Expert: William Forster - 1/16/2008

Question
QUESTION: Painted my chevy truck with single stage omni acrylic enamel metallic burgundy. Blew it. Can I wet sand and buff the orange peel out? (looks like the whole truck has rock guard under the paint).If so, what paper do I start at? How long after the paint job? It's only a work truck but embarrassing like that.

ANSWER: The truck needs wet sanded with 400, then repainted. Enamel single stage doesn't sand or buff well, especially metalic colors. CHeck your thinner temperature selecton, have about 50 psi at the gun, spend the extra  money and get some enamel hardener for overall paint jobs. Bill

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks bill,I trust your judgement. 50 psi??? with a gravity feed gun? the gun says 20psi max right on it. used a 1.4 tip, really don't want to blow it the second time, also, should I read the guage with my finger on th trigger?

Answer
Okay, I see you have an HVLP gun. Yes, read with finger on trigger, but- enamel was designed for the old siphon feed regular guns. Regular guns have about 25% transfer effiency, an HVLP has about 80%. There were no HVLP guns back when the stuff was invented, and all the new paints are designed for high trandfer guns. Enamel tends to get up into the air, and a lot is lost that way, it's designed to be like that- so It doesn't spray well through an HVLP. Crank the air pressure up to the guns max, widen out the fan, keep the gun back, move slowly, and don't flood the panels. Good luck! Bill