rybr999 wrote: . . . It should feel like the gun is doing the work, you shouldn't feel like your pushing the paint on the car. That will leave a heavy look.

That's exactly how I felt spraying the clear last time. It was almost as if I was trying to push the wet edge down the panel.

So are you saying that the clear should be sprayed different than the base?

martinsr is right, if everything is right i think a blind man could paint a car. well you would have to get him up to the side of the car then he could do it.

Yes clear should be sprayed different than basecoat. If you push paint you get runs. Some basecoats need to be sprayed wetter some don't, that depends on the brand. If you feel like your pushing the paint you don't have enough material. If your gun is wide open and you are pushing you need a bigger nozzle.

Product plays a big part also. Cheaper materials usually have to be pushed a little. A nice high solids clear doesn't.

I've tried choking down on the fluid control and air pressure a lot lately. The amount of orange peel I get is significantly less and I use a lot less material too. I move at the speed of an old man, but the finish is so smooth with less pressure and flow. REALLY breaks up the material. High build lays almost like glass. I'll post pics tomorrow. I sprayed some Featherfill G2 with a 1.4 HF purple gun with NO reduction and it works great at the low pressure/flow.

vwbobby wrote:I've tried choking down on the fluid control and air pressure a lot lately.

This is where I have been leaning and curious about. I'll be anxious to see your pictures.

I sprayed it a little thin around the headlight bucket on the bottom but I got it covered on the 2nd coat.
Using a HF purple gun...I dinged up the fluid tip on my EVO so I found this gun works as well if not better, easily adjustable.

Is that the new robotic spray machine in that second picture?

I have that same Purple Gun. I used it just for sparying HB and Epoxy. For spraying the color I used a DeVilbiss Plus Gun.

Air has a lot to do with orange peel as well. People always just say "adjust fluid", but too much air will blow the panel too hard and cause it to peel up.


I've had it happen with my Iwata clear gun. Somebody uses it sometimes and he cranks the air up to 40 psi. I got in there to clear something the other day and just went to spraying and it looked like crap. I adjusted the air back down and it was fine.

It something I should've noticed when I sprayed the first coat, but I haven't touched a gun in 5 weeks so I didn't really notice it.

Temperature, reduction, air pressure, fluid, gun control etc all add up. Texture tends to stack, if the first coat has peel, no gun adjustment will make the next coat flat.
The first step to flat paint for me, is lighting. There is no such thing as too much light. You want light from every angle when clearing. It will make it THAT much easier to see the clear off the gun.
I never overreduce my products, no matter what (except Epoxy). Sometimes i will use a slower reducer/hardener, but normally i find it unnecessary.
Gun adjustment is important, but usually for me that means wide open on fluid and just shy of wide open on fan. If wide open is too much when i check my pattern, i'll throw on a 1.3 fluid nozzle and run that wide open instead of my usual 1.4mm(Except SATA). This tends to help me get a flatter finish than choking down fluid.
A quality gun is important. I prefer SATA and Iwata, in that order.
Last but not least is the Flow Coat. Sometimes i simply cannot believe the difference this makes. I sand with 400 with a HARD BLOCK until dead flat then hammer on 3 more coats. This probably makes more difference than anything else.

The SATA NR 2000 and 3000 are great guns. I got to use a 3000 once and loved it. Very nice even pattern, huge fan, very fast spray!
A real gun makes it so you can spray how you want to instead of having to force yourself to spray the way the gun wants.