Orange peel

[Kopper1013]

Ok guys trying to spray buffalo hide gloss for the first time,

I'm using a perval sprayer and thinned my epoxy by 25%

I'm getting orange peel and my question is,

I plans on wet sanding the bow and buffing with 0000 steel wool anyways to remove the gloss so can I just keep spraying my 4 or 5 coats and have the sanding clean up the finish or should I sand out the coats I have down now and start over?

[talkingcabbage]

Haven't used the buffalo hide, but generally, you want the finish to be as good as it can be, even if you're buffing it down after.  Just makes the work that much less later.  

Are you getting a good wet coat?  Is the pressure maybe a bit too high?  Might just go through your gun with a piece of scrap and try some different things to get a good lay on the finish.

[Bow man]

Not enough  air pressure and try to spray to much on at one time. I like to spray several light coats to make one.

[Pheonixarcher]

I like to thin by 30%. If you have an in-line pressure regulator, use that to set your operating psi, and open the air valve on the gun all the way. Play with your fan width and amount of material controls to get even coverage at a distance that works with your most consistent spraying distance. If you move the gun in and away too much, you'll end up with uneven coverage. Several super light passes for one coat has worked well for me. Don't worry about spots that are a little light on your first couple coats, as they are much easier to lightly sand, or will blend/cover with additional coats! Runs are much harder to deal with than a small light spot! Never try to cover a flaw in the finish without sanding it out (runs or orange peel) as it will always show in top coats without a lot of extra finish work. Try not to spray in high heat or humidity as this will cause the atomized spray to start drying before it can lay down flat, sometimes causing orange peel or a surface that feels or looks like it is frosty or dusty. These are a few of the tips that have worked for me spraying Thunderbird finishes. I've heard that Buffalo Hide is the same product with a different label.

[Robertfishes]

He said he is using a "Preval" spray system, it uses a self contained air pressure can.. not sure if there is a way to adjust pressure with it..Shawn at Costal Bend bows used the Preval spray system, maybe you can talk to him about it?

[Kopper1013]

Thanks guys had a real interesting out come with the perval self contained system.....
Mixed up a new batch on buffalo hide put my first coat on after sanding everything down looked ok while standing there the glass jar sheared off the bottom of the sprayer and exploded over the drive way!!!! Two cans of paint thinner and a pressure washer later I got most the stain out of the concrete driveway......
So I think I might try something else for now till I can afford a real setup.
Thank you all for the reply's

[Carson81]

That's why I like a good old fashioned shellac and linseed oil finish.