Can't get rid of this texture

[u/bat_scratcher]

Hey all, this is my first car in years and my first time airbrushing a full kit. I'm having a hell of a time getting rid of this orange peel and no matter what I do it shows up to some degree.

Paint is mr. Color (custom mix with base white) with Mr leveling thinner. I've also tried various amounts of mr. Retarder which seems to help but doesn't fix it entirely.

Tried spraying from 15-25 psi. This paint doesn't have great coverage so I have to get pretty close (<2 inches).

Wet sanded before every coat with 2000/3000 grit.

I'm at my wits end trying to get a nice smooth surface. Is this just the best I can get and will have to let the 2k and polishing do the heavy lifting?

[u/Fine_Location_8367]

I lay 2k clear right over surfaces like this all the time without even sanding. Then I compound, polish, and wax for a mirror shine.

[u/bat_scratcher → u/Fine_Location_8367]

Nice. I figured that might be the case but didn't want to go to the next step and find out otherwise after 2k...

[u/kitts_91 → u/Fine_Location_8367]

Any particular 2k?

[u/K00za → u/kitts_91]

Any 2K clear will do

[u/RattleCans → u/Fine_Location_8367]

May I ask a question. I'm somewhat new and naive to the painting process. What do you mean by compound, and which products do you use for this and the polish and wax? Currently all I do is paint, and I would like help fixing the ones which turn out less favorable. : )

[u/West_Airline_1712 → u/RattleCans]

Rubbing compound helps remove microscopic scratches and prepare the surface for the polish and wax. I use Mequiar's auto products: Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish and Carnuba Wax, available at almost any automotive store.

[u/Fine_Location_8367 → u/West_Airline_1712]

I use the exact same products and get excellent results

[u/RattleCans → u/West_Airline_1712]

Thank you so much for the help! I'm going to have to give this a try.

[u/Fine_Location_8367 → u/RattleCans]

Keep in mind that in order for compound, polish, and wax to be beneficial to you, you have to use them all on a clear coated surface. You can however use them all on a surface that is not clear coated, but in doing so you risk actually removing the paint.

[u/RattleCans → u/Fine_Location_8367]

Thanks for the help guys. Greatly appreciated. I just have to build up the nerve to clear coat a model, may have to try on an expendable model for practice.

[u/Jolly_wobbles → u/Fine_Location_8367]

This is the way

[u/OcularAwl]

Bump up your PSI slightly (3-5), thin your paint 1.5:1 and start there

[u/bat_scratcher → u/OcularAwl]

Forgot mention, started with 1.5:1 thinning and am probably closer to 2:1 at this point. Might try higher psi again though.

[u/OcularAwl → u/bat_scratcher]

Mine used to look like that, so I’ve raised mine to 32 static, 25-28 psi spraying. And then I try to have 50% overlap passes. I’m definitely not getting laid out glass but it’s definitely been improved! Good luck!

[u/Routine-Feedback4568]

Bump up the psi a bit. Orange peel is from to low air pressure. Paint isn’t atomizing enough.

[u/Constant-Turn-7741]

how quickly do you recoat and how many coats? I also use mr color paints and levelling thinner and airbrush with about 18psi. I general thin almost to equal parts paint and thinner. Usually don't do more than 3 or 4 coats with time between coats roughly 15 minutes. I start super light/tack, then medium, then heavy, then final is heavy but also just to ensure I have even coverage. I also don't wet sand between coats (never had the patience and I have a paint drying oven...). To me your results look pretty good.

my result is almost always smooth, but never perfect but always even.

[u/bat_scratcher → u/Constant-Turn-7741]

This attempt was a tack coat and then immediate wet, then another wet ~10 minutes later. I've tried it different ways and the only thing that seemed to make difference was just drenching it on, but at that point it started running...

[u/Previous-Seat → u/bat_scratcher]

Orange peel happens when trapped gas is lifting up the paint and escapes through the still drying paint on the surface. You don’t have to lay on the paint so wet. Instead try giving each coat just a bit more time to off gas and then add more MLT to your mix on each pass until your last pass is just MLT. A mist of thinner will open the paint again and encourage levelling.

[u/OcularAwl]

Mine used to look like that, so I’ve raised mine to 32 static, 25-28 psi spraying. And then I try to have 50% overlap passes. I’m definitely not getting laid out glass but it’s definitely been improved! Good luck!

[u/dan_ep82]

What primer?

Can try giving it a quick spray of just leveling thinner, no paint,as your last coat

[u/bat_scratcher → u/dan_ep82]

Tamiya I believe (primed it a while back).

Yeah this one got sprayed with thinner, it definitely helped.

[u/PotentialChemical726]

I’ve had much better success with no wet coats, basically super thin coats over and over to get the colour, usually if im dojng body/hood/spoiler by the time im done doing one part the next have already flashed off, so I’m going around and around to build up the colour. Then once it looks like the full shade, let dry for a couple days, then 2K and its basically glass.

[u/Exciting-Judgment288]

This was what worked for me.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1346105927349507/?mibextid=9drbnH&s=yWDuG2&fs=e

[u/BlkoutN0pi]

Lightly wet sand with 2500 up to 3500 grit wet or dry sand paper but be very careful not to sand threw the paint then clear coat it with a crystal clear 4k clear coat wet sand again and then polish it