What Does UV Varnish Crawling Look Like
UV varnish crawling is when the varnish does not level into a film; the surface becomes orange peel or a patch of fine shrinkage lines, and the gloss is patchy. It is not a missed area: the varnish is still there, just gathered into a texture. Common causes are incorrect surface tension, silicone oil or oil contamination underneath, or varnish that is too thick. Before increasing lamp energy, first check whether the surface is clean.
UV varnish reticulation is when the varnish does not level into a film; the surface becomes orange peel or a patch of fine shrinkage lines, and gloss is patchy. It is not missing coating: the varnish is still there, just gathered into a texture. Common causes are incorrect surface tension, silicone oil or oil contamination underneath, or varnish that is too thick. Before increasing lamp energy, first check whether the surface is clean.
Separate it from missing coating and undercuring
Missing coating is a patch with no varnish at all; under raking light you can see the boundary, and inside it is matte ink. In reticulation, varnish is present over the whole area, but the surface is wrinkled, like orange peel, and highlights are broken. In undercuring, the surface is still tacky, fingerprints can be left, and texture is not necessarily obvious. Use raking light and your finger to tell the three apart first: wrinkled but not tacky is reticulation; tacky but no texture is lamp or speed; a completely matte patch is not coated.
Silicone oil, oil from hands, or additives from the previous process can make the varnish avoid that area. So if the texture appears only along fingerprints or a certain line, clean first; do not change the varnish formula.
What to change first
| Surface | Tacky? | Do first |
|---|---|---|
| Orange peel, varnish still present | Not tacky | Check for oil contamination and film thickness |
| Smooth | Tacky | Check lamps and speed |
| A completely matte patch | Not tacky | Check whether it was coated |
Do this first this round
- Use raking light to see whether it is texture or a patch that was not coated.
- If it is texture, wipe a section of the film and recoat, and see whether the texture disappears.
- If the texture remains after cleaning, reduce the varnish thickness, and only then adjust the lamps.
