# Spraying Oil-based Enamel



## CCorn (Nov 17, 2014)

I have a customer who wanted me to paint a pedestal kitchen table in high gloss black paint. I used a HVLP sprayer and thinned the Benjamin Moore Super Spec Urethane Alkyd Gloss Enamel with Naphtha as indicated by the sprayer. The temperature here in NY was in high 30's to low 40's. It took a few days for the 1st coat to completely dry. I put another coat on it for extra protection and I am waiting for that to dry (painted yesterday late afternoon). My problem is that the paint has the orange peel effect to it. Can I sand it and apply the paint with a brush to get a smoother finish? I have been painting furniture for years but usually use latex or chalk paint. I have never worked with enamel before.


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## Gotdibz (Sep 30, 2010)

Naphtha could be your problem, It evaporates too fast or you might be thinning to much?. I would give it another coat and thin the paint with good ol paint thinner (mineral spirits). One of the great properties of enamels are that they level out easily. something is off in your procedure. 

OR simply change the needle size, are you using the correct one?.

I would only consider brushing as last resort, don't you want the best possible finish?.


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## CCorn (Nov 17, 2014)

Thank you for the reply. I absolutely want the best finish possible! I am using a 1.5 needle. I also have a 2.0 - would that be a better choice? I will also try using mineral spirits.


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## Exactoman (Mar 28, 2013)

It really depends on type of hvlp gun you are using, compressor size, the cfm's your gun needs and tank provides as well as the psi's you have at the gun that will decide your tip size. How much are you thinning down the oil? 30%?
Get you a piece of wood and do a couple practice rounds...try a 1.3 tip...?


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## Hissing Cobra (Feb 24, 2014)

Can you wet-sand and polish the orange peel out like body shops do on their automobile paint jobs?


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

Sanding would be your best option. You might need to thin the paint more as hvlp units need thinner product. Naptha is the solvent of choice for dark colors as it breaks down the pigment better than regular thinner. Lot's of tint in black.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

With a little tinkering oil will usually spray great out of an HVLP. I too would just reduce with thinner. Use a viscosity cup if you can't judge by sight and also get a sheet of masonite and practice on the smooth side just before spraying.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

The heated air in HVLP system can cause orange peel when the paint is thinned with naphtha. That'll work fine with airless or AA, but not so well with HVLP. That's especially a problem with urethane enamels. We just finished an entry (door + sidelights) with that same paint thinned with mineral spirits and it worked great.


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## gabe (Apr 20, 2012)

I like to test my spray on a metal paint can. If thinned right it should spray out like a car finish. Black Can be tough.


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Larger needle or more reduction is needed.


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

Those temps sound way too low


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## Kolt45 (Nov 17, 2021)

CCorn said:


> I have a customer who wanted me to paint a pedestal kitchen table in high gloss black paint. I used a HVLP sprayer and thinned the Benjamin Moore Super Spec Urethane Alkyd Gloss Enamel with Naphtha as indicated by the sprayer. The temperature here in NY was in high 30's to low 40's. It took a few days for the 1st coat to completely dry. I put another coat on it for extra protection and I am waiting for that to dry (painted yesterday late afternoon). My problem is that the paint has the orange peel effect to it. Can I sand it  and apply the paint with a brush to get a smoother finish? I have been painting furniture for years but usually use latex or chalk paint. I have never worked with enamel before.


Did you ever figure this out? I am using an HVLP Turbine System, I looked at the specs for the paint, it says do not thin and only recommends spraying with an airless sprayer. I have tried not thinning it and thinning it slightly with Flood pentrol. I get orange peel in in both cases. I have tried a 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 mm tip and have not found success. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

I’m sure it’s dry now it’s only been 7 years to the day! Do these fools look how old these threads are?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Kolt45 (Nov 17, 2021)

jr.sr. painting said:


> I’m sure it’s dry now it’s only been 7 years to the day! Do these fools look how old these threads are?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes, I noticed the post was pretty old, doesn't mean he didn't figure out some good advice to pass on, or has come up with a better solution since then. This post was the only thing I could find referencing the same issue I was having. If you know of a better place to look, I appreciate any advice you have to give.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

We spray oil enamel hvlp all the time, rust scat satin, p23, impervo.... use corotech brushing reducer or xylene and a 1.5mm with apollo 7700 8-9psi. Thin your material until individual drops on a paint stick are one second apart.


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> We spray oil enamel hvlp all the time, rust scat satin, p23, impervo.... use corotech brushing reducer or xylene and a 1.5mm with apollo 7700 8-9psi. Thin your material until individual drops on a paint stick are one second apart.


Ford #4 (7-8 seconds)?


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Holland said:


> Ford #4 (7-8 seconds)?


TBH I've never used a ford or other viscosity cup so I couldn't say, I just thin it until it 'feels' right

edit: I shouldn't say _never_, I have tried a couple times as they come included with the apollo I just thought it was a waste of time and another thing to clean.


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> TBH I've never used a ford or other viscosity cup so I couldn't say, I just thin it until it 'feels' right
> 
> edit: I shouldn't say _never_, I have tried a couple times as they come included with the apollo I just thought it was a waste of time and another thing to clean.


TBH- same for me, but for multiple cups and consistency (of consistency) it would take some of the guesswork out of it.


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## Kolt45 (Nov 17, 2021)

Holland said:


> Ford #4 (7-8 seconds)?


Thanks for the advice. When you say until the drops are one second apart, do you mean after the initial stream drips from the stick?


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

Kolt45 said:


> Thanks for the advice. When you say until the drops are one second apart, do you mean after the initial stream drips from the stick?


A ford cup measures viscosity. #4 is an orifice size.
use a stop watch and time how long it takes to drain from cup. Thin to about 8 seconds. I’m not an expert in this method. 

The stick method is a visual guesstimate. Thin paint until it flows off the stick the same way every time- coco’s suggestion was to space the drips about a second apart.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Kolt45 said:


> Thanks for the advice. When you say until the drops are one second apart, do you mean after the initial stream drips from the stick?


Dip your stick into the thinned paint. when the fluid remaining on the stick breaks up into individual drops, the first few drops should be about 1 second apart. I just thin things approximate then adjust my gun accordingly. Remaining paint goes back into the pot, then repeat the thinning process. This is why I never bother to measure..

measuring with a viscosity cup is similar, dip the cup and measure the time it takes until it forms individual drops but holy heck would I get yelled at if I was sitting there on site with a stop watch 😆.


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)




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