Wet Sanding

EZ Boy

EZ Boy

No Woolpad Butchers Here!
Got an itch for wet sanding something. What grades do people at DC carry and use? Have some deep scratches to play with. Have chased them with SSR25 but the PC just cant get there. Have to get a rotary soonish.

So what should I carry in my Emergency Wet Sanding Salvage Kit?
 
I use 2000 grit often...some would use 1500, but you should be experienced ...I've seen but never used 2500 which should be user friendly for orange peel and surface imperfections..:)
 
I usually start out with 2000 grit ... let it soak in water for 30 minutes before starting.
Use light pressure while sanding.
Be careful cause you can remove a lot of paint in a hurry.
 
Very rarely do I use 1500, mostly 2000 is my preference. I carry papers in a jar with water so that they are ready whenever I need them.

Kim said it, BE CAREFUL! Alot of paint goes away real fast.

Wet sanding rules: Never sand dry, use alot of water.
rinse the papers and surface after every few passes
Only sand in one direction
Never sand where a buffer can't reach (creases, tight spots, etc)
Use light pressure and even strokes
 
Remember most cars are now clear coated. Clear coat is measured in mils (1 mil is .001 of an inch) and the average factory applied clear coat is 1.5 to 2.0 of a mil. Only .5 to at most 1 mil can saftly be removed before your promoting pre-mature clear failer.

Start with the least agressive paper that will safely remove your scratch. It would be idea to have a paint thickness gauge to measure how much material your removing.
 
Paint thickness guage...

I have a $50 magnetic guage, but a dealer I work for has a $1000 guage that is dead acurate. I am trying to find one somewhere between the 2 extremes.

denverdetail...

Great summary and great advice !!!
 
Getting my wife's CRV ready for trade-in today. I used some 3M 2500 grit that I had laying around to remove some nasty scratches.............. followed that with DACP/rotary, SSR1/PC, and "presto"................. good as new!

NOTE: As has been said here, you need to be careful no matter what grit you are using. You can damage the clear coat very easily.............. especially on Japanesse paint............ it is really thin! :(
 
All very good suggestions! :bigups

Believe me though, you WILL NOT remove marring from wetsanding with a PC, even with an Edge Black pad at 6; I tried. Rotary is the only way to go!
 
One other item I would use is a sanding block, for me it keeps the sandpaper flat against the surface and no concern of uneven pressure.
 
Quote from EZ "No Woolpad Butchers Here!"

Using a wool pad on a rotary is a good thing to know how to do. :)

Wet sanding is easy as long as you're not to aggressive (use 2500 & 2000 when learning), and be diligent. Use of a block when starting out is imperative.

I've been hearing alot about dry sanding and want to explore that.
 
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