[cibula11]

I'm repainting my JD 318. I primed and put on two coats so far. (Valspar Tractor and Implement Paint w/ hardener) The first had "fish eyes" in the fender areas, but it is almost all gone after the second coat. The second coat left some areas of orange peel. Nothing horrible, but it doesn't look glossy everywhere....not the glasslike finish I was hoping for.

Do I sand, and spray a third coat?

Do I wet sand and buff?

Or Do I respray a third coat and then hope for the best?

Any direction would be great.

This isn't mine, but it looks similar

 

[SonnyT]

If you have orange peel, I believe you will have to sand and repaint. I would have also done it when you saw the Fish eyes and cleaned it well before spraying. Orange peel can come from waiting too long before applying another coat, in which case you have to wait until it is totally dry to apply another coat. :trink40:

 

[cibula11]

If you have orange peel, I believe you will have to sand and repaint. I would have also done it when you saw the Fish eyes and cleaned it well before spraying. Orange peel can come from waiting too long before applying another coat, in which case you have to wait until it is totally dry to apply another coat. :trink40:

I did sand pretty heavily after the first coat. I waited 24 hours. Should I recoat sooner if needed?

 

[SonnyT]

I am far from even being limited expert, but everything I have learned is that 2nd and more coats need to be applied no longer than a hour after the first coat. If you wait longer, then you have to wait, usually days, for that coat to completely dry to recoat.
Hopefully the true experts will be along shortly to help you out better than I can.
You should read all the Sticky's Mark has done on Painting in this Forum. :trink40:

 

[cibula11]

I am far from even being limited expert, but everything I have learned is that 2nd and more coats need to be applied no longer than a hour after the first coat. If you wait longer, then you have to wait, usually days, for that coat to completely dry to recoat.
Hopefully the true experts will be along shortly to help you out better than I can.
You should read all the Sticky's Mark has done on Painting in this Forum. :trink40:

That does make sense. I added more hardener the second coat, because the first took awhile to dry. On the second coat, I could touch it within about 3 hours. I also wondered if I didn't put enough on. Maybe had too much air and not enough fluid?

 

[buffy12590]

Unfortunately too many do not read understand and follow the instructions on the paint can. At this point I would let the deck dry without touching it for a week at least. Then wet sand with 1200 to 2000 grit to smooth out the orange peel. Wipe it down and respray, but follow the instructions to a T. Depending how well you want the paint job to be you could spray a second coat and clearcoat for UV protection. Take your time and you will be happy with the results. Second option is a body shop paint booth and bake the finish.
Good Luck

 

[mark777]

I am far from even being limited expert, but everything I have learned is that 2nd and more coats need to be applied no longer than a hour after the first coat. If you wait longer, then you have to wait, usually days, for that coat to completely dry to recoat.

That pretty well sums it up, Sonny.

Orange Peel is tough to diagnose before it's happening for even a well learned painter.

The most common causes are from, IMO, one of the best written trouble shooting (Orange Peel) guides by DuPont:

Origin and Potential Causes:
Improper gun adjustment and techniques. Too little air pressure, wide fan patterns or spraying at excessive gun distances causes droplets to become too dry during their travel time to the work surface and they remain as formed by gun nozzle.
Extreme shop temperature. When air temperature is too high, droplets lose more solvent and dry out before they can flow and level properly.
Improper dry. Gun fanning before paint droplets have a chance to flow together will cause orange peel.
Improper flash or recoat time between coats. If first coats of enamel are allowed to become too dry, solvent in the paint droplets of following coats will be absorbed into the first coat before proper flow is achieved.
Wrong thinner or reducer. Under-diluted paint or paint thinned with fast evaporating thinners or reducers causes the atomized droplets to become too dry before reaching the surface. Too high viscosity.
Low shop temperature.
Too little thinner or reducer.
Materials not uniformly mixed. Many finishes are formulated with components that aid coalescence. If these are not properly mixed, orange peel will result.
Substrate not sanded thoroughly

Prevention Techniques:
Use proper gun adjustments, techniques, and air pressure.
Schedule painting to avoid temperature and humidity extremes.
Select the thinner or reducer that is suitable for existing conditions. The use of a slower evaporating thinner or reducer will overcome this.
Allow sufficient flash and dry time. Do not dry by fanning.
Allow proper drying time for undercoats and topcoats. Not too long or not too short.
Reduce to recommended viscosity with proper thinner/reducer.
Stir all pigmented undercoats and topcoats thoroughly.
Prepare and sand substrate correctly.
Follow recommendations on technical data sheets.

IMHO , It's nearly always #1 - Improper gun adjustment and techniques. And, usually either waiting too long, or not long enough between flash times (the drying time between shooting coasts of material). It's absolutely essential that the paint material is thinned correctly and applied so each coat 'melts' the former coat and flows out to it's maximum. This serves two important functions. It allows the solvents to evaporate properly (Gas out) and promotes thorough chemical adhesion.

Here is a link to the quotes above: http://pc.dupont.com/dpc/en/US/html/visitor/s/trouble/PDSG_OrangePeel.html

Keep us posted as we have many folks that are darn good painters at MTF :fing32:

 

[cibula11]

Thanks for the help. I actually got home and sanded with 800 grit. It wasn't completely dry, but got most of the high spots from the orange peel out. I put another coat on and realized a lot of my problem was the amount of paint I was spraying. I wasn't laying enough down. I sprayed enough where the coat seemed to bleed together, eliminating most of the orange peel. It's not perfect, but looks much better and I can live with the minor imperfections.

I also think every single on of those tips above were attributed....and one additional one.....The painter....a.k.a "Me"