Auto body repair & detailing: paint, wet coats, peely

Question
Why I'm I having trouble painting a flat panal ? I'm getting alot of orange peel when the clear coat goes on . No problem at all with a curved panal . I,ve wet sanded it all out a couple times and still get orange peel , real bad this last time . I'm using Dupont ChomaBase/Clear . I've used this paint before and never had a problem . The flat panal I'm talking about is the side of a Harley Davidson fender . I know , its not a car ,,,, but it is still a metal panal . Since the paint comes out nice on a curved panals I'm sure everything is mixed right . I was thinking maybe my technique , but if you go to light the paint goes on dry , so you have to lay on wet coats , even the manual tells you to put on med/wet coats . Do I need a different technique to paint a flat panal ? Would laying it on its side fix the problem ? If so what do you do when you paint a whole car , cant lay the car on its side . The color is gloss black . Thanks . Bob

Answer
Hello Bob

Well, you've got good taste when it comes to your choice of clear.
Now to address your question:  Maybe you have to adjust your technique some, but the issue at hands seems two-fold:  (1)The top crown is smooth and the sides orange-peely, indicates the clear is going on a bit too heavy and, (2)Your hardener of choice seems a bit too fast , which is why the clear stops flowing at the edges.
So, make the adjustments, make sure the clear is sanded down nice and smooth, then give it two nice, even, smooth-flowing coats of clear, overlapping 50% with each pass.

Good luck
Hope this helps
Thank you for the question