So I attempted to paint again today.

I got base down pretty good. Once It came to clear coat I was pretty frustrated.

It seemed like If i held the gun and spayed within 6-8 inches with full pressure ( meaning i am pulling the trigger all the way ) The clear would be very visible but I would get orange peel. If I was to spray it away about 10-12 inches away not pulling on the trigger all the way. It would not be as shiny and the clear coat does not stand out.

Which is the right way? and what suggestions do you have.

I am laying down omni clear coat.

 

cmon guys i am going to try again tomorrow

 

search on here bro, I know that this topic has been covered before.

 

gee you're no help

 

what kind of environment are you spraying in? whats your pressure read at the regulator? and do you have the fluid needle pretty much open all the way?

 

which one is the fluid needle?

(bottom of the gun
(on the corner of the gun
(on the side of the gun ontop of the trigger.

i adjusted them pretty good

spraying in garage.

and yes i am spraying at 20 psi.

i've noticed too much pressure = more peel, but lmk if you have any suggestions

i am willing to mess around more.

 

Too much fluid = more peel

Too much pressure = dry spray

You want your spray pattern to look like = ()

You also want to adjust your gun pressure with the trigger pulled to the manufacturers specs.

Usually I have my fluid **** 2.5 full turns out and my pattern **** almost all the way out with like 25 psi with the trigger pulled on my clear gun.

Your's is probably gonna be different from mine.

 

yes i get dry spray sometimes you are very right that seems to be my problem and which one is the fluid ****?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kelviiv &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yes i get dry spray sometimes you are very right that seems to be my problem and which one is the fluid ****? </TD></TR></TABLE>

Fluid **** is usually the 2nd one from the top. USUALLY!

 

Familiarize yourself with your gun. Set the fan wide open or near, material should also be near the max open setting. You should be pulling the trigger all the way as you move across the panel. Keep in mind not everyone paints the same, adjust the gun the same. Don't get too frustrated, this exactly why practicing and test spraying is always recommended for noobs.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by powerflow &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Familiarize yourself with your gun. Set the fan wide open or near, material should also be near the max open setting. You should be pulling the trigger all the way as you move across the panel. Keep in mind not everyone paints the same, adjust the gun the same. Don't get too frustrated, this exactly why practicing and test spraying is always recommended for noobs. </TD></TR></TABLE>

x2

 

Yo. Most likely you are using a knock off gun since it looks like you are new to painting. I would say your gun might be set up to 40-45 psi. A lot of the knock offs are modeled after the sharpe cobalt which is a badass gun for the cheap price.

Defineatly make sure you are using the right pressure though.

I am a ghetto painter at heart and have seen and done it all. I will tell you one thing that is TOP SECRET. This one thing will change your clear coating career for life.......After you mixed you clearcoat and hardner, add about 1/5th of reducer. You must spray fast as it will almost seem like you are spraying water. You will be so afraid of runs, but I guarantee you, with a little practice, you can get virtually zero orange peel.

 

While I am all for being pro-active about the situation, if you have tried everything and still get dry spray or excessive orange peel, there are steps you can take after you spray, such as blocking down and buffing to remedy the situation after-the-fact instead of driving yourself nuts trying to make the problem go away. Just a thought.

Sorry for the run-on sentence...lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TH22EK9 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am a ghetto painter at heart and have seen and done it all. I will tell you one thing that is TOP SECRET. This one thing will change your clear coating career for life.......After you mixed you clearcoat and hardner, add about 1/5th of reducer. You must spray fast as it will almost seem like you are spraying water. You will be so afraid of runs, but I guarantee you, with a little practice, you can get virtually zero orange peel. </TD></TR></TABLE>

20% over reducing maybe to much, depends on the viscosity beforehand. The thinner the clear the less build, the more coats you need to have a proper clear build. If it seems like water, that's pretty thin = not much build. Adding a slash or 10% over reducing thicker clears is not uncommon. Last time I used omni I added my typical splash. Generally 2 mils of clear thickness is the required amount after finesse work, for proper UV protection, this ends up being at least 2 good medium wet coats.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kelviiv &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yes i get dry spray sometimes you are very right that seems to be my problem and which one is the fluid ****? </TD></TR></TABLE> Lay that **** on there thick, you should be able to see it before it runs, it will get a look. As far as dry spots, I'de rather have a run than a dry spot anyday. Carefull wetsanding will eaily get rid of a run and then you can buff it out and make it look golden. Get your settings right for the way you spray. That's what seems to be your main problem.

