Okay, i primed my car in two pack hi build, sanded that smooth with 800, and got it perfect, sprayed on the colour (acrylic) and sanded that back a bit too, but im not sure how far to go, when i spray on the clear coat how much does it cover up the orange peel in the colour coat? i want a pretty damn good finish on it, but does the "mirror finish" come from just the clear coat or does the basecoat affect the end finish, the orange peel isnt major but its enough to make me worry

cheers in advance.

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I have a problem.. apparently

sand out all orange peel... ALL OF IT.

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If it cant be fixed with a hammer it cant be FIXED!!

thanks mate haha not what i wanted to hear, but if its gotta be done its gotta be done

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I have a problem.. apparently

more 80 mate ... here is a tip for you.... Only do one panel at a time.. If you move on before you finnish a panel you will lose track... Just take it easy and look at the big picture....

If you rub through the colour pm me and I will teach you how to fix it with out a problem ...

IF your wondering I am a panel beater painter. and im happy to help..

Mike

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If it cant be fixed with a hammer it cant be FIXED!!

excellent, you may find me asking you a few mor questions later then haha, thanks heaps for your help, its hard to find the right stuff sometimes

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I have a problem.. apparently

hahah and i find minis are the worst to paint, ive painted a few now - give me a truck or anything over a mini lol

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backyard performance............. Aint it the best

isnt it if you have to much thinners you get runs in your paint and if you dont have enough thinners you get orange peel?

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real men race downhill - keiichi tsuchiya

yup thats pretty much it, thicker is better within reason though, it takes a bit of experience to suss it all out,

i hate it when someone mixes the paint for you and makes it too thin, pain in the arse

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backyard performance............. Aint it the best

and what should the paint to thinners mixture be?

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"All I want is less to do, more time to do it, and higher pay for not getting it done.''

dont use acrylic its crap, use 2 pac.

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i like to drive on rails

couldnt agree more.. for a little extra skill it takes to lay down you get a far superior finish with no effort whatsoever

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Potato

Ratios on the tins for paint and thinners are an estimate really. Most ratios on the tin will give you the orange peel effect. My ratio is 35% paint and 60% thinners with the first 2 coats and 40-45% paint and 55-60% thinners with the other coats. With acrylic laquer do about 8 coats as it give it enougth coats to cut back. Apply the first 2 coats misty so it gives the base something to stick to. Use a practice surface to test the spray on. If it doesn't suit you adjust your gun, if your getting orange peel add more thinners.

When spraying acrylic metalics spray 8-10 mist coats but make sure that the panel you are spaying gets even coverage. Do not spray any heavy wet coats as it will show large blotchs of paint and no metalics. Metalics is a base coat so it turns out flat. The clear is what makes it shiney. Do not cut the metalic base back as you will remove the glittery flakes. only cut back the clear coat.

Another tip: Take all panels that can be removed off the car and spray while they are laying down. Gravity plays a large part in painting and by laying the panel down it stops orange peel and runs. Also it is best to get a professional detailer to cut and polish the car as a bad polisher can scratch and damage the paint job.

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DO IT ONCE, DO IT RIGHT

All I can say is talk to a profesional before you paint...I can tell you those ratios are wrong... Those ratios they give you on the can are correct.. You have to understand that paint companies employ chemists to work out the optimom ratio for the paints... Thats right chemists, guys that spend alot of time at university and specialise in this kind of thing...

The only variance is 10% 15% 20% 25% and 30% Thinners.. is with 2 pac paints.. 2pac paints use a hardener, and then you use the thinners to further thin the paint out.. With 2pac paints any more then 30% thinners you will lose the shine on your paint... It can be buffed back up but who wants to buff??

All you guys have to do is ask and people will help.... Collins is a painter also and im sure he will be more then happy to help aswell..

Good uck witth the painting
Mike

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If it cant be fixed with a hammer it cant be FIXED!!

The ratios that they give on the can are for a controlled spray painting enviroments meaning spray booths. The heat, humidity, wind and age of paint on shelf play a big part in thinning, spraying the paint and drying time. Professionals use the correct ratios when applying paint with hardner. There are a few types of hardners. When applied to paint the mixture has to be sprayed within a time limit in which specifed on the can and most are around the 10 hours mark. After that you might as well throw it away as it will spray crap through the gun.

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DO IT ONCE, DO IT RIGHT

Oh yes, great thinking! Tonite I'm gonna roll my car out the carport and paint it in the open air just like I did the acrylic, and if mess it up I'll jsut sand back and do again! No problems! Seriously 2-pak isn't safe for the home painter! Go acrylic! Peice of piss to paint, and can look almost as good! Also for those, like me who get paint chips everyday due to living in the out-of-town areas, a quick sand and airbrush paint as wow, can't tell the difference, try that with 2-pak, without causing a health hazard!

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T