DIY Auto Body Work And Painting Q&A – Paint Biting – Orange Peel – Rust Prevention

Hey! What’s goin’ on!

This is Part 2 of the LearnAutoBodyAndPaint DIY Auto Body Work And Painting Q&A.

Like I told you before, we got a bunch of questions that came in from my subscribers and today, I’ll answer more of them.

If you have any more questions after watching the video, you can post it in the comments below so I can gather your questions for the next Q&A episode. I may even do a live demo to answer some questions to better show you the answer.

Let’s start off with a question from Mr. Tan…

“Hi Tony, when I paint my fender with base coat, it comes out cracking and one time it came out looking like I dripped lacquer thinner on a spot causing it to look wrinkled. I sanded everything down, re-primed, sanded the primer, then repainted and same thing happens.”

So what could be the issue?

Okay, I don’t know what kind of primer you were using but my hunch is, you could have used a lacquer primer. It could have dropped the area down and ate it up. That’s one possibility.

But if you were using a 2K primer, the only thing that I can think of is, your panel was dirty – I mean something like, there must have been some oil somewhere, maybe someone nearby was spraying WD-40 (a penetrating oil and water-displacing spray).

The only reason for biting on a surface like that or primer not sticking is, an unclean surface.

It’s odd that it’s still the same thing despite doing those remedies that you mentioned. What I really suggest is for you to make sure your surface is really clean.

Watch the video because I show you a front part of a fender of a mini-bike that I recently sprayed with 2K primer on.

That’s really just it. Always make sure that the surface is really clean. Wash the parts before you prime them. You want to make sure that you take off all the grease and you sand it down with a 400-grit sandpaper, then lay some heavy coats of primer on it. After that, it should be ready to be sanded with 400-grit sandpaper again. Finally, it should be ready for base coat and clear coat.

Also, make sure you use a good kind of 2K primer.

Do those and you shouldn’t have any problems. That’s what I really think happened, you might have had a contaminated surface.

Next one…

“I just did my first paint job on a 1990 Chevy pick-up and it was orange-peeled. I’m doing my Mustang next. So how do I figure out the right air setting on the gun to get away from the orange peel?”…Kevin Burchett

Orange Peel is caused by a few things – pressure, spray gun, or the material.

For pressure, you should be spraying at about 28-29 psi when you’re doing clear coat. And don’t be afraid when you’re laying your clear coat on. You’d want to be about 6-8 inches away from your panel when you’re spraying it on.

That’s why it’s important to work on a well-lit area, because you have to see your work properly. Whether you have fluorescent lighting or whatever you’re using, the only way to tell if you’re doing it right is to actually see it. As you lay your clear coat, you should see the surface get glossy. Otherwise, you’re not getting enough clear coat on it.

You’d want to do 50% overlay with clear coat and 75% overlay if you’re doing candies.

Another reason could be, a bad spray gun which is not atomizing your materials correctly. If you’re using a cheap spray gun, chances are, you’re not going to get the best results. You might not get the finest atomization possible. That’s why people pay $600, $700, $800 bucks for a Sata or an Iwata.

Good thing you can get a high-quality spray gun at a fraction of the cost. I’m talking about the Warwick line of spray guns that you can get at the LearnAutoBodyAndPaint Store! For $200-$300 or maybe even cheaper like if you get the 904. They’re excellent, great guns with high atomization.

In fact, these guns are all we use here for all LABAP Projects and we get unbelievable finishes. So check them out!

At the least, try to use a good, decent spray gun. Something in the mid to high quality one.

Finally, it could also be your material mixture. If you don’t have the proper mixture with your clear coat, that could also cause the problem. If it dries too quickly, it will give you a dry, orange-peely look so make sure you’re mixing your materials correctly.

That’s it! Spray clear coat at 28-29 psi. Don’t be afraid to lay it on and just see it gloss up.

Don’t worry, we talk more about this inside the VIP Course where I show you demos on all of these.

