Orange peel

[Mo in NE Tx]

What causes orange peel and what to do to avoid it? From a novice.

 

[yakob]

(quoted from post at 18:27:09 01/11/19) What causes orange peel and what to do to avoid it? From a novice.

Really it's getting too much material on too dry.

For instance, if you aren't thinning your paint, you'd be more likely to see orange peel. It "feels like" you are getting enough paint on and reality you are, but it needs to be thinned so that it can level and gloss. By the time you make it look slick unthinned, there is too much paint hanging on the panel and it will sag.

It could also mean that the temperature is way too high. Unlikely that you'd get peel in paint this way, assuming that you are using something in the dealer paint types of paints ("implement" enamel flashes off fairly slow). However it could be possible for primers to dry this fast and if your primer is rough, the paint will be too.

Don't be afraid to thin your paint. About 75* is perfect temp. Does that help? Knowing how you are mixing, what you are spraying with, and your environment would be very useful here.

 

[dr sportster]

Read up.
orange peel causes

 

[Stephen Newell]

Paint needs to flow out before it sets up. It needs to be sprayed on wet just almost to the point of running on vertical surfaces. The paint can be too thick or the solvent can be too fast so the paint dries before it flows out. You can also be too far away with the sprayer to where the paint lands half dry. The temperature can do it too. If you sprayed paint on a very hot summer day the chances of orange peal increase especially if you do it in the direct sun (which you should never do). Sometimes the sprayer can do it. If you have a cheap HVLP sprayer they put out more air than paint so it's more difficult to get the wet coat. Sometimes the sprayer needs a good cleaning so it sprays the volume of paint that it should. There is just many causes, you just have to tune the sprayer to the paint you are using. On something important if you don't know exactly how to thin the paint you are using it's best to spray something scrap first to make sure it is properly thinned.

 

[mcrow4117]

don’t make the mistake I made the other day was a nice warm day 65degrees sprayed fenders and hood in my shed didn’t think about the wind blowing straight in the door, paint dried before flowing out causing orange peel.

 

[David G]

65 is not too warm to paint, now in upper 80s and 90s getting there. I think you just did not lay it on thick enough, or gun was too far away. As stated, you need the paint to flow together, almost like it melts together. You will see that moment when it glosses up, that is the right point, before that it will be dull or peel, above that it will run.

 

[mcrow4117]

(quoted from post at 09:21:47 01/13/19) 65 is not too warm to paint, now in upper 80s and 90s getting there. I think you just did not lay it on thick enough, or gun was too far away. As stated, you need the paint to flow together, almost like it melts together. You will see that moment when it glosses up, that is the right point, before that it will be dull or peel, above that it will run.

In my situation it was the wind blowing (15mph) that dried it out before it had time to flow not the temp.

 

[David G]

I have painted in that situation, have to adjust gun to compensate and remember the wind will make overspray land on painted surface, so paint downwind.

 

[ptfarmer]

You can level the paint by giving it a quick "coat" of enamel reducer if you are using enamel. You pretty much fill your spray gun with thinner, and give it a quick coat. It will level the paint, and open the paint up to let any overspray sink in so you don't have flat spot from any overspray (a trick a old painter showed me many years ago).

 

[yakob]

(quoted from post at 22:26:35 01/13/19) You can level the paint by giving it a quick "coat" of enamel reducer if you are using enamel. You pretty much fill your spray gun with thinner, and give it a quick coat. It will level the paint, and open the paint up to let any overspray sink in so you don't have flat spot from any overspray (a trick a old painter showed me many years ago).

This will definitely help with getting rid of your dry edge when you get back to your starting point, if you need to. It won't do much, if anything, for getting rid of multiple coats of orange peel.

Hopefully we hear back from the OP and can give more specific guidance.

 

[ptfarmer]

Causes of orange peel:
Spraying the paint at an angle rather than parallel to the surface.
Moving the gun in a arch rather than parallel to the surface.
Improper overlapping of paint.
Incorrect spray gun setup (low air pressure, incorrect nozzle, mis adjusted paint gun).
Quick evaporation of thinner (wrong thinner, or ambient air temp too high).
Applying excessive paint.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 21:55:14 01/14/19) Causes of orange peel:
Spraying the paint at an angle rather than parallel to the surface.
Moving the gun in a arch rather than parallel to the surface.
Improper overlapping of paint.
Incorrect spray gun setup (low air pressure, incorrect nozzle, mis adjusted paint gun).
Quick evaporation of thinner (wrong thinner, or ambient air temp too high).
Applying excessive paint.

Well, looks like everyone agrees, LOL.

 

[yakob]

(quoted from post at 07:38:53 01/15/19)

(quoted from post at 21:55:14 01/14/19) Causes of orange peel:
Spraying the paint at an angle rather than parallel to the surface.
Moving the gun in a arch rather than parallel to the surface.
Improper overlapping of paint.
Incorrect spray gun setup (low air pressure, incorrect nozzle, mis adjusted paint gun).
Quick evaporation of thinner (wrong thinner, or ambient air temp too high).
Applying excessive paint.

Well, looks like everyone agrees, LOL.

Ha!...yeah...bad technique, wrong material, wrong conditions...

I wonder if the OP will be back online or if he is too busy sanding

 

[David G]

There is always a first time.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 07:33:19 01/15/19)

(quoted from post at 07:38:53 01/15/19)

(quoted from post at 21:55:14 01/14/19) Causes of orange peel:
Spraying the paint at an angle rather than parallel to the surface.
Moving the gun in a arch rather than parallel to the surface.
Improper overlapping of paint.
Incorrect spray gun setup (low air pressure, incorrect nozzle, mis adjusted paint gun).
Quick evaporation of thinner (wrong thinner, or ambient air temp too high).
Applying excessive paint.

Well, looks like everyone agrees, LOL.

Ha!...yeah...bad technique, wrong material, wrong conditions...

I wonder if the OP will be back online or if he is too busy sanding

Yakob, LMAO!

 

[Mo in NE Tx]

Thanks for all the info, my tractor looks good enough for me, and I?m the one that has to be happy, so I will leave it and try to improve on the next one.

 

[David G]

Every time I paint, I get better on some things and worse (slide) on some.

I am going back to some of my earlier painting and seeing how much I improve overall.

Just enjoy it.