Orange peel

[Longcruise]

 What are some of the caused of orange peel in clear rattle can finishes?

Temperature? Humidity?   

[Buggs]

Lack of atomization. That or bad technique.

[Mad Max]

To much fluid coming out for the air pressure to atomize.

[Longcruise]

Hmmmmmm.   Too much fluid.  Does that mean that I should back off further.   

Technique.  I pretty much follow the instructions on the can.

I'm near ready to go back to wipe on!

[Mad Max]

Hmmmmmm.   Too much fluid.  Does that mean that I should back off further.   

Technique.  I pretty much follow the instructions on the can.

I'm near ready to go back to wipe on!

No, slow down the amount of fluid coming out so the air blast can break it down into smaller particles

[kennym]

Rattle can , no slowin anything down...

[4 point]

Could sand it with 600 grit and polish it back with 0000 steel wool.

[Longcruise]

Could sand it with 600 grit and polish it back with 0000 steel wool.

Pretty much what I did.  Was more aggressive though.  Took it off with 220, then hit it  with 320.  In the process now of doing a wipe on finish with minwax satin oil based.  Looking much better.   

[Jeff tech]

What are you using?

[Kirkll]

Rattle can finishes are tough to do depending on the product. Going with several very light coats is much better than hosing it down. If you are getting orange peel you are way too close. 10-12” is about where ya want to be, and nice even sweeps up and down. Never stop moving….. but….

 It’s not that expensive to get set up with an HVLP gun and then you can control the volume of material to air ratio.  It’s still a learning curve. A rather large one too. You have all different types of materials to choose from. Some need reducers, some don’t…. Learning what tip size is another one… 1.4 is my favorite for auto  clear coating.   

Kirk

[Longcruise]

What are you using?

I'm thinking that it's probably more my technique than anything like Kirk says.

[Mad Max]

The VHT Matte clears goes on without Orange peel

The gloss did not for me

[Bvas]

The VHT Matte clears goes on without Orange peel

The gloss did not for me

Same here.
I tried everything with the gloss VHT. That stuff refuses to lay down flat

[Mad Max]

The VHT Matte clears goes on without Orange peel

The gloss did not for me

Same here.
I tried everything with the gloss VHT. That stuff refuses to lay down flat

That's good to know that it wasn't just me

[Jeff tech]

Did you put your first on like you would your last coat. Wet, no tack coat

[Longcruise]

That's a revelation for me.  I'll use the matte next time around.

Can't complain about the wipe on though.  Three coats of satin and one gloss.

[Buggs]

The gloss will have more solids, which will make it harder to atomize. Especially so in an aerosol can.

What Kirk said about an HVLP is good advice. You will get better results, even with an inexpensive gun, verses an aerosol can.

[Kirkll]

the only difference between an expensive spray gun and a cheap one is that you can get parts to rebuild an expensive gun when they wear out.... but used as a hobby gun, just go to harbor freight and buy the HVLP gun with the two tip sizes. 1.4 and 1.8 . do not buy the detail gun with the .1.0 tip. its too small to shoot most of the products we use for clear coating bows. The 1.0 tip requires a reducer for your materials most of the time, and isn't what you want. Trust me on that one. i have several setting on a shelf.....The 1.8 tip is too big for spraying bows and lays too much material down. You could use that tip on house paint i'll bet.

Food for thought...

I use my gun a lot, and keep the gun wet all the time. Learned that trick from a professional auto painter years ago. I've had the last gun i bought in lacquer thinner in a coffee can when not in use  for 3 years without it drying out. letting them dry out between uses causes more problems than keeping them wet. The key is cleaning them out properly EVERY time you use them. Even then you need to tear the gun down completely and clean it good once a month when used regularly. Takes about 10 minutes to do.    kirk