First attempt at painting... orange peel

[paul.miner]

So I finally got around to painting a tank I've had for about a year now. A few coats of primer filler, a quick and light sand with some 400 grit, a few coats of primer sealer, a few coats of flat black, and a few coats of a two-part clear coat (just before I started using it, I noticed it expired a year ago). I think I used about 3 coats of each.

I had the tank sitting on some cardboard outside. Spray a coat, then bring the tank inside to help keep dust off of it. I'd wait 10-20 minutes, then take it back outside for the next coat.

Well, the clear coat has some serious orange peel to it. I'm not sure what parts of the process are relevant to orange peel, but I sure screwed it up as the pictures show. So I'm wondering what things I did or might have done wrong, and secondly, if some sanding and buffing could help smooth this out.





A sidenote about the 2-part rattle can clear coat: probably because it expired a year ago, but it had a lot of trouble getting it to atomize. If I pushed on the spray button at even close to normal pressure, it would shoot a stream 20-30 feet. Even when I pressed it very lightly, it would often sputter and large spray droplets instead of an atomized mist.

[thetable]

If it's cold, paint won't lay up right.

Will it sand out? How much paint did you put down? Unless you have massive paint thickness, your going to have a hard time getting it smooth before you hit primer or metal on any corners.

As to the issues spraying, you might try putting the the rattle can in some hot water.

[paul.miner]

I put I think 3 coats of flat black followed by 4 coats of clear. I put on that last extra coat because I saw it orange peeling, and figured the extra thickness would be useful for sanding.

The temperature was probably mid to low 70s F. Not hot, but not cold.

The flat black was standard rattle can, and the clear coat was two-part rattle can (SprayMax 2K clear). Should I have let the color dry completely before starting on clear?

[edrawba]

Yes the color should have completely dried. Sometimes different paints will shrink as they dry differently than others. So if you sprayed one type of paint over another type while they are still wet this can easily happen. Some paints you must sand down with very fine sandpaper before you add a clear, check on the can. Also remember that to get the best shine you want you last coat almost as thick as you can go without getting runs.

[BPryz]

Im guessing that your color and clear weren't compatible. There are two main types of paint, lacquer and enamel. The two don't mix. You can lay one on top of the other, but not vice versa, and I don't remember which way works and which way doesn't.

You'd would have to have layed down some seriously thick paint in order to be able to sand that out, and even then you would have to lay atleast one more layer of color before your clear.

I would sand it smooth and start again with the color, no need for primer. Make sure that your color and clear are either both lacquer based, or both enamel based to avoid any kind of krinkling.

Also, you may have heard it a million times before, BUT, many light coats are infinitely better than a few heavy coats. Always spray light coats, even if you have to go back 8 times, it will guarantee a better final product.

You can also use a tack cloth lightly between coats (after about 20 minutes for the paint to start to set). This will remove any sort of dust or particulate. I see that you have some stuck in the paint in the picture you posted.

Paul.Miner has a good hint too with putting the can in some hot water. leave it in there for about 5 minutes, it will help make the paint less viscous (it will flow better through the spray nozzle) and you'll get a more even spray. In my experience though, you CAN leave it in hot water for too long. Let it sit for 5 minutes, no more, and make sure to shake the s**t out of it. Always wipe the spray nozzle with a clean, lint free rag between sprays too, to avoid build-up and drip.

Sorry if that was a little long winded. I'd rather bore you with too much information, than leave something important out. Don't want to see you unhappy with another job.

Good luck! PM if you have any questions.

[paul.miner]

The paint was an enamel I think, some rattlecan I picked up at Autozone. I don't remember seeing anything written on it about how long to wait before following up with clear.

The clear is urethane based, and had warnings about "isocyanate" written on it. What would it be compatible with?

I really don't care enough to start over unless I absolutely must. With four coats of clear on there, will I have enough thickness to sand it smooth?

Also, it was thetable that had the tip about putting the can in hot water.

[BPryz]

haha, yeah I just noticed that.

I really don't think you have enough paint on there. the orange peel looks really severe. you're guaranteed to sand all the way through the clear and prossibly partially through the color in some spots. I would be amazed if you just sanded and then re-cleared and came out with a uniform color.

You can always try to sand and re-clear, but I think you'll be really disappointed with the end result, and that would just be more frustrating. That's why I recommended starting over.

The easiest way to tell if your paints are compatible is to either stay within the same brand and line of paint. Or you could go somewhere where the staff is knowledgeable and ask them to make sure your choices are compatible, and in my experiences, Autozone is the last place where I trust the staff to know what they are talking about. You'd have to ask people local to you where to go though. Every store is going to be different

[hardlydangerous]

i agree, it could be the paint not properly mixed, the temp or temp change from outside to inside. Could be your flash time was incorrect for the air temp etc.
I would try wet sanding smooth and starting over with the color and clear. remember light coats and keep an eye on the temps and flashtimes

[arctickat]

Bring it over to the paint booth we will shoot it for you.

[edrawba]

If you buy a good enamel gloss paint you won't need a clear coat at all, the shine is built into the paint. I highly recommend just getting the cheap tractor paint from tractor supply. It is an enamel that has a great shine to it. That's what I sprayed my motorcycle with that is in my picture. When you spray it you want a tack coat first, which is just a super light coat. Wait 5-10 minutes for this to get tacky and then shoot a double-wet coat. For the double-wet coat spray everything in one direction (ex horizontal) heavy enough to get a good shine. Then go back the other direction (vertical for example) again heavy enough to have a good shine. If you do it right and don't make any runs that is all you need. No wet sanding or anything. The gloss on my motorcycle is just how I sprayed it and I have 0 chips (Other than where my girlfriend dropped it in the gravel).

[paul.miner]

@BPryz Okay, so it looks like I either live with it or sand it down to primer, no quick fix. I also wonder if the clear coat is slowing or stopping the enamel from drying properly. I picked at a spot where something had landed on the tank and picked a little hole in the paint (doh!) Yeah I'm a real n00b when it comes to this paint and bodywork stuff

@arctickat Yeah I'll be right over :P

@edrawba Is it resistant to gas? That's what started all of this: when I bought the bike, it had a small hole in the tank that had been JB welded, and gas leaked through it and ruined the existing paint (I don't think it had been clear coated).

[BPryz]

I was a total noob to when I started. But I am a freak when it comes to researching this stuff, so I learned a lot, tried it, and still made my mistakes. Just trying to pass on some stuff I learned. I did my first job early spring this year, messed up some stuff cuz I wasn't patient enough, then cleaned it up a month later. Second spray job middle of the summer. And now I'm gearing up to do it AAAAALLLLLL over again this winter. Haha

best advice....patience patience patience....and lots of light coats