byrontaylor

Alright, I have been painting a boat for 2 weeks now, I know it's a long time and a lot of sanding and spraying and my arms feel like jello from all the sanding. My problem is this, I'll get a "decent" clearcoat on the boat with a little orange peel and when I go to sand it down it loses it's shine and I can't buff it back out, it just looks dull.

I started by just sanding the existing clear coat on the boat with 800 grit, then 1200, then 1500, then 2000, then spraying and have repeated this process every time eventually after no avail to the "haziness" to the paint after sanding. It's a fiberglass boat, I was told it has a gel coat base, if that makes any difference, that needed another few coats of clear due to the boat cover I had, age of the boat (1989 model), and the sun.

Here are the steps I took;

1st - Sanded old coat with 800 until straight. Then used a 1200 to smooth it out. Washed the boat, then masked it. Then I sprayed the first time. I had a bunch of orange peel so I let it sit a couple of days like the product info said then sanded with 1200 to smooth it out, then 1500 to smooth the 1200, then 2000 to smooth the 1500, then running compound, let it dry then buffed it off, then waxed, let it dry and wiped it off, then it got really "hazy" or "cloudy" if you can picture that.

2nd time - Washed the boat to get the wax, dust, etc. off. Sprayed again and got very little orange peel, I bought another gun for the 2nd go round', but then again when I went to buff it it clouded up again?

3rd time - Same thing pretty much, but with a little more orange peel. Sanded, then cloudy.


Questions;

1 - How do you stop orange peel? Too much clear, too little, too much air, too little? Help!!!

2 - Is it supposed to "cloud up" or get "hazy" or did I sand it too fast or sand too deep, what would have caused this? Or is this just something that happens when you sand on clear?

3 - Any advice I am very open too right now...please help me if you know what I am doing wrong?!??!?!?!?!

Thanks in advance

Byron

Unstang

iTrader: (26)

Are you sanding throught the clear coat?

multiplicityZ

iTrader: (7)

when you wetsand, the result is whitish and dull compared to original, it just puts a haze over the color i guess you could say there, is absolutely no reflection. but that buffs out to a smooth beautiful shine.

anyways when you are wetsanding are you keeping the paint wet? probably a stupid question but just making sure because if your not then you'll just scratch the paint to hell, and i dont know if you should be starting with such a low/coarse grit. i probly wouldnt go below 1500 to start with, and yes, it takes a very long time to sand the whole thing, especially a boat.

good luck with it.

byrontaylor

I figured out the problem was my compound. I was using Mother's running compound and got some 3m compound and now it looks great. This is my first time to paint so I thought I'd try it on an old boat before trying anything else and it has turned out pretty well I'd say.

Thanks for the help though.

parbreak

iTrader: (17)

3M compounds and polishes are the best.

fasteddyss

iTrader: (1)

Where are you painting this?? You can get cloudy clear/paint if there is not enough oxygen in the air when it is drying. It will make the clear cloudy and you will not be able to buff it out. This happens when inexperienced painters paint in there garage and have no air flow.

Other than that it could not be cured enough to wet sand and buff yet.

I would speak to whoever you are buying your materials from.

Good luck

byrontaylor

I got it, I did paint it in a shop, not a booth or paint shop, a personal shop. Like I said it was the compound I would assume. It done right after that anyway. Now for next project....1997 S-10. Lil' bro hit a culvert, good thing it doesn't have an ls1. Never thought I'd say that either.