lacquer orange peel

[norm brownstein]

I just started spraying lacquer with a cheap turbine hvlp, and I got a "mild " case of orange peel. Foolishly I followed the directions on the can and did not thin the lacquer. Since these are large cases ( 4 x 4 x2' ), I would hate to have to sand them flat,and respray (Probably with thinner in the lacquer). Anybody with way more experience than me have any ideas? Help! Thanks, Norm

[Steve Clardy]

A light misting of straight lacquer thinner in your gun, might make the lacquer go ahead and lay down.

[David DeCristoforo]

HVLP systems seem to cause more "orange peel" with lacquer than "conventional" spray systems. The low pressure does not atomize the material as well. More thinning helps as does adding a retarder to slow things down a bit and give the material more time to flow out. In the meantime Steve's suggestion is a good one although you might want to use a little more than a "light misting". You need to put enough thinner on the surface to cut into the material so it can flow out. It's tricky, getting just the right amount of thinner on without running. If this does not work, your only other option is to sand out the peel and recoat.

[Don Kondra]

And sanding it flat is not a big deal, use 320 grit on a hard rubber sanding pad and water as a lubricant.

You will be able to see your progress quite clearly, keep going till the shiny hollow spots are gone.

Depending on the lacquer I thin it as much as 40% and try to get the whole surface wet without dripping.

Hopefully the orange peel isn't a contamination issue :)

Cheers, Don.

[Steve Schoene]

By the way, for oil or solvent based finishes, the directions saying not to thin are often not to be believed. Manufacturers say that so that the materials don't violate VOC regulations. [The gov't believes that it is about the same for a manufacturer to sell the product with the VOCs from the thinner already in the can as to recommend that they be added to the product by the user.]

Waterborne finishes really do have reasons to limit additional solvents. It affects how the materials coalesce as they dry.