Quality without wet sanding?

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 4:06 pm
can a base/clear paint job be applied with no orange peel and nice enough to not need to wet sand and buff?
I don't want to skip out on a quality job and realize its benefits but curious if other have done this or if it can be done.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 7:03 pm
Buckwheat wrote:can a base/clear paint job be applied with no orange peel and nice enough to not need to wet sand and buff?
I don't want to skip out on a quality job and realize its benefits but curious if other have done this or if it can be done.
I can only speak for myself and, I am a hack painter at best. My last job was a tri coat and the finish right off the gun was very smooth and dirt free. I used my dedicated clear gun, an Iwata AZ4, it lays clear like glass for me. Maybe I got lucky (?). The owner of the bike (motorcycle) picked it up on the day it was going into a show so I did not have time to cut and buff but, to be honest, it did not need it. Most of my jobs I do buff but if the owner is happy and I am happy I don't. I am very careful with a clean booth and try to keep any dust out but sometimes I still get small bits that need to be removed.

The pro's will chime in but in my limited experience, it is possible to get an acceptable finish off the gun. Having said that, I feel the final product will be even better with a proper cut/buff. Just my .02
321250082_692959135511892_8081067262301358775_n.jpg

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 7:48 pm
Rebel Racing wrote:The pro's will chime in but in my limited experience, it is possible to get an acceptable finish off the gun.


Spot on. In all the years I had the shop, very few jobs had to be cut and buffed after. Most went out straight off the gun, sometimes with some denibbing if required.

It all depends on what you want. Matching the factory finish should be achievable with the right gun and technique but if you want dead flat off the gun you'll need to practice for the next 20 years or so.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 8:47 pm
The following are "as sprayed" finishes:

ColorasSprayed.jpg


Flame Red and Euro Clear Left Rear.JPG


Pearl Coat.JPG


Retarder.JPG


It takes having the panel properly prepped, using good quality materials, the right speed activator and reducer, a proper air supply so the gun is atomizing the paint correctly, making sure the gun is adjusted properly and then spraying with the correct distance from the panel, with a consistent overlap and gun speed, allowing each coat to flash properly and of course spraying in a dust free environment.

And as stated above - practice.
1968 Coronet R/T


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 12:46 pm
That looks stunning! I would not touch that with any polishing agent lol

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 12:57 pm
Slobo7x wrote:That looks stunning! I would not touch that with any polishing agent lol


Proper cutting and buffing brings even more clarity and brilliance to the finish.

For example:

Hood as sprayed before cut and buff:
Hood Clear as Sprayed.JPG


Hood after cut and buff:
Hood Buffed 2.JPG
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 6:49 pm
Depends on quality

in the OEM collision repair industry you are trying to match factory orange peel, seems cars these days have a lot less than they use to.

i myself do not cut and buff, i dust nib. orange peel isn't a bad thing if its minimal.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 10:56 pm
Buckwheat wrote:can a base/clear paint job be applied with no orange peel and nice enough to not need to wet sand and buff?
I don't want to skip out on a quality job and realize its benefits but curious if other have done this or if it can be done.



I am gonna add this:

Painting is all about sanding or Prep work for a better explanation.
Base coat should be done with out sanding ? Yes and it should be! in every case! Never sand Base coat. If you need to in most cases whole panel needs to be repainted.

Can Clear coat be applied without sanding after wards? Yes!
But its not in the average case and in most cases you'll have some runs or some orange peel or Dust nibs to deal with in most cases.
In most cases its un-avoidable.

Can it be done perfectly? oh most defiantly
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2023 8:09 am
On the other hand, I do a lot of custom paint with many coats applied. Even when they come out almost perfect, the amount of paint applied tends to shrink, so cutting and buffing is a necessity for a mirror finish. I think when using cheaper paints, the same shrinking problem applies.



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PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:39 am
PainterDave wrote:Depends on quality

in the OEM collision repair industry you are trying to match factory orange peel, seems cars these days have a lot less than they use to.

i myself do not cut and buff, i dust nib. orange peel isn't a bad thing if its minimal.


Exactly!

what is nib?

I was looking closely at my 2015 chevy truck paint. was thinking I would be more than happy with a paint like that on my 1972 TransAm that will be white paint. I had to look very closely at the right angle to see minimal orange peel. to stand back a few feet you really can't see it. yet I realize it not a glass paint job. i'm not after that perfect job seen on so many classics these days. I prefer the non perfect look to the paint as though it came from 1972.

iv'e painted one car in 2009 and struggled but learned a ton. i know every single mistake I made, but nervous about my next effort here.

how best do I achieve the above? I realize back in 1972 it was laquer and leave no orange peel. I plan on base/clear so I have that extra chance to fix errors.
Eric
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