WolfeMacleod

Ok, if some kid in some Korean sweapshop can build and paint a guitar with an almost flawless, smooth finish, why can't an auto painter avoid orange peeling?
Is it possible to smooth out the paint in a non-destructive way? It's not terrible, but that bumpy crap annoys me. Makes reflections look all pixellated like a badly encoded MPG or something.
I'm used to near-perfect guitar finishes, and would like this car to be as well.

I want this car to sear retinas at a glance, and this finish just won't take that kind of shine with those bumps!

Mighty Shilling

It's not Orange peel, it's a "Monet"

Ever wet sand a car? Methinks that's your only way out...I"m not happy about it, but I'm about to do this on my car...

AznDrgn

When you repaint a car you aim to get some orange peeling in it so you know you have enough paint but it's just supposed to be enough that once the solvent evaporates and the paint cures it'll disappear. Apparently whoever painted your car didn't know what the hell they were doing or was just crappy at it. Only way to get rid of the orange peeling is to wet sand using very fine paper, ~2000 grit or finer. It's going to ge a long process and even longer if it is clear coated.

apierce918

clear coat is what you would be sanding.... orange peel is somewhat normal, unless you have a ton of high end equipment, and a paint booth that can bake the paint between base coat and clear coat.

IIRC, orange peel occurs because the base coat is not done evaporating (can take a long time without the expensive lights) and then after the clear is on, the chemicles evaporating from the base, make the clear surface orange peel. cur and buff, and glaze and all that junk will give you a smooth finish like your guitar

AznDrgn

Not neccesarily I painted my 924 in an old cross flow booth with no fancy lights and a barely functional heating system and I had no orange peeling in my paint job. It's all in the type of paint, the technique, and how well you follow directions.

Stuttgart 944

Orange peel is quite common. A nice wet sanding and buffing will make things all better.

83na944

Most newer cars have OP to some extent - start checking it out. Everything from VWs to Bentleys, Fords to Hummers.

My 83 944 had no OP. I doubt the original paint on any 944 had OP. I think it's because of the low VOC paint that most car makers started using in the 90's.

Anyway, the only way to get rid of OP is to sand off the high spots, i.e. level the paint. This removes some of the clearcoat and diminishes the life of the paint. If you're repainting and know you're going to try to remove the OP, it's a good idea to add an extra layer or two of clearcoat.

WolfeMacleod

Mehh..guess I'll live with it. A car is much larger to sand and buff than a guitar would be...for the (original) price of these cars though, you'd think they'd be much better. Reminds me of Gibson's quality control issues with the current high-dollar guitars

83na944

Good idea.

FWIW, those kids in the Korean seatshops probably use high VOC finishes.

WolfeMacleod

Polyurethane is usually what comes out of Korean guitar factories...thick, durable, and tonally dead. When Fender first started, I believe they used Dupont automotive paint. High-end guitars tend to use nitrocellulose laquor..beautiful, but it isn't very durable.
I only did the woodwork, not the finishes...something I regret.

Peckster

[QUOTE=83na944]Most newer cars have OP to some extent - start checking it out. Everything from VWs to Bentleys, Fords to Hummers.
QUOTE]
A Bentley with orange peel! Have you ever seen one?

83na944

[QUOTE=Peckster]Yep, it's a dark blue 95 Turbo R. And a black 92 Rolls that has OP, too.

bearone

op is from poor prep/painting technique/equipment/keeping the cost down and/or painting with too much humidity.

no excuse for it really, just **** poor attention to detail someplace along the line.

87951

ferkel

90% of this thread is misinformation. Some orange peel is normal with urethane finishes. It is not a result of improper prep unless substrate had o.p. that was not sanded out. Current voc compliant urethane clears are higher solids than clears used to be ...this is what causes o.p., they don't atomize as well as lower solids products. It is not proof that you have enough product applied in fact the more you apply the smoother it gets..hence the possibility of runs. Cut & buff does not reduce life of paint as long as clear is a min of 2mils thick. It is not recommended for single stage paints. As for solvent evaporating through partially cured clear the result is either die back, solvent pop, or delamination. When solvent evaporates the clear shrinks to whatever texture is beneath it. If you dry spray sealer or base the clear will look somewhat like o. p after curing. All oem finishes have o.p. unless they are cut and buffed from the manufacturer..Infinity and Lexus did this years ago but stopped when they established a customer base. As for guitars I do know that Paul Reed Smith uses Dupont Chromasystem. Generally speaking automotive refinish products are a bit too aggressive for application on wood without special processes.

WolfeMacleod

Now that's interesting. I think we've got a knowledgeble player or builder in our midst