 

so many great responses

but i spent an hour trying to tune the damn gun

my friend and i both took turns

basically when i tried to lay clear down there would be blobs at certain spots. i am suppose to lay it wet right? well when i try to make it wet i end up getting orange peel or runs or blobs.

this is our 4th time sanding it down and trying again.

painting is no joke

 

Have you cleaned you gun? Are you gettin the same constant air pressure? What kind of gun are you using? If it's a cheap one, then that's most likely your problem. Orange peel is fine. Excessive orange peel is no good. Don't think because you have a little orange peel it's a bad spray, you will be able to tell when there's too much.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kelviiv &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">basically when i tried to lay clear down there would be blobs at certain spots. i am suppose to lay it wet right? well when i try to make it wet i end up getting orange peel or runs or blobs.

</TD></TR></TABLE> The blobs make me think it's your gun. Or maybe it just needs to be cleaned. Could be the air pressure, but you said you've messed around with that. <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kelviiv &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

painting is no joke </TD></TR></TABLE>It takes practice. Clear is the hardest thing to get the hang of. When you first start doing it you will get runs, which will make you be conservative, then you will get dry spots. Just gotta find the right combo, and once you get it, you get it. Then it becomes fun.

 

Also clear will flow out as it starts to harden, but you are redoing it afterwards so I guess that doesn't help. That's why you apply on the heavy side of med. wet to get a good build so it flows out nice. There is a fine line between that and getting sags, ect. As mentioned minimal peel is normal. There is a possibility the cheapy gun you have is defective and isn't atomizing properly.

 

yes i really think it is the gun

well thanks again i will try again with another gun

 

I know 20% sounds overkill and it absolutely is. However, 20% is exactly what you want to do. Sounds crazy, but give it a try at least once. You must change how fast you spray, but to a new painter it might be awesome because you have limited technique to begin with.

I am saying this technique will leave absolutely no orange peel if you properly master this technique! Most clears can be reduced 5% going by manufacturer's recommendation. I thought this was crazy to over reduce clear when I saw another painter use this technique. You do need 2 mils of clear to optimally utilize uv protection, shine, and durability. Most clears can also achieve this in 2 coats like powerflow stated. 3 coats will achieve this and some. The extra coat easily makes up for lost time cutting and buffing the peel. This technique is great especially for newer luxury cars that have zero peel from the factory.

With good flash time you can lay coat after coat. 5 to 6 coats will leave a deep show quality shine. Just give it a try, at most you will think this is God's gift to mankind. At worst, you dumped a cup of omni clear. Yo I'm also gonna say this. The generic guns can spray just as good as any top dollar gun. Metallic's and and candies should be sprayed with only the best gun, but the back yarder don't need to risk ruining a nice gun because they lack a nice gun machine. They especially shouldn't be dumping grips on expensive paint when they are doing poor body work. I can't stand it when someone spends $1,000+ on nice paint and have a maaco quality body work. Just my thoughts and opinions.

Yo, I almost forgot. Over reducing your clear saves a lot of clear to. I say this because a lot of your clear is lost from the over spray. More reducer means less clear and hardener. You also can get even less over spray by slightly lowering your gun pressure. Another great thing is the reducer helps stabalize the clear especially if you use faster reducer than you need. I also spray clear a lot closer to the panel. I spray around 4" away. This sounds crazy, but if you spray really really really fast and overlap good and pay close attention, you can get ridiculously unbelievable results.


