Any auto painters out there?

admin

Some might have seen that I am working on my truck and just painted it. Problem is that I got some severe orange peel. I've painted a few different things, car hood, fenders and other miscellaneous things with pretty good success, but I'm no painter. Not sure what went wrong this time. I've been reading up on it and it's a possibility that I had the air turned down too low. At any rate, I need to fix it.My thought is to hit it with wet 1000 gr paper and hope that I can get it smooth before I hit color and then put a top coat of clear on it again (hopefully a smooth coat)Anyone have any advice or tricks? I'm wondering how scratch free/buffed it needs to be before I put the last coat of clear on it, or if it needs to be scuffed.
Reply:Originally Posted by Ron_JSome might have seen that I am working on my truck and just painted it. Problem is that I got some severe orange peel. I've painted a few different things, car hood, fenders and other miscellaneous things with pretty good success, but I'm no painter. Not sure what went wrong this time. I've been reading up on it and it's a possibility that I had the air turned down too low. At any rate, I need to fix it.My thought is to hit it with wet 1000 gr paper and hope that I can get it smooth before I hit color and then put a top coat of clear on it again (hopefully a smooth coat)Anyone have any advice or tricks? I'm wondering how scratch free/buffed it needs to be before I put the last coat of clear on it, or if it needs to be scuffed.
Reply:It's been over 25 years since I painted vehicles and a lot has changed since then, but I agree with kize about the sanding and I doubt 1000 grit will get you anywhere if it is severe as you stated. One tip, every time I painted a vehicle I would have a scrap hood or fender in the room with me ( I didn't have a "real" booth) and test on that first before hitting the project vehicle. Is your orange peel dull or shiny?Last edited by bigb; 03-05-2021 at 01:44 PM.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:Originally Posted by kizeCould have been many issues- Temp too cold, not enough reducer, Not enough pressure at gun, incorrect needle size for material, wrong type of gun for paint type. Those are all things you have not provided. Without there's no telling how to correct. Ultimately, re-sanding is in your future.
Reply:Originally Posted by bigbIt's been over 25 years since I painted vehicles and a lot has changed since then, but I agree with kize about the sanding and I doubt 1000 grit will get you anywhere if it is severe as you stated. One tip, every time I painted a vehicle I would have a scrap hood or fender in the room with me ( I didn't have a "real" booth) and test on that first before hitting the project vehicle. Is your orange peel dull or shiny?
Reply:I'm guessing too cold. I wont spray if its under 70 and I use HVLP. If your paint is not wetting out, time to stop and re-evaluate why. If you are using 1000 grit to sand - you are going to be sanding for awhile. Using too fine of grit for clear coat/ final coat can be a bad thing as it will not give enough rough surface for the paint to stick long term. AKA paint peel. Too coarse of grit will show sanding marks through the final- just as bad. Most important of all- putting more paint on an uneven surface does NOT even out the surface. Makes it worse. So make sure your surface is perfect before applying the last coat. That's my personal experience- your mileage may vary. Good luck.Last edited by kize; 03-05-2021 at 02:09 PM.
Reply:Well, I did a little CSI work and found that the temp of the tin was probably about 48 degrees when I shot it, and to top it off, the clear was probably about the same temp. Won't make that mistake again.I sanded the bedside with 600 wet and it cleaned up pretty nice, and didn't seem to cut through the clear, but I'm sure it's pretty thin in some areas. I'm going to re shoot a test piece with the temperatures where they should be before I do the whole thing again. It's not a rush job, so I have time to make sure I get it right...the second time.
Reply:When I paint equipment, I use the slowest thinner I can find.  For alkyd enamel I use mineral spirits instead of the faster stuff.  It allows it to wet out, and flow nicely.  Dunno if that helps..........but there might be a slower thinner for the stuff you're using.
Reply:If he's talking a modern base coat/clear coat system, I doubt he's using alkyd enamels. I'll echo what Kize said about getting the surface perfectly smooth before you recoat. Check with the paint manufacturer on recoat times and grits. If you can go with something like 600 or 800 grit, it will sand down a lot faster than 1000 grit, but again... check first or you could end up with sand scratch issues. I've played around with cheap enamels at cold temps and fast reducers, but modern auto paints can be a lot more complex. I used to like to keep my booth at 80 all winter... not neccesary but it was fast shooting...250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:A friend of mine who recently passed was a professional Automotive painter and had told me of a contract to do a fleet of vehicles with Acrylic enamel, He heated the paint & shot it straight, no reducer at all, it worked well I guess. It would be nice not to have to worry about which reducer  to use or if it needs a retarder, etc.IMPEACH BIDEN!NRA LIFE MEMBERUNITWELD 175 AMP 3 IN1 DCMIDSTATES 300 AMP AC MACHINEGOD HELP AMERICA!“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream".RONALD REAGAN
Reply:Yes, I'm using BC/CC.I finished wetsanding last night. started with 400 and finished with 800. It cleaned it up pretty nicely. Hope to do a test piece this weekend and if that goes well, I'll reshoot the whole thing with another coat or two of clear.
Reply:Originally Posted by Ron_JYes, I'm using BC/CC.I finished wetsanding last night. started with 400 and finished with 800. It cleaned it up pretty nicely. Hope to do a test piece this weekend and if that goes well, I'll reshoot the whole thing with another coat or two of clear.
Reply:Originally Posted by duramax-robif you started with 400 and finished with 800 you likely have gone thru the cc into the bc.  when you clear you will see the outlines of the 2.  might have to add more base coat again.  id check that out first especially on the edges and corners.  those always sand thru first.  hope it turns out better 2nd time !!
Reply:Not sure if it was the temp, gun or air pressure, but its done.I brought the temperature up another 10 degrees, swapped out the guy for a new one and turned up the pressure about 5 psi and it turned out much better. Its not show quality but with a little buffing it should shine.