Wetsanding... whats the mark look like?

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integraoligist

New member
So i'm new to wetsanding and wanted to know... when you sand down the painted area and the surrounding area... i know it should "feel" level... but what is it suppose to look like?



do you still see the "outline" of where the new paint touches the old?



i looked in the article on fixing Scratches/chips and i can somewhat see the edge of the new paint on the old... but the pic is'nt very clear
 
Yeah, you can tell a little bit. It looks dull, and just like crap in general. Don't get it perfectly level, leave just a little bit over cause you're going to be knocking down the area with a cutting compound.
 
ah ok.... but it IS suppose to be dull, sections of my edging were still shinny, as if i didnt hit them with sandpaper but they still "felt" level... ?
 
integraoligist said:
ah ok.... but it IS suppose to be dull, sections of my edging were still shinny, as if i didnt hit them with sandpaper but they still "felt" level... ?
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Less sanding on the edges is necessary because it's easy to cut through the paint on the edge asa there will be more bite there by the pad. The idea behind wetsanding is to take off enough topcoat to smooth out the paint. In a custom paint job with many levels of clear, you can sound down further, but with a factory coat, you may not be able to sand down enough to get all the orange peel out as the layers are very thin and you don't want to cut into the color coat. Wet sanding a factory paint job is very precise and the level for error is small. :)
 
i had a go at wetsanding, and here's my pics,,

around the tailgate latch was horrible, so i sanded down to get rid of the deep scratches...

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after:



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more::



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you can really see the Orange Peel at the edges of the sanding marks... the idea is to sand down until you dont see the little dots (leveling the CC).



i'm a hacker, and just used my fingers which is obvious, but looked great in the end..



i'd take more time with a sanding block next time, if there was more cash involved!!!
 
well this is all shot to hell... it's like you have a good day (yesterday, sanding and leveling almost everything perfectly but leavin a couple of spots... so i touch up with paint again) and your really piss-me-off-bad day (today, sanding and actually actually RIPPING the paint for the past 2 days completly off and leaving extra spots aroung the orignial problem that you went all the way to the primer on)

damn, it's like do everything ONCE... and thats it... never do it in the same spot again!

emmmmmmmm

and to top it off, i was sanding the edge of my Wing with a sanding block and SOMEHOW (i still dont understand how!) the block or the paper or something digs ino the paint and lifts a 1/4" round sections with is all the way down to the fiberglass.



ahh what a lovely day.



makes me want to sell the car even though i will never get even 1/4 of the money i put into it and buy a stock POS just to get around in.



not a good day... not a good day at all.
 
steck what was your process of sanding and then compounding/polishing out the sanding marks? My 94 z71 and GF's 98 tahoe could use some help and obviously they have similar paint to your suburban. thanks
 
NorCalZ71 said:
steck what was your process of sanding and then compounding/polishing out the sanding marks? My 94 z71 and GF's 98 tahoe could use some help and obviously they have similar paint to your suburban. thanks
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i'll try to keep it brief as possible:



- wetsanded with 800 (very light!!!)



- then with 1000, 1200, 1500. with each paper change you must sand further out from the last sanding marks!



- then i took 3M's Fine cut RC which is graded to remove 1200 sand paper - by hand with dry terry cloth,,probably about three times,,really worked it good.



- then the PC with orange cutting pad + meg's #85, then white LC VC pad +megs #83, then megs #80, then NXT!!



Megs doesnt recommend #85 with PC but i found it to be awesome. :nixweiss



i'll throw in some more pics...although yes, i did not get any afters in the sun!!!!! which i've been told is unfair by other forums! :(



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I mean no offense here to anyone....but I have to let others know that 800 grit paper is NOT designed for final finishes. It is made for PRE-finish work, on primers and fillers and such but not final finish.



Even if one uses it "lightly" there is really no need to do so as todays paints, which are plastic films, respond nicely to 2500 or 3000 grit.



The UV absorbers live in the upper mils of the clear coat so be very careful when wetsanding.



Anthony
 
I would really love to learn how to wet sand, after having detailied for several years this is one skill I still lack. Where can you learn more about this and the how to area?
 
Anthony Orosco said:
I mean no offense here to anyone....but I have to let others know that 800 grit paper is NOT designed for final finishes. It is made for PRE-finish work, on primers and fillers and such but not final finish.



Even if one uses it "lightly" there is really no need to do so as todays paints, which are plastic films, respond nicely to 2500 or 3000 grit.



The UV absorbers live in the upper mils of the clear coat so be very careful when wetsanding.



Anthony
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thanks for chiming in...I am no authority on the matter, and relatively inexperienced with wetsanding. just posting what I had success with (or what I thought was a 'success'!!!!)



just something further, i actually used the 800 to level some touch up paint after it had dried for a couple of days!!



one thing I did learn is that you really have to try something and just do it. YEs, i didnt want to put sand paper to my car's finish cause it goes against all reason and common sense, but once you just 'do it' and see the results you later can say "hey, that was no big deal"
 
Next time with DEEP scratches use 3M 3000 grit rubbing compound on a cutting pad. You'll have more "control" of how much cc gets removed. That's what I use and don't ever sweat on taking to much off. I do about 3 passes with the 3000 and there gone. Now I see you use 3000. Orange peel can sometimes be at the 1st layer of cc. I don't know how many GM uses but can't be much. I did a classic car with 5 CC on top and 8 though out paint. So be aware on how much you take off.

Sorry if you already know this. Some don't.

:2thumbs: GREAT JOB THOUGH :2thumbs:
 
steck, the afters look amazing. Were those afters wetsanded as well (the side shots in the garage)? Really came out looking nice.
 
NorCalZ71 said:
steck, the afters look amazing. Were those afters wetsanded as well (the side shots in the garage)? Really came out looking nice.
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thanks,



I did not wetsand the whole truck, just real problem areas that I knew the PC wouldnt have made a dent in.



the whole truck was done in the #85 with cutting pad.



one problem with wetsanding certain areas, is that you level the clear so flat and rid the OP that it looks so much better than the rest of the truck.



The theory for ME, is this, if i break out the sandpaper, it is for paint that is generally toast, and most would be considering a re-paint anyway. so if i take a hefty amount of clear off, or burn through to the base, then hey, i got single stage to take care of and keep plenty of protection on. I knew the tailgate needed paint, but this was a great cheap alternative...and a learning experience.



cheers.
 
makes sense, the only areas im thinking about trying it out on COULD stand to have a repaint, but why not give the sanding a shot first
 
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