jholley

iTrader: (13)

I got almost half my 98 MAX sanded down but using a new paint gun and air compressor for the first time I just painted the right rear quarter. The basecoat went on smooth as silk but the clearcoat came out with orange peel.

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Here's a close up

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I did this 30 hours ago. I used a very air-efficient Devilbiss GFG670 paint gun with a strong Devilbiss 60 gallon 6.5HP air compressor. The clearcoat has high solids with a VOC of 4.3 so I used a 1.2mm tip. My guess is I didn't have the PSI set correctly or the temperature wasn't warm enough in the mid 50s? I have a valve regulator at the compressor and gun. I should have set the PSI at the tip while I was test spraying the gun on masking paper.

Should I wetsand with 2000 and buff it with liquid rubbing compound or wetsand with 1000 and spray on another layer using a 1.3mm tip? I'll measure the hardener more accurately and maybe add 10% more reducer.

theblackone3.5

iTrader: (5)

looking pretty cool so far. How did you black out the chrome trim around our windows? My max is getting repainted in about a month and a half. Cant wait.

DanNY

iTrader: (14)

Don't add more reducer. Keep the formula the same as the paint manufacturer recommends. Its critical to keep the mix ratio close if not exact.

Block sand it (wet) at 1500 and throw a rotary buffer with a white pad on it. If you're having a hard time with getting the orange peel out at 1500 then sand it with higher grit and spray on a med coat of clear. If it shines up smooth then you're all set.

jholley

iTrader: (13)

Wetsanding with 1500 still left some bumps. Knowing I was going to have to spray on some more clearcoat I wetsanded again with 1000. After scuffing and cleaning I threw on a few medium coats of clear and it came out much smoother. Thanks for the tips Dan.

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I used fast hardener instead of medium hardener and I measured more accurately. I used the 1.3mm tip instead of the 1.2mm tip. I didn't use the strain filter that came with the paint gun. The lid on the 3M PPS already has a strainer so using 2 strainers the other day could of thinned out the paint volume.

I threw on some extra clear on a small section of the sanded right front door. I'll be using that for buffer testing in a few days.

My 98 SE came with all black trim. No chrome to mess with.

theblackone3.5

iTrader: (5)

No chrome handles either. When i get max repainted, I'm also going to paint the chrome handles. Anything to look out for?

jholley

iTrader: (13)

My handles weren't chrome. Using this writeup I'll be removing the door handles to sand and paint them separately from the doors

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....or+handle+trim

To replace his chrome handles he installed newly painted door handles.

nsnrider

iTrader: (59)

I usually use at least a 1.4 mm tip for solid clears. Most of the time its the 1.5 mm tip. I usually lay it thicker in warm weather and a bit thinner in cooler temps.

Nothing beats trying on a test panel to dial in the gun before spraying the actual panel.

jholley

iTrader: (13)

Before I clearcoat the doors I'll use the mounted OEM fenders as test panels. They're rusted on the bottom so I'll be replacing them with new capa certified primed fenders I have boxed. I'll try the 1.4mm tip varying the spray pattern, volume, PSI, distance from body...... My friend sold me 2 gallons of clearcoat for only $50 so I have plenty for testing.