How to Spray Tamiya Clear when it's Hot?????

[Len Woodruff]

Anybody have some suggestions for spraying Tamiya Clear when it is 85+ degrees? Will decanting it and adding some Tamiya thinner slow it down so it won't "orange peel" so much?

Edited July 6, 2010 by Len Woodruff

[Marc @ MPC Motorsports]

Pure speculation here but you might try Mr Color Leveling Thinner.

[Len Woodruff]

Pure speculation here but you might try Mr Color Leveling Thinner.

Thanks Marc. Where do you get that?

[Marc @ MPC Motorsports]

Thanks Marc. Where do you get that?

Two shops in Tulsa sell it. You might check Wild Bill's in Irving. Here is a US online source. Mr Color Leveling Thinner

[Steve Keck]

Maybe paint in a walk-in beer cooler?

Seriously, I get my best rattle can paint jobs when it's 55-60 degrees outside, the paint is warm and the model surface is warm.

Steve

[sjordan2]

Two shops in Tulsa sell it. You might check Wild Bill's in Irving. Here is a US online source. Mr Color Leveling Thinner

You're from Tulsa, huh? That's where I was born and raised – graduate of Edison High and OSU, though I haven't been back there for nearly 20 years. Small world.

[Len Woodruff]

Maybe paint in a walk-in beer cooler?

Seriously, I get my best rattle can paint jobs when it's 55-60 degrees outside, the paint is warm and the model surface is warm.

Steve

I agree Steve. I like the 50/50 rule best. 50 degress & 50% humidity have yielded the best painting for me. I do warm up the Rattle cans but the air brush paint just have to deal with it.

[E St. Kruiser50]

Tamiya paints are wonderful, and I use them pretty regularly, but not their clear.

For than more than a dozen years I have used Plasti-Kote Classic Lacquer clear #349, over most any brand of paint, and have shot it at nearly 100 degrees with no problems.

Just remember to use the ol' reliable 3 step process in painting - One light coat, one medium coat, and a wet coat, shot at 15 minute intervals.

Also, final prep before painting is essential to a good smooth finish.

"Orange peal" is normally a result of a poor prepped surface, or paint being shot to "DRY" ( Not to high of a temp., but the nozzle too far from the object being painted), with too long of a drying period between coats. Paint needs to still be "Tacky" when it gets it's 2nd and third coats so the paint will stick and not run, and the various coats will "Blend" together, not "Stack-up" one over the other, because you waited too long between coats, and the paint is too dry to flow into the preceeding coat - " ORANGE PEAL (???)

A nicely painted project can be finished in 24 hours, including the "Rubbing out" process, when done properly.

Waiting too long at different stages of the painting process can be one of the biggest mistakes people make.

Find out how the "pro" 1 to 1 car painters do it, and you'll find a new world of successful painting.

[Harry P.]

From DuPont's website:

Origin and Potential Causes of Orange Peel:

• Improper gun adjustment and techniques. Too little air pressure, wide fan patterns or spraying at excessive gun distances causes droplets to become too dry during their travel time to the work surface and they remain as formed by gun nozzle.
• Extreme shop temperature. When air temperature is too high, droplets lose more solvent and dry out before they can flow and level properly.
• Improper dry. Gun fanning before paint droplets have a chance to flow together will cause orange peel.
• Improper flash or recoat time between coats. If first coats of enamel are allowed to become too dry, solvent in the paint droplets of following coats will be absorbed into the first coat before proper flow is achieved.
• Wrong thinner or reducer. Under-diluted paint or paint thinned with fast evaporating thinners or reducers causes the atomized droplets to become too dry before reaching the surface. Too high viscosity.
• Low shop temperature.
• Too little thinner or reducer.
• Materials not uniformly mixed. Many finishes are formulated with components that aid coalescence. If these are not properly mixed, orange peel will result.
• Substrate not sanded thoroughly

[LDO]

Forgive the silly question, but wouldn't polishing take care of the orange peel? It may be more work, but shouldn't be an insurmountable task.

I could be completely wrong. Not trying to be a smart-aleck.

[Pete J.]

Forgive the silly question, but wouldn't polishing take care of the orange peel? It may be more work, but shouldn't be an insurmountable task.

I could be completely wrong. Not trying to be a smart-aleck.

That it can, but if you can avoid it with proper painting techniques, it makes building a little more pleasurable. Well I suppose there are those who really dig sanding but I'm not one of them

[Len Woodruff]

That it can, but if you can avoid it with proper painting techniques, it makes building a little more pleasurable. Well I suppose there are those who really dig sanding but I'm not one of them

And it is pretty darn hard to sand between the cowl vents.

[Agent G]

Where I'm at it's best to spray early in the day or late in the evening.

I prefer to paint in the morning on my day off. Then I put the body in the sun and let it bake all day.

No humidity, but it gets darn hot here, 102 today.

G

[LVZ2881]

Where I'm at it's best to spray early in the day or late in the evening.

I prefer to paint in the morning on my day off. Then I put the body in the sun and let it bake all day.

No humidity, but it gets darn hot here, 102 today.

G

Wayne, I'll paint little stuff during the day,but I usually paint bodies late evening, early nightfall.

then they go in the dehydrator in the garage. I'm too afraid of stuff warping in the sun.

[Jeff Johnston]

that's a tough one. I have had good results when its hot, and I've had really bad results. I will probably wait to paint again until the humidity and temp is lower. Typically its a lot cooler in my garage but not in this heat... My opinion is work on something else before doing it.

The exception is if you are using a 2 part clear (which I know your not as you said Tamiya). I've cleared with 2 part urethane in the heat with good results. Though there in no thinner in that mixture....

If I have to clear this summer heat, it'd be 2 part urethane.

[charlie8575]

During more humid weather here (New England,) I've gotten pretty good results by painting at night. I just work under a porch light and use a box to spray in outside. At night, the humidity is frequently much, much lower, and the paint comes out better. The cooler temperatures help, too.

Charlie Larkin

[pharr7226]

From DuPont's website:

Origin and Potential Causes of Orange Peel:

• Improper gun adjustment and techniques. Too little air pressure, wide fan patterns or spraying at excessive gun distances causes droplets to become too dry during their travel time to the work surface and they remain as formed by gun nozzle.
• Extreme shop temperature. When air temperature is too high, droplets lose more solvent and dry out before they can flow and level properly.
• Improper dry. Gun fanning before paint droplets have a chance to flow together will cause orange peel.
• Improper flash or recoat time between coats. If first coats of enamel are allowed to become too dry, solvent in the paint droplets of following coats will be absorbed into the first coat before proper flow is achieved.
• Wrong thinner or reducer. Under-diluted paint or paint thinned with fast evaporating thinners or reducers causes the atomized droplets to become too dry before reaching the surface. Too high viscosity.
• Low shop temperature.
• Too little thinner or reducer.
• Materials not uniformly mixed. Many finishes are formulated with components that aid coalescence. If these are not properly mixed, orange peel will result.
• Substrate not sanded thoroughly

Thanks for posting this Harry. I didn't know the effects of temperature or solvent absorption on orange peel.