imported_dpeezy415
New member
This is the SECOND time I had my car repainted since October. I feel lucky, because after the first time I wasn't completely satisfied (Autopia ruined me!!!). Lots of sanding marks, fish eyes, swirls, etc.
The second repaint was a vast improvement. More gold pearl and overall a more "professional" job. BTW, the painter works out of his garage doing side jobs, but I trusted him to do it through the recommendation of a mutual friend.
Here is a shot of Rosita pre-wetsanding and polishing:
Notice the gold 'lines' underneath the sun. The pearl POPS, but the look isn't very glossy or deep or wet. My job was to fix that.
This pic shows the orange peel I was dealing with. It was MUCH worse than the photo suggests:
The painter shot an extra coat of clear for me to play with. I wanted to push my detailing skills to the limit so I was wetsanding AND using the rotary for the first time.
But not without some basic education and knowledge first. I read anything I could find on wetsanding and rotary use on different forums and searching google. I also called the Megs hotline to ask for product and pad recommendations to complete the task. I bought the Megs video and watched it a few times. Extremely helpful BTW. I would recommend it to anyone looking to do this kind of work. It is PERFECT.
After practicing a little with the wetsanding and the rotary on an old hood, I felt ready. OK maybe 80% ready. But it was now or never.
Here was my process...
1) Wetsand using 2000 Meguiar's Unigrit Sandpaper
2) Compound with #84 Compound Power Cleaner via
Dewalt 849 and Megs burgandy pad
3) Polish with #83 DACP and a Megs burgandy pad
4) Remove hazing and swirls from DACP with #9 Swirl Remover and a Propel green pad
5) Finish with #80 Speed Glaze and a Propel Blue via PC (This final polishing did the trick. I was amazed with the look it produced. Now I know why so many here like it)
Very labor intensive work, but the results were worth it.
Bootie Shot
Orange Peel?
What Orange Peel!!!
My Favorite shot
You can see the trees, clouds, my cousin and his yellow shirt, me and our trusty MFs in hand. Just to add, I could not have done it without my cousin's help. He's a more diligent worker than I am. I'll introduce him to Autopia soon enough...
Overall a great experience. For anyone using a rotary or thinking of wetsanding I hope this helps. The rotary isn't as nutty as most people think (but it can be). Just do your homework and ask questions.
I wanted to add that the job wasn't without mistakes. I did burn the paint in a couple of spots but luckily they aren't noticable. Under the sideview mirror and one on the spoiler. I'll live with it.
I also wish I took pics of the different stages so that you guys could see what it looked like after each step. It would have been nice to do a real photoshoot instead of seeing my freaking house and neighborhood. I'll plan it better next time for everyone.
I feel like I've just stepped into another world of detailing. And I've got a great looking car to show off my hard work.
It's our time to SHINE...
The second repaint was a vast improvement. More gold pearl and overall a more "professional" job. BTW, the painter works out of his garage doing side jobs, but I trusted him to do it through the recommendation of a mutual friend.
Here is a shot of Rosita pre-wetsanding and polishing:
Notice the gold 'lines' underneath the sun. The pearl POPS, but the look isn't very glossy or deep or wet. My job was to fix that.
This pic shows the orange peel I was dealing with. It was MUCH worse than the photo suggests:
The painter shot an extra coat of clear for me to play with. I wanted to push my detailing skills to the limit so I was wetsanding AND using the rotary for the first time.
But not without some basic education and knowledge first. I read anything I could find on wetsanding and rotary use on different forums and searching google. I also called the Megs hotline to ask for product and pad recommendations to complete the task. I bought the Megs video and watched it a few times. Extremely helpful BTW. I would recommend it to anyone looking to do this kind of work. It is PERFECT.
After practicing a little with the wetsanding and the rotary on an old hood, I felt ready. OK maybe 80% ready. But it was now or never.
Here was my process...
1) Wetsand using 2000 Meguiar's Unigrit Sandpaper
2) Compound with #84 Compound Power Cleaner via
Dewalt 849 and Megs burgandy pad
3) Polish with #83 DACP and a Megs burgandy pad
4) Remove hazing and swirls from DACP with #9 Swirl Remover and a Propel green pad
5) Finish with #80 Speed Glaze and a Propel Blue via PC (This final polishing did the trick. I was amazed with the look it produced. Now I know why so many here like it)
Very labor intensive work, but the results were worth it.
Bootie Shot
Orange Peel?
What Orange Peel!!!
My Favorite shot
You can see the trees, clouds, my cousin and his yellow shirt, me and our trusty MFs in hand. Just to add, I could not have done it without my cousin's help. He's a more diligent worker than I am. I'll introduce him to Autopia soon enough...
Overall a great experience. For anyone using a rotary or thinking of wetsanding I hope this helps. The rotary isn't as nutty as most people think (but it can be). Just do your homework and ask questions.
I wanted to add that the job wasn't without mistakes. I did burn the paint in a couple of spots but luckily they aren't noticable. Under the sideview mirror and one on the spoiler. I'll live with it.
I also wish I took pics of the different stages so that you guys could see what it looked like after each step. It would have been nice to do a real photoshoot instead of seeing my freaking house and neighborhood. I'll plan it better next time for everyone.
I feel like I've just stepped into another world of detailing. And I've got a great looking car to show off my hard work.
It's our time to SHINE...
