Orange Peel: Orange Peel is paint film surface that has a dimpled appearance that paint takes on due to an equipment/operator caused defect. Like wrong paint-gun pressure and/or distance from panel, an operator not knowing how to set-up the equipment for that particular type of paint, or even a partly blocked paint-gun nozzle, improper pre-paint preparation and /or paint application, or uneven drying of the clear coat. It should have been eliminated after the final shooting of clear coat by wet sanding the paint film surface, and polishing with an abrasive polish and a high-speed rotary polisher. After delivery- It can be removed by wet-sanding (colour sanding) by a very experienced detailer / vehicle paint restoration expert Check the paint with a PTG to see how much paint there is available before attempting repairs Clear coat that is too thin looses its ability to adhere effectively (delaminating) to the underlying paint layer and will flake off
As above: and just to add... I would personally rather have thicker clear coat and some orange peel than no orange peel and thin clearcoat. Remember, defects are always inflicted over time regardless of how safe a wash technique is - its a fact of life, people mark you car in car parks for example... having a good amount of paint left to allow removal of induced marks after an initial detail is very prudent IMHO, as well of course as not risking the loss of clearcoat by making it too thin in the first place.
A few things cause PEEL or DRYNESS in paint. Spraying too far from the surface, leaves a dry appearance which can be confused with peel. Spraying with too much or too little pressure can cause peel / dryness / mottling. Peel is heavier with newer painters vs. those that have more interest / experience. Peel in a basecoat is extremely light, even with novice painters. The material is so much thinner than properly mixed clear when run through a viscosity cup. A top quality painter can lay paint pretty flat or at least match the factory levels of peel. It just saves you on post-booth time. If you lay it correct, you really only need to sand out any dust that amy have fallen with some 2500. I have done full paint jobs where I sanded the basecoat flat with 600 and a block in the booth, then laid down two very flat coats of clear. Sanding basecoat is really only done if you make a mistake. The end results are amazing when done properly. the paint is like glass.
Thicker clean is good for a daily driver and guy like us who like to polish the heck out of cars. But things are their shiniest at their thinnest.
