What is my best option for removing or improving this orange peel?

There are paint thickness gauges that measure each primer, paint, and clear coat. But the price isn't what you want to pay.
 
erichaley said:
It appears there may be some hope after all in at least reducing the orange peel…
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Yes, of course you can reduce the orange peel, but you are going to reduce the clear to some degree, you should really consider a coating after like Opti-Coat or C1.

af90 said:
There are paint thickness gauges that measure each primer, paint, and clear coat. But the price isn't what you want to pay.
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Those only work on non-metallic substrates (Corvettes and bumper covers).
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Yes, of course you can reduce the orange peel, but you are going to reduce the clear to some degree, you should really consider a coating after like Opti-Coat or C1.
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I do plan on using a coating afterwards. Too bad I can't use a coating (other than spraying more clear coat) beforehand to add a little more cushion. I've read that coatings like Opti-Coat won't withstand the orange peel removal process.
 
erichaley said:
I do plan on using a coating afterwards. Too bad I can't use a coating (other than spraying more clear coat) beforehand to add a little more cushion. I've read that coatings like Opti-Coat won't withstand the orange peel removal process.
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Unless I'm missing something, putting a coating on beforehand would be counter productive. The only way to level that orange peel is to remove paint, so there would be no point in coating the existing paint when your goal is to remove paint.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Unless I'm missing something, putting a coating on beforehand would be counter productive. The only way to level that orange peel is to remove paint, so there would be no point in coating the existing paint when your goal is to remove paint.
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Exactly. That's why I won't be putting on a coating beforehand.
 
Avi@CarPro said:
The Velvet pads are not that aggressive and wont remove you much as sand paper does,
the denims removed about 2~3 microns each pass you do.
i suggest you first to check how thick is your clearcoat
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Avi, do you have a review or a guide of how use the velvet pads? Works with a Flex and the Fixer polisher?

Best Regards
 
erichaley said:
So I did some testing on the top of my driver side mirror. Here are the results
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That looks good. If those are plastic mirror housings, they are frequently one of the first parts of the car to experience CC failure, so make sure you coat them or keep them waxed up after you sand them.
 
Thanks! They are plastic, and you have a good point. I specifically chose the mirror because I can get pre-painted replacement housings from Honda for less than $50 in case something went wrong.

I found that the velvet pad on my PC 7424 XP Just wasn't cutting it. Maybe the PC just doesn't have enough throw? So, I instead damp sanded using 3M Trizact 3000 and 5000 grit discs on my GG 3" with an interface pad and got much better results.

I bought a FLEX 3401 VRG, which will be here Friday. We'll see if the velvet pad does a better job with an 8MM throw.
 
Yikes! You are hard-core, man. The mirrors and other plastic substrates fail the clear first (IMO) because the lower thermal conductivity of the plastic vs. metal panels heats the paint more in the sun.
 
I don't know if I'd say hard-core... Hard-core would be removing all traces of orange peel. I chose to only take out about 80-90% for fear of taking off too much clear. I wonder if I could have more clear added to the mirrors so I can remove all of the orange peel? Probably wouldn't be cost-effective...
 
It sits outside while I'm at work, but the rest of the time it's in the garage. I think I'll tackle the recessed area around the license plate next. I'll be sure to take some pictures to document the process (not that I necessarily recommend anyone follow it for their own car). The rest of the trunk will be more challenging since I have to take off the emblems and put them back on afterwards (at least the Honda logo since there are holes behind it).
 
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