Fisheye paint
If the needle/nozzle combination is not specifically matched to the coating being applied, the air pressure – especially when using an HVLP (high volume low pressure) gun – is not sufficient to atomize the paint properly.
Gun setup and adjustment are critical to a smooth and flat appearance of a coating. 4) is often caused because of poor gun adjustment as the paint is being applied, although it also can be caused by incorrectly reducing the coating before application. Many, in fact most, who attempt this repair technique end up doing more damage than repair on their first several tries! It may be wise to make a test panel and attempt the razor blade technique on an unimportant panel prior to doing it on an automobile. This process is an excellent and fast way to remove runs, but it does require a great deal of patience and practice. Then the surface is lightly sanded and polished, producing an undetectable repair. Some technicians are able to use a razor blade held perpendicular to the run, scraping off the excess paint until they reach the surface of the vehicle. Then the area is polished until the repair is undetectable. This process is followed by the 2,000 grit and is continued over a slightly larger area. The flat surface of the pumice stone is held over top of the run and sanded until the surface is flat, using the 1,500 grit. Others can be sanded with something such as a pumice stone (Fig 3), which comes in different grits the ones in the photo show 1,500 and 2,000 grit varieties. Some must be sanded flat and repainted, depending on the severity. When heavy amounts of paint are applied, the surface tension of the liquid within the paint is unable to hold it flat to the surface of the vehicle, and gravity pulls the excess paint, forming a run. Whether you would you call it a run, sag, drip or curtain-run, these names all refer to when, during the paint application, an excessive amount of paint is deposited in a very limited area (Fig. These six common defects are ones that can be prevented either during application (runs, orange peel, and solvent popping) or during surface preparations (overspray, dirt nibs and fish eye). A technique used back then was significantly different than the polishing that is done now and later in this article, we will identify the differences between the aggressive buffing compounds of years past and what is available to us now. Lacquer paint, when first applied, does not shine at all, and must be buffed to the desirable gloss. A relatively aggressive "rubbing compound" and aggressive wool pad were used on every paint job that was produced. For those painters who have been around for some years, we will recall the days of lacquer paint, when all paint jobs needed to be buffed.
Fisheye paint how to#
However, these are the more commonly seen defects in many shops, and reviewing them will provide a good idea of how to approach them, as well as others you might encounter.Ī few terms and their historical context might be of value at this point. Since this list is by no means a comprehensive one, these may not be your most common defects because of your individual shop's conditions. If we were to narrow it down to just a few of the more commonly seen defects, they would be: runs, orange peel, solvent popping, dirt nibs, fish eye and overspray. We do not have the time or space to review them all, but will concentrate on some of the more commonly seen defects that can be either prevented or easily repaired. What defects are we talking about? Whole chapters have been written regarding the identification and repair of paint defects. But in practical application, it is inevitable that defects will occur. Does that mean all paint detailing is a form of repair, and that all defects should have been prevented? I suppose theoretically that all paint defects can and should be preventable. Shop foremen have been known to say that "if the buffer is running, we're not making any money" (Fig 1).