wet sand + Polishing Powder Coated clear?

T

tssdetailing

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So this weekend I was approached by a powder coater who wanted to know if I could eliminate the orange peel on these covers. He shot them very heavy with PC red then PC clear. He said that PC is very tough and I could be extremely rough with it so I went at it hard with a 320 grit pad (dry). then 1500 dry then wet (had little change). Then buffed with a Flex, orange pad + Adams swirl & haze remover then black pad + adams machine polish. I noticed that the finish wasn't very attractive. The clear seemed dull next to an un-touched piece (last pic) and still retained a lot of fine swirls and micro marring.



I'm thinking that the clear is just not compatible with my process; which never leaves unpleasant finishes on cars i've done.



This is the back of the piece I'm working on-I had allready begun working on the front when i realized "I should document this" so this is a reference from what it started.

PC1.jpg




This is after the 320 grit pad

PC2.jpg




This is after wetsanding with 1500

PC3.jpg




This is after compound/polishing with the Flex and Adams

PC4.jpg




Comparison of the worked piece(right) next to untouched piece(left)

PC5.jpg
 
I think it is not good enough for him. Still too much OP.



Not a painter, so it may sound stupid, but is it possible that the base coat has OP?



Ricardo, you'd know the answer. You paint.
 
if you jumped from 320 right to 1500 you probably have really deep scratches still remaining that can't be buffed out. Pc is tough stuff to work with.
 
rescuenut10 said:
if you jumped from 320 right to 1500 you probably have really deep scratches still remaining that can't be buffed out. Pc is tough stuff to work with.
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Yeah that is true but the paint would be flat. It isn't
 
The fact that he's jumping to 1500 from 320 will be a problem on paint but he's working with powder coating which is extremely hard. I had a set of wheels powder coated and asked if they could be wet sanded and taking to another level and was told no.



My opinion is that the powder is not layed down good so when it was baked it didn't flow out to give the look of no Orange Peel. You are not even getting close to level it out with your steps. I haven't done this but I'm in the automotive painting field don't think its going to be able to level out then compound and polished to a brilliant shine like your looking to acheive.



Even in automotive paint if there is dirt or imperfections in the base coat and you wetsand and buff the clear you will still see the imperfections in the base now the clear is just slick. It might be that problem too in powder coating the base may have peel and texture that your still seeing. I'm just throwing some suggestions out there never tried to wet sand powdercoat just using some paint logic to try to help out.
 
757motoring said:
The fact that he's jumping to 1500 from 320 will be a problem on paint but he's working with powder coating which is extremely hard. I had a set of wheels powder coated and asked if they could be wet sanded and taking to another level and was told no.



My opinion is that the powder is not layed down good so when it was baked it didn't flow out to give the look of no Orange Peel. You are not even getting close to level it out with your steps. I haven't done this but I'm in the automotive painting field don't think its going to be able to level out then compound and polished to a brilliant shine like your looking to acheive.



Even in automotive paint if there is dirt or imperfections in the base coat and you wetsand and buff the clear you will still see the imperfections in the base now the clear is just slick. It might be that problem too in powder coating the base may have peel and texture that your still seeing. I'm just throwing some suggestions out there never tried to wet sand powdercoat just using some paint logic to try to help out.
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Go to sleep! It is late! :D
 
tdekany said:
Not a painter, so it may sound stupid, but is it possible that the base coat has OP?
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That's what it looks like to me. I've done my share of powder coating with my old man, and it can definitely orange peel like a $*#)@ if you don't get it on just right. Just as finicky as paint if you put it on too heavy. I'd hate to say it, but it might be better to have him strip it and start over. I learned that the hard way on a set or rims a couple times.



It could also be though that the surface of the material wasn't as perfect as it appeared, and can be flaws in the material. But that's more of a long shot.
 
I say it's definitely the clear coat which is orange peeled. Go to your local jobber and pick up 3M's black dry guide coat. It's exactly how the old timers use to do with fogging a primer to get it level and pin holes out, except now you simply dust it on with no mess or over spray. It's also water resistant when wet sanding and contains no solvents. I can clearly see the highs and lows in your pictures. Also, I don't trust those style sanding blocks for this work and I would say you're going a little ruff with 320, 400-600wet would be the ideal. After that there's no use in going to 1500, and you can treat 400 grit as you would regular liquid paints. Only thing I would suggest is buffing it out with a white rouge wheel on a stand polisher and a heavy duty compound. I think the problem was he didn't cure them properly and turned the oven off when they glossed and the powder didn't flow out smooth. Always go for the smooth finish before cutting the heat.
 
Your going to have a real hard time working with PC. It's very tough. Sometimes you do run into problems with orange peel like that. It's usually caused by too thick of a coating, or improper cure time. If it is a constant problem, you might want to try your process after the color coat, then again after the clear coat. I do a bit of coating myself and I usually don't run into this problem but when I do its because of poor surface prep, putting too much on, or improprer curing times.....Really tough stuff to work with once its on, but usually its on parts that need the durability rather than the "perfect look"...and those parts that need the show look usually get a translucent coating, since they finish much smoother.
 
I have done some powder coating as a hobby. It looks to me like it is not cured all the way. It should have flowed out smooth. If you want to know a pro to ask do a google search for columbia coatings and email them. They sell powders and give free advice.
 
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