I can't figure out this metal flake ****. I applied it lightly then put another light coat on and went for a heavy coat etc. Looked good, but orange peel out the wazoo. The paint was enamel (Dupont)any trick to not getting orange peel? I painted it outside would that have made a difference? (btw its just the fender that i repaired so its not the whole car) Any tips etc? When i wet sanded it showed different colors of blue etc... Would base coat/clear coat be better?

------------------
89 IROC-Z 350 TPI

-Flowmaster Catback
-Performance Resource Chip
-700R4 (Rebuilt) Too much done to actually list
-K&N Airfilters
-Ported Plenum
-2.77 Gears (not much to brag about but eh, its there)
-MSD 8.5 mm plug wires
-Gutted cat
-!AIR
-Gutted Air Boxes

 

ttt

------------------
89 IROC-Z 350 TPI

-Flowmaster Catback
-Performance Resource Chip
-700R4 (Rebuilt) Too much done to actually list
-K&N Airfilters
-Ported Plenum
-2.77 Gears (not much to brag about but eh, its there)
-MSD 8.5 mm plug wires
-Gutted cat
-!AIR
-Gutted Air Boxes

 

I've always sand the **** outta the primer to get it smooth as possible. I use 400, then 800 grit. Some people say that's too smooth, but I think they are referring to the fact that primer helps hide body flaws. If the fender is in good shape, then smoothing the primer ain't gonna hurt nothin'. You can also sand each coat of paint after it drys between coats.

The humidity of being outside may have helped it show. Usually metalic flake doesn't show orange peal that bad. That's pretty much why car manufactures use it all the time now. I'm just surprised, that's all.

Did you buff it yet? That will take out some of the color variation. Other than that, I can't think of anything else. I'm sure you've heard it before, but 90% of a paint job appearance is prep (and post) work.

 

800 grit? I would have stopped at 400 grit on the primer. 400 grit gives the sealer or paint something to grip onto. As for the orange peal, it could be a lot of different things. Moving too fast, miss adjusted gun, too far away from the panel and so on. I just painted a dune buggy outside and the paint came out pretty good except for some bugs that got in the paint. Here's a shot of a corner, the paint hasn't been touched yet.

 

Okay then tell me, how far am i supposed to hold the gun from the fender? If i remember correctly we stopped at 220 grit and not 400. Could that have made a difference? It looked good but had orange peel out the wazoo and when we sanded it it started showing different colors I buffed it the other day before we sanded it. also, we started sanding only 3 days after we painted does that make a difference?

------------------
89 IROC-Z 350 TPI

-Flowmaster Catback
-Performance Resource Chip
-700R4 (Rebuilt) Too much done to actually list
-K&N Airfilters
-Ported Plenum
-2.77 Gears (not much to brag about but eh, its there)
-MSD 8.5 mm plug wires
-Gutted cat
-!AIR
-Gutted Air Boxes

 

There are a couple of problems here. First, most paint books recommend not wet sanding flake paint for the very reason you described. You now have three different colors and there is no way to fix it other than repaint.
Being outside didn't cause the orange peel, but caused all the dust bumps, which needed/needs to be sanded out. The orange peel is caused by many reasons as stated above, however for me, being too far and too fast were the primary reasons (the paint could not flow out)
As for what distance, it completely depends on the equipment, and paint and your skill. It changes with every change in the above. The goal is to keep adjusting and testing spray patterns until you get the proper flow, and volume of paint.
Sorry to tell you but you need to buff AFTER you sand, not before, so you have to do it again. Usually sanding primer with 220 is good enough if done with a machine. Use 400 grit if sanding by hand.
Finally, wet sanding/buffing 3 days later is usually no problem with enamel BUT DO NOT WAX IT FOR 3 MONTHS. While the paint is hard to the touch, there are still solvents evaporating. If you wax the car you trap them and then paint may bubble, peel etc.
Also do a search on the body board for "painting my own car", "painting" etc. There is tons more info.
Good luck.
P.S. You do not need to clear coat Dupont Acrylic Enamel.

 

Hey I paint cars for a living first 400 is where you stop sanding and for any flake type paint use a slow reducer this allows the paint to flow and the flake to lay down. If I did this paint job the three coats of color would be immediatly followed by two good coats of clear urethane enamel then any peel could be wetsanded out without disturbing the color

 

I told you everyone would say 800 grit is too much. Never hurt anything I painted. Oh well, to each his own.

