Single stage orange peel and runs

[johndl58]

I would love to not have to do it but I can't get the ss smooth enough. I need to clear so I can get a smooth finish.

[c21darrel]

My car is PPG Concept SS. We colorsanded and buffed the paint. No need for clear.
Pic is on previous page.
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GhiaBuild
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[johndl58]

Unfortunately its a metallic so I can't really cut/color sand it. That's why I want to clear it so I can get it into paint, put it together, and wets and/polish at a later date.

[johndl58]

Your car is beautiful by the way.

[c21darrel]

Metallic
I'll start paying attention soon
_________________
GhiaBuild
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=481184
1967 DC build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=693583&highlight=67+dc
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[johndl58]

I wish I had paid attention when choosing paint

[johndl58]

Complete change of plans. After visiting my local paint supply the head paint person told me I had the wrong catalyst and my paint was drying too fast resulting in orange peel. On top of that, they are phasing out the ss paint I bought from them so they couldn't mix me any more. Sooooo, now I'm switching to BC/cc. I hope this is it.

[buguy]

Oh balls. Well, the good news is that base/clear is much easier and more forgiving to spray. Be sure they know you already have full color coverage when buying the base. You wont need much color.
What kind of paint and clear are you going to get?

[johndl58]

Yeah. Oh well, it is what it is. I wish they had just offered this option up to me originally instead of the estimated $650+ I was quoted. I might have gone with it right off the bat. Im sure its not top of the line, and you get what you pay for bla bla bla, I know. But if I get a 10 footer out of it Ill be more than pleased. Their economy line is Roberlo. Its hunter green metallic. I got 2 quarts with reducer and a gallon of hardener with activator and a can of spray 1k primer for $325.
Right now Im concentrating on wet sanding everything, getting body as straight as I can and prepping everything for paint so Im ready once this heat wave lifts to shoot(and I have some time to do it).
Any suggestions on ballpark set up for a devilbiss finishline 3 gun as far pressure, fan, flow, tip goes?

[johndl58]

I will say that getting up close and personal with this car, Ive found some stuff that probably wouldve stopped me from buying it orignally. A little more rust than I initially saw, but the big one is the amount of bondo that was used to integrate the old style fenders onto the '70 body. Im going to proceed as planned with a class 11 theme, but definitely wont feel bad if I end up doing a full baja out of it.

[buguy]

Can you tell us more about your FinishlineIII gun? Is it HVLP? Tip size?

And I hope you meant a gallon of clear with activator and not a gallon of hardener!

[jspbtown]

I am far from a pro but here are some things I learned about set up.

First..1.3mm tip for base & clear.

Pressure to me has always been personal choice. Too low and you get paint globs. To high and you paint everything around you. I have found 60psi at the compressor gets me about 35-40 at the gun for my Devilbiss.

My gun has two adjustments. One if for the spray pattern and one for volume. I always hang a sheet of posterboard on the wall and shoot quick shots of paint about 12" away to get my pattern. You want a nice wide (12+ inches) pattern that's even as the way through. No fat centers or edges.

For the volume adjustment I pull the trigger all the way in (empty gun of course) and adjust the knob until I feel resistance from the trigger. I then release the trigger and take the knob in one or two more turns. The more turns in the lower the paint volume. So if you are unsure of your painting technique then turning it in more will keep your paint stroke nice and slow. Once you are really good you can open it up and go faster. With the knob tightened up a bit you need to go slow but you can see the paint lay down a bit better.

First coat is real light..almost a mist. Second coat is about 75% coverage. Third coat is full coverage.

[johndl58]

Thanks for the tips. Yes its a gallon of clear with proper activator. The gun is a gravity feed hvlp. The gun itself says 23psi will yield 10 psi at the tip so I was a little sketchy when the paint store said to use around 40 at the gun. But if that's what both of you recommend then that solves that. I have a 1.3 tip in it now but also have a 1.5 and a 1.8 for it as well. I've been watching a bunch of youtube stuff on spraying BC/cc as well. Definitely looks like a "better with repetition" skillset.

[buguy]

Thats not bad advice. But you have to be able to make adjustments on the fly. Also it really depends on the material you spraying. For me, in the middle of summer, I would prefer a 1.4 tip. And 35-40 could be right for a conventional gun, but id be more inclinded to spray at closer to 29-30 psi.

And hanging paper where your spraying is a great habbit to get into. Although I would recommend spraying at the same distance from it as you do when spraying the car. 5"-6" not 12", give yourself something you can repeat. Many people call the pattern you describe a cigar shape, and you are spot on with that. Ive seen some videos on Youtube of this if you would like to search it. Good setup info.

I too, usually turn my material knob in til it just moves the trigger off the stop, but I normally stop there. Turning the material in too much can cause dry spray, especially in the summer. Again depends on gun and material and how you like to spray.

[johndl58]

I'll be testing prior to painting, plus I'll be doing all the appendages(fenders, hood, engine cover) first. Hopefully I'll be able to dial it in enough. Problem being though, I've never seen it happen first hand, so I'm not even 100% sure what I'm looking for good or bad. Kevin Tetz from Eastwood fame has some pretty good videos out that have helped me understand what should be happening. I'm pretty psyched to get it on tho.

[buguy]

If your going to paint it all apart, I would use the 1.3 tip. Also the more horizontal you can get the panel, the better. It will have less orange peel that way.

Remember when you spray the base coat, you arent trying to spray it shiney. 5"-6" away from the panel and as close to 90* as possible at all times. Youtube vids are a great tool to see about what speed you should be moving.

[johndl58]

Do I have to sand 1k primer filler before shooting base over it?

[jspbtown]

You need to check the spec sheet.

Remember...between layers of paint you have either a chemical bond or a mechanical bond.

Most primer will say "OK to top coat after xx minutes. Over x hours sanding required" (or something along those lines). Before the primer/paint fully cures there is a window where you can get a chemical bond. Go beyond that period and you need to scuff the paint to make a mechanical bond.

And IMO painting over a 1k primer is not the best.

[buguy]

Good advice. Really need to get and read those tech sheets. Very valuable info on them. And yes, sand it. My next advice would be to use 2k primer next time too.

[johndl58]

Thank you guys for taking the time to answer what may seem like stupid questions to you. I really appreciate it. What is the difference between 1k and 2k primer?