sleeperRX7

Decided to paint my old ranger up. I wanted a project and it was sitting in front of me so why not? I had to replace the rear bumper, front bumper, both front fenders, dings dents, bondo,spot putty, sand, sand, sand, sand, sand, replace header panel, fix hood, new headlamps, sand, sand, prime, sand, degrease, tack cloth, and finally paint! So during the paint after 3 coats with Duplicolor Midnight Blue I could still see the grey primer coat under the new paint. WTF! I followed all instructions and I did not expect a perfect job my first time, but geez it looked like ****. Called up Duplicolor and they honored there warranty! Awsome right! They send me 8 cans of what I had before. I had to get another fender this week because I hit a tractor (another story), anyways decided to paint the new fender with the new paint tonight. After the first coat I realized the paint they sent me has metallic in it! Really, the label says Midnight blue like my old cans but it was mixed wrong! Even has same upc and part #. They sent me Deep Blue Metallic! I figured out my problem with the thin coats so now I guess i'm shooting Deep Blue Metallic instead of what I wanted before. What I put on tonight doesn't look bad at all. Just really pisses me off! I hope the other 7 cans I have are mixed the same! Why me! Arg!

banzaitoyota

Did you use a sealer coat?

sleeperRX7

No sealer coat because it still needs another coat. It is lacquer based paint. Old school. I have a faulty pressure regulator on my compressor. It said 15 p.s.i. but was actually putting out around 60 p.s.i. The paint was drying before it even hit the vehicle. I will clear coat when finished. I painted my new fender at 15 p.s.i. with my hvlp gun and a 1.5 mm tip. Looks sweet. CAn't wait to re-do the rest of the truck, but it will be worth it.

mazdaspeed7

1.5 is a little big for auto paints, unless you spray fast. I use a 1.3 in my IWATA lvlp

Rob x-7

those blues are pretty transparent, sometimes takes 5-7 coats to cover

get better lighting too

sleeperRX7

I would have to say I spray fast. I don't stay in one spot for long at all. I just move back and forth in a uniform fashion overlapping 50% every pass. Yes this paint is thin! I don't know about other modern paints, but this lacquer based is very transparent. I noticed a big difference on my new fender. The new fender was primered black and the rest of my truck was primered grey. Since I have to re-spray the rest of the truck I decided to go with the black primer to see what happens. 3 coats and it looks perfect!, but I also discovered I had a air presure problem with my regulator on my spray gun. Fixed my air pressure problem that made a world of difference. The paint was drying before it even touched the truck. What did stick was just being hammered on. I really do need better lighting! Im gonna have to buy some cheap work lamps. Heres a pic, can you spot the difference! It has been quite the learning experience. I'm using my old work truck as a test bed before I spray the wifes car. Trying to hone my skills a little. Can't wait to finish the truck and line the bed. Heres a pic if I can get it to upload.

sleeperRX7

I will have to clear coat and polish at some point or just leave it alone. No orange peel that I can see. Does anyone know if lacquer paint will orange peel or does it all to some extent?

1988RedT2

From wikipedia: Orange peel is typically the result of improper painting technique, and is caused by the quick evaporation of thinner, incorrect spray gun setup (e.g., low air pressure or incorrect nozzle), spraying the paint at an angle other than perpendicular, or applying excessive paint.