Spray Finish

[sprog1]

Help
I have nearly finished my kitchen, which I started months ago ## i'm not the fastest of workers} the problem now is the finishing. I'm useing car paint, like you suggested, then I will finish with a 2 part clear lacquar, but i'm get a orange peel efect with the white when I spray it, any sugestions.

[echnidna]

use more thinners

[sprog1]

Cheers Bob
I've tried that but mabe not enough,so I will try again useing more, but whats a good ratio or is it trail & erea.

[echnidna]

60% thinners 40% lacquer.

The last coat can go as high as 90% thinners, but it will run easily

[durwood]

Need to have more information.

What is the car paint exactly? - paint type and its name
-the grade of hardener - slow medium or fast
-Grade of thinner -slow medium and fast

The ratio you are mixing it to.

and the type and set-up size of the spray gun

and lastly why are you putting clear over it? If its a normal colour it shouldn't have clear on it, only if its a COB colour (clear over base)

You can't put more than the correct ratio of colour hardener and thinner together or it will stuff up badly. NO 60-40, NO thinner 90% thinner thats for acrylic lacquer - different paint.

2 pack car paint is not lacquer its acrylic urethane enamel.

[Harry72]

Yup 2pac needs very little thinners!

[echnidna]

ok smart bums,

answer the original question !!!

how does he avoid orange peel?

[durwood]

As said before it would help if we knew where sprog actually was at.

Assuming he has mixed the paint to the correct ratios ( and it actually is 2 pack) it should be ready to apply and not need and different solvent or anything else done to it.

So what causes orange peel.lots of things. Here is some of the most common ones.

* Too much air pressure
* Too little air pressure
* holding the gun too far from the surface.
* moving the gun too fast over the surface
* not enough material for the amount of air coming from the gun
* wrong thinner grade for the temperature of the atmosphere
* wrong hardener for the temperature
* fan set too wide
and maybe a bit of all or some of the above making it impossible for the correct amount of paint to flow out onto the surface before it dries.

Again all the above will be to no avail if the gun is not correct:

*Wrong gun "set up" ( amount of air to the amount of paint) there is a specific gun for spraying 2 pack. It is hard to get a top job if you don't have the correct spray gun made to apply 2 pack paint or at least one for enamel. A lacquer gun will result in a far from satisfactory job. Far too much air and paint with it not only hard to get a reasonable finish but most likely to cause runs if not waterfalls.

[Iain]

Help
I have nearly finished my kitchen, which I started months ago ## i'm not the fastest of workers
Months ago, don't let my other half see this, 4 years (almost) and still going;)

[sprog1]

Hi everyone
Sorry it's taken so long to reply back, but I went down to Bangkok for a couple of days, just got back, it's a hard life. Sorry if iv'e misled everyone, but the white paint i'm useing is not 2 part, I will use 2 part clear lacquer over the white paint & it's the white laquer i'm getting the orange peel effect on. The paint i'm useing is made by Nippon Paint ## Thailand } & it is called Pylac 3000, nitrocellulose, high solid laquer paint. It supposed to give a good gloss before putting 2 pack clear on, but as yet it is flat, & feels like a matt finnish rather than a gloss.
After reading Durwoods letter I might give up & get a profesional to spray it.
Iain, I know what you mean. My 1st wife & I bought a house in England, & I just got the kitchen finnished in time before we sold it, 15yrs later. Do you think that could be a reason for devorse ?

[echnidna]

Its plain white lacquer so just use more thinners
60% thinners 40% lacquer.

The last coat can go as high as 90% thinners, but it will run easily

[durwood]

If the paint is lacquer then you do need to put a lot of thinner with it. Usually about 1 part paint to 1 1/2 parts thinner or thinner, if you are getting a sandy dry finish then the paint is too thick. If its car paint the white should be designed to go under the clear.

BUT!! check with the paint manufacturer about putting 2 pack clear over it. if its just car lacquer it will leech solvent for a long time (usually months) and if you put 2 pack clear over it it will peel off.

Why not save yourself a step, just put on 2 pack white.

You will have to get the technique correct for the clear to spray it anyway and you will cut out one step and lots of time.

Check what gun set up (what the guns air paint ratio is) you have, if its for lacquer or 2 pack you will need a second set of air cap, needle and fluid tip to spray the other. If its a proper white to go under 2 pack a 2 pack suited gun will be OK.

Spraying is not that hard, Nippon paint should be able to supply you with a data sheet explaining exactly what you need to do. ( mixing ratios, air pressure, gun size, temp range for differnt hardeners, drying time between coats etc)

Then mix a small quantity up and practice until you have the technique right. Don't attack the job until you do, you not only waste the paint but create more work for yourself as you will probably need to rub or wash off any mistakes.