Here’s another one from Broderick Simons…

“My most burning question is…new plastic or plastic bumpers and how do you prep them? Some come from the factory, ready-to-go with very little for you to do. All you have to do is, sand it down and paint it.”

Alright, I have done MANY plastic paint jobs on some of the new cars that come with plastic bumpers…but if you pay extra and get the Limited Edition, it comes all painted, right?

I know a lot of the Beamers are like that – you know, the X5’s, X3’s. If you get the cheaper version, it has that plastic trim along the bottom front bumper cover, the side trim, the moldings are all plastic. So some people want to get them painted…

All you have to do is, pop those plastics off, wash them good with a degreaser – make sure all the oils are out. You can get a little scuffing pad, scuff them up with maybe the 3M scuff pads. Then you can lay some plastic adhesive on it, like an adhesion promoter. After that, put some primer on it. Finally, sand them down with 400-grit and put some base coat/clear coat on it.

What I’ve done many times is, scuff it down really well and if you just lay a good 2K primer on it, you really don’t need to put adhesion promoter on it. It sticks! I’ve done it with bumpers many times. I even got into an accident with one. It didn’t even crack or chip, it just absorbs it.

If you want to do an adhesion promoter, do it. You really don’t have to if you’re using a good 2K primer.

Here’s the last one for this episode…

“So you said you live by the ocean and you use vinegar and water or Naval Jelly for rust. I live in the Midwest and we get snow and rain a lot and they come and salt the streets. We get a lot of surface rust. What do I use then? I see a lot of confusion on this. What is the best thing to use? Because you will see some pit sometimes, and other times, pinholes…then again, other times just a little rust with bubbles in the paint.”

Well, there’s two different things here…Rust Prevention and Rust Repair.

So if you already have rust spots in your car, you have to kill it with an acid. Salt is not an acid. It’s part acid and part base…combined, makes it neutral. So, salt itself is neutral. It turns acidic and damages your car when it mixes with other elements – rainwater, dirt, the weather, etc.

If you know boat people, marine people, jet ski owners…notice how after they’re done using their equipment from the ocean, they hose everything down and rinse it out with plain water?

That’s basically the same thing. So if you want to prevent rust, after you go out in your car in the snow and you get salt all around it – in the fenders and everywhere else…the only real way to do it is, rinse your car down with water when you get home. Just like those boat owners and marine guys do.

For rust repair, you need to kill your rust with acid. So if you’re preparing your car for paint and you need to fix some rust spots, you will need to grind down those areas, sand them down and put some vinegar on it to kill the rust. You can even use Coca-Cola (which contains phosphoric acid), citric acid, or salt and lime mixture.

Naval jelly, rust inhibitors – they’re all acid. So that’s basically it! You just have to grind it down, put your acid on it, let it sit, then you’d want to wash it down again before you put some 2K primer or epoxy primer on it and finally finish it off for painting.

Watch the video below and discover how to better use soda instead of drinking it. 😀

So those are the questions answered for this episode. I hope you enjoyed this. If you have anymore questions, post them in the comments below. I always love hearing from you guys.

Remember, in the VIP Course, I cover all of these things we have discussed including about Rust prevention and repair. I discuss them in full details and step-by-step inside.

Don’t forget to get your FREE 85-Page Auto Body And Paint Manual as well as a 90-Minute Auto Body And Paint DVD. It’s also for FREE, just help me with shipping and tell us where to send it. I guarantee you’re going to like it!

Of course, please LIKE and share the video with your friends.

Cheers!

-Tony

P.S. I finally got my bird to talk! So click play on the video and about 10:59, you’ll see it.

Other Helpful Links:

Get A Free 90 Minute Auto Body DVD Here

How To Auto Body And Paint Q&A – Part 1

How To Block Sand Primer Flat

How To Pinstripe A Motorcycle Tank

How To Paint A Motorcycle Yourself

Preview Finished BMW Body Kit Video

How To Plan Your Auto Body Project Easily

How To Setup Your Air Compressor Part 1

Warwick Spray Gun Review (what we use to paint at LABAP)