 

Hrm, some good advice. Thanks guys. I did get new paint and put it on (it was free) but it was the wrong dang color...which makes me wonder about the place i had mix it. Btw, i have medium reducer...is slow reducer another type i can get? or is medium the same stuff?

------------------
89 IROC-Z 350 TPI

-Flowmaster Catback
-Performance Resource Chip
-700R4 (Rebuilt) Too much done to actually list
-K&N Airfilters
-Ported Plenum
-2.77 Gears (not much to brag about but eh, its there)
-MSD 8.5 mm plug wires
-Gutted cat
-!AIR
-Gutted Air Boxes

 

Also my paint says 2 parts paint to 1 part reducer. Is this too thick? I've always been under the impression more thinner than paint? Also is 45 PSI too much? The can just says 30 - 60 PSI. I've read the other posts on preping etc so i've already figured out i've been prepping all wrong. I'll give it another try.

------------------
89 IROC-Z 350 TPI

-Flowmaster Catback
-Performance Resource Chip
-700R4 (Rebuilt) Too much done to actually list
-K&N Airfilters
-Ported Plenum
-2.77 Gears (not much to brag about but eh, its there)
-MSD 8.5 mm plug wires
-Gutted cat
-!AIR
-Gutted Air Boxes

 

The pressure you use depends on the type of gun you're spraying with.. My HVLP gravity feed gun only requires 10 psi at the cap but the siphon feed non-HVLP that I used in a class used about 45 psi. Medium reducer will work fine, I think the slow reducer is when you're painting in colder temps.

------------------
'82 Z28
LG4 305 .030 over, performer intake, holley street avenger 670, xe 256 cam, tes headers, 3 inch single exhaust, spintech muffler, 14 x 3 inch drop base k&n.

 

See, now, there's your problem. You're not supposed to paint out the wazoo. It's much harder to see where you're painting with your back is to the car. Try again, but this time face the car and hold the paint gun in your hands. Very few people have the fine motor control to handle a paint gun with their wazoo while looking back over their shoulder (I suppose you could use a mirror, but then the paint would come out backwards).

 

thanks guys

------------------
89 IROC-Z 350 TPI

-Flowmaster Catback
-Performance Resource Chip
-700R4 (Rebuilt) Too much done to actually list
-K&N Airfilters
-Ported Plenum
-2.77 Gears (not much to brag about but eh, its there)
-MSD 8.5 mm plug wires
-Gutted cat
-!AIR
-Gutted Air Boxes

 

Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">posted by bird67:
See, now, there's your problem. You're not supposed to paint out the wazoo. It's much harder to see where you're painting with your back is to the car. Try again, but this time face the car and hold the paint gun in your hands. Very few people have the fine motor control to handle a paint gun with their wazoo while looking back over their shoulder (I suppose you could use a mirror, but then the paint would come out backwards).

It's so nice to see other people on here have a sense of humor. That was awesome!!!!! I can't stop laughing!!!!!!

[This message has been edited by AJ_92RS (edited August 03, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by AJ_92RS (edited August 03, 2001).]

 

The perfect paint job has to have all elements exactly right. Experienced painters make mistakes more often than you think. Inexperienced painters are usually guaranteed mistakes. There is too much involved.... which is why.... you should do some practicing on some scrap sheet metal.

Pressure too high, pressure too low, improper distance, wrong reducer, improper prep work, wrong paint mix.... will ALL cause orange peel. Too great a distance will cause overspray and dulling, too close will cause runs.

If you take a microscope and enlarge the painting process your gun is splatting little globs of paint onto the surface. These globs then connect to each other and level out. Usually reducer that is too "hot" will dry the paint before it can flow. That is your orange peel.

Adding flake into the process just complicates things. Irrespective of the gentleman that had luck with 800 grit prep, you should sand to 400. Then get some scotchbrite and comet and scour the surface. 800 is too fine and you will (could) get bad paint adhesion and start peeling in the future.

 

PS.... always follow the paint mix directions to the T. Nothing like waiting a year for your paint to dry.

 

Thanks Mike guess it's time for another try.

------------------
89 IROC-Z 350 TPI

-Flowmaster Catback
-Performance Resource Chip
-700R4 (Rebuilt) Too much done to actually list
-K&N Airfilters
-Ported Plenum
-2.77 Gears (not much to brag about but eh, its there)
-MSD 8.5 mm plug wires
-Gutted cat
-!AIR
-Gutted Air Boxes