i sometimes get orange peel when i AB. i use tamiya acrylic paint with tamiya acrylic thinner. i even get it when i use future. what causes this? i use about 10-12psi on my compressor and i spray about 3-4 inches from the subject. is this caused by paint drying up before it hits the model? thanks for the help
No, paint drying before it hits the model will give you a rough finish like sand paper.
Orange peel effect is usually caused by the paint drying before it can fully self level and/or you are spraying too thick of a coat.
I found this in hopes it might help you with some pointers - BMC :: Basics of Spray Painting it has a small section about orange peel.
I’ve never worked with acrylics, but from what I’ve heard, I would try some retarder to slow down the drying process.
Jim’s recommendation to use a retarder is a good idea, especially if the weather is warm—even in air conditioning.
I also use 90% isopropyl, which evaporates slower than the Tamiya thinner. In the absence of a retarder, you can add a few drops of water to the thinned paint.
Try a slight increase in air pressure, too, and check your thinning ratio.
Thanks for the help guys, is the thinning ratio really critical? i just look for the “milk” consistency. i don’t get orange peel everytime… just from time to time. i just can’t figure out why it happens when it happens. but will try your advice and see if it improves things.
Also you might try moving the AB a tad faster and even moving a touch farther away. Also I might add to not try and use 1 coat of paint. If Ive learned 1 thing is to apply as many thin coats as is needed than to apply 1 thick layer.
Chaps, would this be regarded as orange peel? It’s been a warm day here in England, and I spray at around 12 psi. I’m using Humbrol no.11 enamel, with Humbrol thinner. Yesterday I used an ancient Humbrol Khaki drab, and it was fine.
Thanks!
It is hard to tell from the photo. The picture is not sharp enough for me to tell. Greg.
It is difficult to tell in the photo.
Orange peel effect is just as is says, the paint has dimples and looks like the outside of an orange.
Well, the effect I get is a very rough surface. If you click on the picture, so it expands to full size, you can see that the surface is not smooth, but very bumpy. Is this ‘orange peel’?
Your MiG-15 there looks to be suffering from too thick a mix, though it’s hard to tell exactly because of the photo quality. I say it’s too thick because of the little chunks of paint I see down the side of the fuselage and the buildup on the side of the starboard wing’s air fence.
Try thinning it up a bit and pulling away from the model a bit. Finally, are you airbrushing in even passes across the model, or are you spot-shooting?
Orange peel is the opposite, it’s an occurence of little depressions among otherwise level paint. Go have Earl Scheib paint your car up some day and you’ll get my drift.
Thanks Quartermaster!
Hi Osher,
Interesting we should both be peeling oranges at the same time, 12, 000 miles apart in different hemispheres. It was warm today, the first really warm day of the year in Australia. I was shooting some Testor gloss white over Humbrol matt white undercoat, and I got an orange peel finish despite mixing the paint to company specs and backing off the pressure. I’m thinking of using a polishing kit to level it out, the coat itself looks plenty solid enough and it’s an open contour without nooks and crannies…
Cheers,
TB379
I would say that 3-4 inches is way too close. try 8-12 inches and do it in at least two or three lighter coats.
This goes against human nature when painting models yet the patience will pay off.
I’ve a feeling you’re not mixing your paint properly. It looks a bit lumpy. Try a L-shaped piece of metal rod or wire in a motorised mini-drill.
Or maybe you’re stopping as you spray, causing a build-up of paint.