Orange peel removal tips...

F

Flatfour

New member
Just got a call from some guy with a VW golf show car that has had repaint.

Problem is, the sides are heavely covered in orange peel.

The color is some brown-gold-orange effect paint, with clear on it.

I don't have pics but imagine the worst orange peel ever seen.

As he has some kind of discussion with the paint shoip, he wants it done by me, because next sunday there is a photoshoot for a well known magazine here in Belgium.



I have experience with rotary and PC, but wetsanding scares me a bit off, also because of that special color.

What if the orange peel is under the clearcoat ?



Things I have :

  • Rotary, PC, Optimum polish/compound, SSR line, SFX line...

    All sorts of pads and applicators... the full monthy...

    Sanding paper (2000-2500), rubber block

    Patience....



How can I best start with this ?

Sorry, no pics, I left my camera at work...
 
In other words :



Could it be possible that some of the orange peel can be removed with Optimum compound and an orange cutting pad ?

Or with SSR 3 with an orange cutting pad ?



I find the sanding way a bit coarse...
 
i'm pretty sure you can't remove orange peel just by using a polisher otherwise everyone here would have glass-flat paint surfaces. the only way to remove orange peel is to sand the surface down so that it's flattened. then you can polish it. polishing orange peel just gives you shiny orange peel as evidenced by thousands of photos on this very website.



if you're finding sanding the finish to be to coarse, then perhaps you're using too low grit sandpaper. i really honestly just don't think you'll be about to polish out orange peel.
 
no worries :grinno:

wetsanding is simple, in my autobody class we painted small panels and we had to wetsand and polish them once we were done painting, spraying clear, taping off to paint another color, then spraying clear. it looks great, i can post pictures if you want and we only went up to 2,000 <8- P

its simple, fill up a bottle with water, add 1 drop of Ivory soap (no additives, its just plain soap, don't use anything else.), spray onto said area and sand. check your paper every so often to make sure you don't get any little jibblies on your paper and use a squegee every so often to check the area, it should look like a matte finish i guess.

are you going to be doing the whole car by hand? or do you have a D.A. or something?



best of luck, and this is my first post on here :geez
 
I just wet sanded my big Marauder last summer, and there's nothing really to worry about if you're detailed, and go slow. Use wet sanding paper (2000 grit+) with water and a little bit of dish soap for lubricant; quick detailer too if you prefer.



Depending on the severity, you can see the orange peel being knocked down as you sand.
 
Wetsanding is simple the way minor surgery is simple ;)



I'd stick with 3000 grit Unigrit paper myself. I soak it in a very slippery carwash shampoo.



And yeah, polishing (as opposed to wetsanding) only works on soft ss, primarily lacquer.



Remember that the rule of thumb is that removing more than .3-5 micron (.0003"-.0005") of clear will usually cause eventual clearcoat failure if the paint is exposed to normal amounts of sunlight/UV radiation.



It's *VERY* unlikely that the OP is in the color coat as a) that paint flows differently and b) the subsequent application of clear usually mitigates any uneveness anyhow. If there *is* OP/excessive texture in the color coat there's nothing that can be done short of a repaint.
 
and there's nothing really to worry about [\QUOTE]



There is some good and proper advice so far...



But, PLEASE practice on a junk panel from a body shop!



Too many 19 yo punks give advice that encourages wet sanding, and never mention that one cannot recover from a wetsanding 'mistake'.



We work on many highend vehicles / enjoy a wonderful reputation, but we seldom wetsand...



Be careful.



Oh it can be done. By the right hands.



Some due dilgence will show you (Mequiar's Director of Training) Mike Pennington's super black Suburban, which truly has a perfect finish.



One more time. Be professional, practice, practice!



Can you afford the repaint?
Click to expand...
 
how many people start wet sanding a car without any knowledge of the consequences if they screw up?



i'm never in detailing shops, i take autobody so im guessing the teachers are willing to do more agressive things since the cars that get wet sanded have not had to endure things such as bird droppings or etc. and if any mistakes are made....it would take work, but it could be taken care of.



off topic, but what kind of golf? i just sold my MKII GTI 1.8 16v a few weeks ago and i still miss it 8- (



p.s. Thank you Jimmy Buffit
 
:soscared: OMG, there is actually a forum about wetsanding :soscared:

:shocked There are really some freaks out there.... :shocked



:bolt gonna give it atry anyway....
 
A simple test sand will tell if the orange peel is in the clear. Take your wet paper and sand a couple strokes, wipe, let dry. Look to see if there still is high and low spots.



If it is in the clear, sand a couple more strokes until it is almost evenly smooth, then polish. This will give you an idea if you have the right equipment and chemicals.



Another pointer is to leave small unsanded areas or lightly sanded around uneven or difficult areas. It's too hard to buff these areas.



Also use masking tape if needed.
 
Another thing is stay away from edges or give a very light sand. It is very easy to sand through.
 
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