Vid:

I just laid down my third coat of base color after starting with an oil based primer. Now ready to clear before applying any stencils/2nd color.

Sadly, I have ONE spot where too much paint accumulated on the side and thus created a "run". Is it possible to just sand the run down using 320/400 grit and then apply the clear? Would you lightly sand the entire cabinet before clearing?

Thanks!

Xeneize

Vid:

Valid point about the paint run needing more time to cure - it's been two weeks, and it still feels "soft". I will give it at least another couple of weeks before sanding.

What grain of sandpaper do you recommend for giving the clear enough tooth to hold? I don't want to go overly aggressive. I am also assuming that we want to stick with the block at this stage and stay away from a powered sander. Correct?

Thanks (as always) for the direction!

Xeneize

vid1900 I recently used 2PAC for the first time and figured it was safer to start on cabinets than on playfields. I used the fastest PPG hardener available and the cabinet was on a rotisserie. My experience was as follows:

The sides (which were sprayed flat/horizontally) felt buttery smooth, but there was certainly some orange peel to address. The front of the main cab and sides of the back box (which were shot vertically) had several runs where I laid the 2PAC down too thick. (I chalk this up to being too slow as I was making my passes with the gun).

I sanded out my runs with wet 800 grit. I then cleaned up my slurry with Naptha and followed with a tack rag. As slurry had hit the sides of the cabinet, I also wiped them with Naptha to remove it. I then proceeded to reshoot (the now runless) front cab and back box side panels. Took them inside once dry and they then felt smooth to the touch and the clear had buried the stencils. However...

The cab side panels no longer felt glassy smooth. They felt more like 1000-1500 grit sandpaper. I swear that before I reshot the panels with runs in them that the cab sides were totally smooth/slick.

So, I haul everything back to the booth and respray the cab sides (horizontally again). As a matter of process, all four sides were wiped with Naptha to remove slurry/debris after wet sanding with 800 grit. Now, the sides feel smooth, but the front feels gritty - maddening because it felt fine before I shot clear on the sides again.

Will you please help me understand this phenomenon? Is wiping down with Naptha doing something to make the surface feel rough to the touch? Do I need to simply cut and polish with compounds, then wax?

It's bizarre because the stencils are completely buried in the clear, but the surface of the front panel, is now no longer slick to the touch.

As always, thanks for sharing both your humor and expertise!

BJM-Maxx I was afraid that this might be the answer...

If this is indeed the case is there a way to smooth/level without shooting another layer of clear on the "rough" sides?

BJM-Maxx OK, that's a relief to hear - set up and cleaning up when 2PAC is involved is tedious. So, assuming I wet sand with 1000, do you have a recommendation for what I should use to polish. I do own an orbital buffer. Thanks!

Just for the sake of sharing my resolution...it was indeed overspray.

I took a medium grit compound and followed up with a low grit compound on an orbital buffer. Then followed with a polish, and finally wax. Sadly, I saw very little improvement.

Decided to try something else as I really did not want to have to pull the clear out again and shoot some more. Purchased this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BDF9EFS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

After about ten minutes of elbow grease I saw a significant improvement. After 15 minutes (we're just talking the front panel, here) the difference between the sides (slick) and the front (where I suffered from overspray) was hardly detectable.

I highly recommend trying the clay solution in cases like this. It's cheap, easy, non toxic, and best of all effective!

vid1900 Is there a secret to spraying a "perfect" coat of PPG 2PAC?

Every time I do a cabinet, I end up with a few runs on a panel or two which result in more sanding and reclearing. It's time consuming and expensive.

I feel like it is incredibly hard to get a smooth surface and find the balance between not enough coverage and ending up with runs. Putting the cabinet on a rotisserie helps... as the sides are flat, although one can still have issues with the front of the cab (particularly if the rotisserie leg blocks art that goes all around the coin door) and the sides of the back box.

I have plenty of lighting, but with eye protection and the mist from spraying it can be hard to really gauge with your eyes the "thickness" of your coat while you work.

Any insight or tips you can share are appreciated!

Yours truly,

"Enemy or Orange Peel and Hater of Runs".

Yes, I built mine based on Budwin 's modifications - works beautifully!