Modified by TH22EK9 at 12:00 AM 3/28/2008

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TH22EK9 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I know 20% sounds overkill and it absolutely is. However, 20% is exactly what you want to do. Sounds crazy, but give it a try at least once. You must change how fast you spray, but to a new painter it might be awesome because you have limited technique to begin with.

I am saying this technique will leave absolutely no orange peel if you properly master this technique! Most clears can be reduced 5% going by manufacturer's recommendation. I thought this was crazy to over reduce clear when I saw another painter use this technique. You do need 2 mils of clear to optimally utilize uv protection, shine, and durability. Most clears can also achieve this in 2 coats like powerflow stated. 3 coats will achieve this and some. The extra coat easily makes up for lost time cutting and buffing the peel. This technique is great especially for newer luxury cars that have zero peel from the factory.

With good flash time you can lay coat after coat. 5 to 6 coats will leave a deep show quality shine. Just give it a try, at most you will think this is God's gift to mankind. At worst, you dumped a cup of omni clear. Yo I'm also gonna say this. The generic guns can spray just as good as any top dollar gun. Metallic's and and candies should be sprayed with only the best gun, but the back yarder don't need to risk ruining a nice gun because they lack a nice gun machine. They especially shouldn't be dumping grips on expensive paint when they are doing poor body work. I can't stand it when someone spends $1,000+ on nice paint and have a maaco quality body work. Just my thoughts and opinions.

Yo, I almost forgot. Over reducing your clear saves a lot of clear to. I say this because a lot of your clear is lost from the over spray. More reducer means less clear and hardener. You also can get even less over spray by slightly lowering your gun pressure. Another great thing is the reducer helps stabalize the clear especially if you use faster reducer than you need. I also spray clear a lot closer to the panel. I spray around 4" away. This sounds crazy, but if you spray really really really fast and overlap good and pay close attention, you can get ridiculously unbelievable results.


Modified by TH22EK9 at 12:00 AM 3/28/2008</TD></TR></TABLE>

Wow everything I was taught NOT TO DO.

20% is a lot, you kill a lot of the gloss when you over reduce your clear. You should only use a splash or so. I use mostly PPG paints and PPG clears and a splash is all you need to get a peel free finish.

And 4" to the panel?

Sheesh, that's too close and that still depends on the gun and how much of a fan pattern you're using.

Oh well, this is a forum and you're entitled to your opinion. Plus everyone sprays differently.

Honestly try getting a better gun. Wasting your time on a shitty gun will wear you out mentally and physically. Try getting a nice cheap knock off gun. Something like a Astro Evo 4014 should be perfect for you. It's a Iwata clone and can lay base like theres no tomorrow. It doesn't lay clear as flat as my Iwata does, but it lays it nicer than some Satas. But it is also the painter too. So I guess that plays a factor into it. The Astro is less than 100 bucks and you should be happy with it.

I've used it for pearls and kandies and it works fine.

 

alright

thanks for the advice

 

Hey, I knew someone would totally object my reasoning. Please read word for word slowly and try to understand where I am coming from. I specifically stated that you should at least try this at least once before objecting. How could you say that adding more reducer loses the shine? You never over reduced so how can you know for sure? You like most others follow procedure and anything other is wrong. I was hesitant to believe this method was valid until I actually did it. I can say I always use this method now.

I have been painting for over 10 yrs now. Even though I believe I will never be satisfied and always question my quality, put my work next to you work. Put my time frame next to your time frame. Everybody has methods and tricks. Don't knock other methods just because it is not the approved manufacturer's method. Manufacturer's always say their primer, base, clear, etc. should not be combined with other manufacturer's products. I mix omni base with rubber seal clear all the time, along with many other mixes. Please don't believe everything you hear. This is why we got a tard for president because too many of us can't open our minds.

 

I will try every method mentioned here.