Pre 1973

I know there are several on here better at this stuff than I, so let's keep this thread growing. A lot of this will be common sense.
Fresh sandpaper cuts quicker and better than dull(even lightly used) thereby saving lots of time.
Wear a dust mask when grinding or sanding.
Tack off the masking paper in between coats.

Nice thread Countryboy!

Explain "tack".

Thats a tack rag Buzz. It`s a cloth with a gummy substance on it that you gently rub on the surface to be cleaned and it picks up small particals so when you spray the next coat?...You dont get small objects in the paint finish where you dont want them.

/That makes sense..... its in the vault!

Yeah I used all the best shit.. my problem was always orange peal...

There are two things that I think caused it: Inconsistencies with my mixing. I got my paint from from a site that sells cheap paint for $40/gallon. Didn't want to spend $600 for 1 gallon of HOK, I priced it, that shit is insane.

14 times painting the 53, always looked like absolute shit.

Next time, I'm buying the good paint and not just eyeballin the mix.

Temperature and humidity play a big part in orange peel If it`s 60 to 65 degrees? Use a 60 degree reducer. In other words watch the temp and use the right reducer. The mix is EVERYTHING...No guessing. Quality paint gets you a quality paint job when you use extreme care. There is a ton more to this but if you don`t have the tools or the room to do this?...Don`t bother. You will only face dissapointment. With materials and everything involved for a good paint job you should be in it about a grand.\ including expendables.

Use the appropriate type of reducer and temperature range, preferably the same brands as the paint you're using.
If, when you spray the material out and it appears to have a very heavy coating of finely ground sand on the surface you just sprayed, the reducer is old and should be used only for cleaning of the gun purposes.