what am I doing wrong? (painting)

[stroker87]

Ok guys been helping a friend who does paint and body work on the side in his garage last night we painted some parts and the job is "ok" better then a macco LOL

we are painting with a craftsman spray gun I know it might now be the ideal gun but is a expensive really going to make the big difference?

heres some pictures can you tell me what am I doing wrong the paint has some orange peel whats causing this? speed? pressure? I just really want to learn this since I want to paint my truck myself

the paint laid flat no orange peel at all the clear is where it came in to play, we sprayed the clear at 40psi with a 8" fan about 8" from the panel

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[Devs93]

Orange Peel
Also known as: poor flow, poor levelling, pebbling


DescriptionUneven surface formation - much like that of the skin of an orange - which results from poor coalescence of atomized paint droplets. Paint droplets dry before they can flow out and level smoothly together.





Origin and Potential Causes:Improper gun adjustment and techniques. Too little air pressure, wide fan patterns or spraying at excessive gun distances causes droplets to become too dry during their travel time to the work surface and they remain as formed by gun nozzle.Extreme shop temperature. When air temperature is too high, droplets lose more solvent and dry out before they can flow and level properly.Improper dry. Gun fanning before paint droplets have a chance to flow together will cause orange peel.Improper flash or recoat time between coats. If first coats of enamel are allowed to become too dry, solvent in the paint droplets of following coats will be absorbed into the first coat before proper flow is achieved.Wrong thinner or reducer. Under-diluted paint or paint thinned with fast evaporating thinners or reducers causes the atomized droplets to become too dry before reaching the surface. Too high viscosity.Low shop temperature.Too little thinner or reducer.Materials not uniformly mixed. Many finishes are formulated with components that aid coalescence. If these are not properly mixed, orange peel will result.Substrate not sanded thoroughly


Prevention Techniques:Use proper gun adjustments, techniques, and air pressure.Schedule painting to avoid temperature and humidity extremes.Select the thinner or reducer that is suitable for existing conditions. The use of a slower evaporating thinner or reducer will overcome this.Allow sufficient flash and dry time. Do not dry by fanning.Allow proper drying time for undercoats and topcoats. Not too long or not too short.Reduce to recommended viscosity with proper thinner/reducer.Stir all pigmented undercoats and topcoats thoroughly.Prepare and sand substrate correctly.Follow recommendations on technical data sheets.


RemedyFor mild cases, sand and polish using recommended materials and techniques.In extreme cases, sand down to smooth surface and refinish, using a slower evaporating thinner or reducer at the correct air pressure.

 

[Devs93]

i cant see the pics from my work cpu but if they arent horrible they can be sanded and buffed out. I just copied and pasted that article but there are lots of factors that can cause it

 

[dagen_1]

if the color is good.. then i'd cut/buff the clear...if that doesn't work, re-clear.

 

[stroker87]

they are not "horrible" its pretty descent just not the quality I want, I'm sure with a send/buff it would look a lot better but really just want to improve my skills

how big of a fan should be used and how far should the gun be from the panel?

 

[///RAGMC]

I wouldnt be shooting paint at night I would wait for a nice warm day. Im thinking the reducer doesnt like cool temps.

 

[stroker87]

I wouldnt be shooting paint at night I would wait for a nice warm day. Im thinking the reducer doesnt like cool temps.

we got the garage heated and have been keeping it around 70 to 75 degrees, i do agree with painting on a nice warm day but do to our work schedules night is when we can work on stuff

the paint store guys are giving us the proper stuff "now" for our working environment temps we found out the hard way how temperature is a key factor in the out come this winter lol

 

[Hezsus]

this is a little off topic, but I was just reading and i think someone may be able to answer my question.. I'm using a new devilbiss finishline hvlp gravity gun, i'm spraying mainly wood sealers and lacquers with a 1.5 and a 1.8 fluid tip.. the air cap seems to be the same for all tip sizes.

basically i'm really unimpressed with the gun.. its super slow to get any sort of build and i've got to lay it on real heave to get the orange peel out.
i've ended up running the gun at higher than reccomended PSI to get any acceptable results. my question is.. is it possibly i'm spraying too thick? i'm about 25s (#4f)
I learned alot about finishing in college but all the spray guns there were top of the line.. mabye i'm just used to top of the line guns

any insight would be greatly appreciated

sorry for the threadjack stroker.. I think we may be having similar problems

 

[trailer-trash]

that lil bit of orange peel can be remedied with a wet sand and buff....im personally a big fan of the wet sand and buff method...gives a deep shine

 

[Swims350]

if you want to get better skills just practice and try other things, faster or slower reducers, faster or slower speeds, closer or further away from the panel, and then gun settings.

expensive guns don't help tons IMO I use a $50 spray gun and it works just fine. I always cut and buff anyways.