why orange peel exists...

[wannafbody]

I was talking to a body supply shop manager yesterday and he told me why factory paint jobs have such horrible orange peel. He said that on the factory line they want the paint to dry fast so that it goes out the door as fast as possible. This fast dry time prevents the paint from flowing and self leveling.

[Setec Astronomy]

Um...that`s a really overly simplistic explanation. How about that a huge car plant run by a multinational company is under such EPA scrutiny for its VOC emissions that they can`t use enough solvent in the paint to let if flow out like the guy at the body shop around the corner can? The guy in the body shop isn`t supposed to use any more solvent, but he doesn`t really have to worry about the gov`t and everybody else ready to sue him if they smell any xylene downwind of the plant.

[qadsan]

... He said that on the factory line they want the paint to dry fast so that it goes out the door as fast as possible. This fast dry time prevents the paint from flowing and self leveling.

Besides drying time, orange peel occurs for a number of reasons, all of which stem from the issue of the paint not flowing out. From the factory, drying time may be the number one reason for this. But from paint & body shops to hobbyists, there are many more common reasons why orange peel exists. Simply having the spray gun setup incorrectly will cause orange peel (i.e. not enough air volume + pressure at the tip), or using a compressor that can`t keep up with the gun`s needs (very common among hobbyists!), or using the wrong techniques such as holding the gun too close or moving too slow or spraying at the wrong angle, or not properly reducing the paint, or putting on too thick of a film, or painting in the wrong environment such as having too much humidity, or using a crappy gun, etc, etc, etc. All of these are reasons why orange peel exists.

[Kenney]

95% of the general populace does not what orange peel is, that is why it exists

[Dan]

I don`t inspect bodywork daily, but what I have seen that comes out of a body shop usually has MORE orange peel than most new $20k+ cars.

[velobard]

I don`t inspect bodywork daily, but what I have seen that comes out of a body shop usually has MORE orange peel than most new $20k+ cars.

Hmmm, that hasn`t been my experience. I`ve had bodywork done at a few different places and seen other cars that belong to friends who had work done. On the cars I`ve seen there have been other occasional flaws such as fish-eyes or solvent pop, but little to no OP.

[MorBid]

ORANGE PEEL: Texture, Lack of Flow



Paint film having an uneven texture that resembles the skin of an orange.



CAUSE



* Under reduction and/or air pressure too low.

* Thinner/reducer evaporates too fast for spray conditions.

* Excessive film thickness or piling on of heavy wet coats.

* Improper spray gun set-up.

* Improper painting technique.



REPAIR



* Compound or polish to reduce surface texture.

* Or, sand smooth with 1200 or finer grit sandpaper, compound and polish to restore gloss.

* Or, sand smooth and refinish.



PREVENTION



* Use proper reduction ratio and spray at recommended air pressure.

* Select recommended thinner/reducer based on temperature, humidity, air movement, and size of repair.

* Avoid heavy coats and excessive film thickness.

* Use recommended spray gun, fluid tip and air cap for the material being sprayed. Always adjust the gun for best atomization and balanced spray pattern before paint application.

* During paint application, hold the gun perpendicular and parallel to the surface. Adjust speed of pass, pattern overlap, and distance from the panel to achieve the desired appearance.



----------------



Moving past the clinical definition (both the one above here and those posted by others) and addressing the question itself OP exists (IMHO) simply as the lesser of all evils.



In that sense I mean there are a whole lot of other things that can go wrong when painting (boy do I know) and OP is the most easily corrected. It doesn`t require re-application of product with or without knocking down the affected layers of paint prior.



So many factories (and bodyshops) would rather deal with OP than trying not to get OP and having something worse happen. The probelm is bodyshops are suppose to cut and buff the paint out as part of the finishing process of the job. No such thing exists at the manufactuering plant. It would cost too much in labor.



I think it also has to do with the Quality Control of each manufactuer. When I`m at my Audi Dealership (sells BMW`s and Porchse too) I always look at what`s on the lot and like I did when I was buying mine inspect the finish with a painters eye. I can never find any that have OP so bad that if I painted it I would`ve wetsanded that out.



MorBiD

[velobard]

I think it also has to do with the Quality Control of each manufactuer. When I`m at my Audi Dealership (sells BMW`s and Porchse too) I always look at what`s on the lot and like I did when I was buying mine inspect the finish with a painters eye. I can never find any that have OP so bad that if I painted it I would`ve wetsanded that out.



MorBiD

Just stay out of a Pontiac showroom.

:chuckle:

[David Fermani]

Just stay out of a Pontiac showroom.

:chuckle:





Have you ever noticed the finish/OP on a black H2 Hummer? It may be the worst there is.

[ej8tunerman]

I`d have to agree with that David. The worst orange peel i`ve seen on a vehicle out of the factory is the new H2s, especially black.

[BobD]

I have also heard that some manufacturers make the paint orange peel on purpose to hide any slight defects in the paint and body. Not sure how true that is.



I used to work for one of the biggest custom boat trailer manufacturers and every trailer was handed prepped and painted. Actually it was 100% hand built, no robotics or anything. Some trailers had some orange peel and some where as smooth as glass. It really all depended on the painter (they usually ran two spray booths and two painters all day long) and what sort of day the painter was having. If the shop was getting backed up at the paint booth the painters where trying to hurry. If there was nothing waiting to be painted they took there time.

[imported_Larry A]

Factory paint or repaint, your going to have orange peel of some sort.When you see a paint job without orange peel , it because it been color sanded and power buffed with a compound. They will not do this at the factory because its a lot of labor, and requires a lot of extra people.

[imported_Yal]

H2 is pretty bad because there is so much flat panel to look at, especially when you are sitting behind the stupid things in traffic :)

[David Fermani]

Factory paint or repaint, your going to have orange peel of some sort.When you see a paint job without orange peel , it because it been color sanded and power buffed with a compound. They will not do this at the factory because its a lot of labor, and requires a lot of extra people.



It also takes alot of durability away from the finish too.

[lbls1]

It has been my experience, however, that the majority of acceptable factory paint (meaning paint that doesn`t fail) examples that I have seen were more durable, less chip and flake prone, and also were more tolerant to moderate abuse than many of the aftermarket paint examples that I`ve experienced. It also goes without saying that the quality of the paint process will play a huge part in the paint`s behavior and life.



Unless I were restoring a classic or building a custom show/street vehicle, I would never repaint an acceptable original finish on a car. The reason for this for me is threefold. One reason is that a good quality repaint that would be as durable and as consistent as a factory paint process would involve a considerable amount of labor in removing ALL of the previous paint, including the door jambs, and under the hood and trunk, and corners etc. Secondly, aside from even spraying, which probably can be done well aftermarket, drying tolerances, electro magnetic bonding (on some cars) and curing temperatures may not be done at the same quality as it would be in a factory setting. Third and last, the cost of a well done aftermarket paint process would range a considerable amount of money, and given the relatively high depreciation rate of most regular use cars, it may or may not prove to be profitable in terms of increasing the car`s value (a return of investment, if you look at repainting to resell a car).