like solvent pop. Happens when solvents(reducer, hardners) are trapped under the surface of the paint when the paint skims over and dries too quickly.The solvents eventually work their way to the surface and leave these tiny pin holes in the the surface if the paint. As bad as I hate to say it, they wont sand out as they originate at the base of the paint. It would need to be sanded and repainted. Hope this helps!

[elitecustombody]

^Precisely.

[65 drop top]

Thanks for the info. How can I prevent this from happening again? Also I just sanded it down with 600 can I respray over that?

[elitecustombody]

Yes, you can paint over that.Use appropriate hardener and reducer for the temperature. Do not hose on the paint,you must wait 15-20 minutes between coats and it should turn out just fine. It sounds like you have used fast hardener and possibly slow or medium reducer,which didn't have a chance to escape before the surface skined over and locked.

Ninja edit : Almost forgot, read and follow mixing/spraying instructions ,if not on the can,contact the supplier.