First time painting question

[wombat]

This is my first attempt at painting a vehicle and my question is when i make the first pass spraying the paint looks good and smooth no orange peel but when i make my 2nd pass about 15 min later i get lots of orange peel. What am i doing wrong? Am i too thick the first time or should i not make a second coat if the first looks good. Should my 2nd pass be right after the first and not 15 min later?

 

[toomanytoyzz]

You will definitely need at the very least two coats of clear for an effective paintjob.

You'll need to elaborate a bit more in regards to your delimna. Are you spraying in a booth? What type gun are you using? What product are you spraying? Did you follow the tech sheet instructions?

Orange peel isn't as bad as say crows feet, fish eye or the infamous unsandable run, but shoot us a pic so we can see the extent of orange peel. If it's really bad wet sand the vehicle with 1000 grit and spray a light coat followed by a final heavy coat. Putting on a heavier final coat will allow you a little wiggle room when sanding out the orange peel you didn't get to cover which should be minimal.

 

[wombat]

I am using a 3.5 acrylic urethane enamel,the mix is 5-paint 1-hardner 1-reducer.
I am using a cheap hvlp gun with a 1.4 nozzle, painting is done outside flat then moved to the garage and hung vertical with heater on to dry. The instructions say 2-3 coats to hide,10-20 min to flash to recoat. 2 pics show some orange peel 3rd pic show how some areas are for me perfect .

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Ok. I thought you were using a two stage system. I'm gonna take a guess and say either you are laying your second coat on too heavy, and the dryer might also be causing it to set up faster than just letting it air dry. The first coat went on good probably because it was a light coat which it should have been.

The pickle you are in is that wet sanding one stage paints can be a chore. How many coats did you put down? I'd be nervous to wet sand a single stage paint job with any less than four wet coats. I'm no expert with single stage paint, but I've done alot of urethane BC/CC paint jobs. A little extra material to cut can go a long way.

 

[wombat]

Thanks for your help, i have no more than 2 coats so will wet sand then apply 1 or 2 more. A question about wet sanding as i have started to do some ,how do you know when the wet sandpaper is worn out cuz it always looks good to me. I know wet sanding is a chore but i have no timeline and nothing but time. After the final coat and then wetsanding with 1500 and 2000 should i go with a cut polish before the final wax and if so what product is good.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Thanks for your help, i have no more than 2 coats so will wet sand then apply 1 or 2 more. A question about wet sanding as i have started to do some ,how do you know when the wet sandpaper is worn out cuz it always looks good to me. I know wet sanding is a chore but i have no timeline and nothing but time. After the final coat and then wetsanding with 1500 and 2000 should i go with a cut polish before the final wax and if so what product is good.

The only way you can really tell the paper is toast is when the panel doesn't seem to be getting any smoother. Definitely use a small rubber squeege to clean the area you are wet sanding. You will be able to tell if it's completely smooth or not. Orange peel that still needs sanding will leave little tiny shiney dots on the panel, BUT this is where you need to be careful not to sand through to the primer since you only put two coats down. This is especially true for corner edges or anywhere the body has lines.

Another trick I do is soak the paper for ten minutes or so in the bucket of water I use as my water soure and add a drop or two of dish soap. This allows the paper to go over the panel a little easier. I'm sue you know this, but do not use your fingers when sanding. Leave them together and do not apply pressure on the panel using your fingers or it will leave streak marks deeper in the finish which can be impossible to polish out. I like to leave the squeege in my palm and let the paper rest on top of it sort of like a shim making your palm even to your fingers.

As for the polish, I only use 3M brand rubbing compound. There are alot of different grits ranging from fine to heavy just like sandpaper. I would use a medium grit and switch to a fine grit and see how it looks. I'm assuming you will be using a buffer on it, correct? Also watch out for swirl marks caused by the buffing wheel. Rubbing by hand will take FOREVER and it will stilllook like ass. Hold off on the wax for a couple months. If you get it to a high polish the wax is just unnecessary added work. Believe me, you will have enough work in it getting it to te rubbing compound stage. Good luck!!

 

[Splangy]

I would take a good look at your technique and your gun setup. Those little knobs on your gun can make a big difference!

 

[wombat]

I did some more painting yesterday and twisted one of those little knobs to allow more paint and it made a big difference. Some of it looks so good i wonder if i should even touch it with the wet sandpaper allthough when i run my hand over it i can feel some rough spots that are probably dust or something.