Orange Peel - What not to do; now what?

[spdwaver]

I did this on my roll cage as well. Some parts came out perfect but others has that wrinkle look. I'm going to wet sand it smooth and then go over it with a light coat. After that I'm not sure if i want clear coat it or just polish it. What clear coat should I use if i go that way. or should I polish it then clear??

I would not even clear-coat it, but that's just me. I did not have issues with my roll bar; when it gets scratched, I just spray the area and move on.

In a way, that is what I am doing with the rest of the truck: if I scratch it, I can just paint over the area. It is a daily driver, but it is also my trail rig.

 

[spdwaver]

So much for an $85.00 paint job.

If anything else, the price of the job will not change...

Well, the price of the job did change, adding another $45.00 to the total for paint, mineral spirits, 4" rollers and pans.

 

[spdwaver]

Update

I wanted to update all that are interested as to how I am coming along with the paint repair. I did not post pics of the process because, quite frankly, I was not sure how I would fare in choosing this method, but I have made progress in another area.

I have a spare hood which got prepped and sprayed a coat of primer on it to practice the roll-on technique (no need to post pics of primer, right?). I rolled on a few coats, and to my surprise, it is turning out really nice! The only problem that I had is the thickness of the paint on application; if I did not mix in enough mineral spirits, the thickness of the paint would not allow the bubbles resulting from the foam roller to pop and level out, and the bumps would not settle either.

Once I got the thickness figured out, I was able to apply the coats more evenly, and the paint would 'flatten out' better as a result. For those who are interested in attempting the roll-on method of painting, it is nice to not have airborne particles getting all over everything and to not worry about drips that form: you can simply roll over the imperfections while it is still wet - then the bumps will settle.

I followed 5280's method for the most part, but you just have to get a feel for what you are doing: at first, like he said, it does not appear as though progress is being made. But after several coats, it really starts to come along quite well. My thanks goes out to 5280 for posting his experience, which is what led me to do the same (just not to the same extent: mine is a DD).

I will have pics of the hood up soon, followed by the rest of the rig.

 

[5280Hawk]

Nice man,

Thanks for the props.

I am super excited to see the results!

PM me if you have any specific questions, I don't get back into the paint and Body section as much as I should.

 

[spdwaver]

Nice man,

Thanks for the props.

I am super excited to see the results!

PM me if you have any specific questions, I don't get back into the paint and Body section as much as I should.

Thanks for the encouragement. I have been a bit delayed in getting out to the garage to snap a few shots, but I am keeping the project 'incomplete' for the sake of posting up the results in its current state. I want others to see that, with a little patience, this method works out quite nicely.

 

[spdwaver]

Updated Pics

As promised, here are some updated pics of the progress on the hood and a couple before and after shots of the top.

Enjoy.

The first pic is just after sanding the first two coats with wet 600 grit.. It appears to be rough, but it is actually quite smooth and level; perfect for the next coat.

The second is a view of the center section looking toward the front.

The third is the full view. You may notice that there are dents in the hood (discussed in another thread): I decided not to try to straighten it out since it is much better than what I have now, and I am not tooled up to do the job.

 

[spdwaver]

More...

The top picture gives you a good idea of the texture prior to applying a fresh coat.

The second is just after a fresh coat. Shiny!


The third shows just how rough a fresh coat will appear after rolling it on. All of the roughness settles rather quickly, which is due in part to the thickness of the paint. I used an approximate mixture of 1:1 mineral spirits / paint, which seemed like too much thinner, but ended up just right. If I had not thinned it as such, the bubbles would remain: too much thinner and the vertical sections would run. It is a bit tricky to get it just right, but ultimately I just started with 1:1 and added paint to thicken it.

 

[spdwaver]

More...

The top pic is a better example of the texture after a fresh coat, all of which levels out nicely.
The bottom pic is also after a fresh coat - it too leveled out pretty well after about a couple minutes.

 

[spdwaver]

Back on to the top...

The top required a lot of sanding to get all of the wrinkled paint down. In fact, it has taken until this time, or from the first post in this thread, to be almost completely dry!

I brought the back corner (top pic) down to primer, then applied another coat of primer to even it out.

The second pic shows what the end result of sanding achieved along with a two-coat application. I have not wet-sanded or polished this portion yet. Much better than it was! I will be applying a few more coats, wet-sanding with 600 between each coat.

 

[40Flipper]

Lookin good!!

 

[spdwaver]

Lookin good!!

Thank you! It is turning out nicer than I thought, actually. I plan on rolling on a few more coats; although it is fully covered and would look just fine. Since I will not be putting on a clear coat I will need plenty of paint to work with during the final wet-sand and polish.

I read somewhere that you were planning on rolling as well - did you attempt it or just spray it?

 

[5280Hawk]

Very Nice,

I can tell the red is going to look amazing.

It will really pop after final sand and Buff and Wax.

 

[spdwaver]

Very Nice,

I can tell the red is going to look amazing.

It will really pop after final sand and Buff and Wax.

I think so, too. After I sprayed the fenders (and the rest of the vehicle, for that matter) about a year ago, I noticed that I was not getting anywhere near the finish that I am now, nor was the process as forgiving as it is now.

Overall, I would say that this method is just plain easier to work with in many respects, with exception to the amount of coats required for coverage and the time it takes to perform.

 

[apeterson]

bet your hood flew open on you one day huh?

 

[spdwaver]

bet your hood flew open on you one day huh?

Yes, it happened to the PO prior to the one that I bought it from - about twelve years ago the guy forgot to secure the hood. I started a thread about it, saying that this "hood in the windshield" thing was common, but most disagreed.

The new hood, or the one you see in the photos, is from Gene (look up "Project Phoenix" in the 45 section).