My previous post viewtopic.php?f=5&t=23528

I ended up sanding back the gas tank primer a bit and laying down the base. Base went down real nice on the body panels and tank, no problems. The areas on the panels where I judged to be "orange peeled" must have been minor because the BC layed down real nice and was smooth once flashed. Anyways, proceeded with the ********** 4100 clear.

Clear went on so-so. I'm not sure what it was, (what it was, was inexperience and being a cheap **** where it counts) but im guessing with a sub par gun where the sweet spot might be within a tighter range and even more difficult for a novice to set up ended up biting me. There was orange peel, I couldn't get the clear to lay down smooth. ********** calls for wet coats straight off the bat. I played with pressure and flow a bit but couldn't get it. Pressure was in the range of 35-37 PSI, flow is hard to say since all guns will be diff but was about 11/2 turn out from closed on this gun.

Anyways it's 2 days drying now and there seems to be some very small pin holes everywhere. I can only get a glimpse of them when I look really close and at the proper lighting angle. It looks like someone took a sewing needle and went around stabbing the panels with the tip(I can not even feel it with my hands just see it). I"m guessing solvent pop? Or bubbles within the atomized particles that popped once laid down?

During fiddling with the gun setup on the butcher paper there were times when it looked like the gun was actually blowing bubbles into the clear i was laying down..... not sure what that was, any ideas? (curious) Anyways, I adjusted out of this range and went with settings that didn't produce this.

I would really like to get a nicer surface. I'm betting if I sand back I will just plug all the holes with dust and if I go deep enough to sand the pinholes out totally I'm worried I's burn through in areas...

What are the options at this point? How much resurfacing is needed on the clear coat at this stage to be able to lay down a couple new coats of clear and try for a better surface finish? Is there a window of time that I can do this? Is it necessary to go al the way back to sanding off the BC down to primer?

PS I'm looking to get a decent gun. Would like a 1.4 tip I think because by the looks it's a decent middle ground for spraying most things. Any suggestions?

looking at the Dev Plus gfg-670

Also this Iwata looks to be for sale locally, can anyone confirm that this is infact the Lph400? I'm not familiar with how they look, or the revisions they have had over the years.

EDIT OOPS... forgot to add the link http://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-image.html? ... nFlag=true

Sounds like solvent popping to me. My guess is you didn't give sufficient flash time between your "wet" coats or the activator and/or reducer used was too fast and "skinned over" before the solvents flashed off.

The gun may be the problem since cheap guns are "cheap" for a reason. The machining tolerances are all over the map, quality of the materials used (hardness, finish, etc.) is way less and even air consumption specs can be bogus.

Generally I set the fluid control by backing the screw all the way out, pulling the trigger full open and then turning the fluid control in until I feel the trigger start to close. From there I let go of the trigger and turn the fluid control knob in 1/4 - 1/2 turn more.

From there you set the air inlet pressure by holding the trigger full open and adjusting the air knob to factory recommendations (for starters) then test your fan and spray pattern on masking paper. With RTS paint in the gun, hold it the proper distance from the paper and pull the trigger for 1 full second (say 1/1000) and let go. If you see its too heavy and sagging or starting to run, up the air pressure a few PSI and try again. You want full coverage throughout the width and length of your fan without sagging or running.

When spraying you need to keep the distance and angle of the gun consistent and a minimum of 50% overlap.

You will need to sand the clear to remove the pin holes and then shoot another coat or two with the gun adjusted properly. BE CERTAIN to wait the full amount of flash time and follow the TDS for your paint. Production Clear has a 10-30 minute flash time and I recommend you check your watch and wait rather than guess how much time has past. Its usually a good idea to leave the booth or you will be come impatient.

Thanks for the advice!

I'm going to try and pick up a different higher quality gun. I've read good things about the Devilbiss Plus GFG670, it being a compliant gun making laying clear a bit easier potentially. Also considering the Iwata LPH400, good reviews from users all around.

What grit paper should I use? I'm thinking 600 would be hidden under clear? Is there a more aggressive paper I could use and still be on the safe side?

Thanks.

Anybody recommend a suitable grit for scuffing up some clear and laying down some fresh clear?

Thanks

You can go down to 400 with no problems as far as the clear filling
the scratches. The coarser grits will flatten it better too,
giving a straighter finish.
I've done it that way several times and it's worked great.

what kind of dryer setup do you have. you may have gotten water in the line. what temp was it when you sprayed and what temp reducer and activator did you use.

I usually sand with 600 for your situation

Thanks for the replies guys.

I used ********** clear with the slow activator it must have been 72f no reducer used. No chance of moisture. I have about 30ft Cu for cooling then water trap with dessicant then filter for garbage.

I will see how well I get on with the 600, worried about burning through so I'll see about the 400, would be nice to speed thing up with the 400 though.... But slow and steady always wins in these cases.

how long did you wait after base before you cleared it. I wait a minimum of 2 hours but preferably overnight. especially with a cheaper base.

I always wait 30 min after the coat is complete

I must have left the base for a few hours. It was Omni MBX 3.0

Left at least 30 min between the clearcoat layers....