Wetsanding

I

imported_wagsjr

New member
So I am wetsanding a nice Trans Am today. My friend gets a paint job, gets taken for his money. The guy charged 700, no wetsand no buff. Said his buffer broke and offered a raincheck. So 8 months later he wanted it done right.



To start I havent done it in a while. SO I got some 1200 Megs ungrit and went to town. Unsure of how much clear is on it I got it smooth that u can vaguely see the orange peel in some places when the water dries from sanding.



I had a little of 3M rub it II and some Megs 85. Never tried 85 but it isnt seeming to take the scratches out from sanding. The 3M seemed a little better. Also using my dewalt with a wool cutting pad.



SO do you guys think I should sand with a lighter paper like a 2000 or maybe hit it 2x with the compound. It is only 4 panels on the car. The rest will get an 83/80 treatment. Maybe you know of a better compound. The 85 was supposed to take up to a 1200 sand scratch out I thought. So looking for some input here. Thanks



I knew there was a reason I always decline jobs like this(LOL)
 
wagsjr- Yeah, even with a wool pad, I'd want my final sanding to be a lot milder than 1200. And FWIW, I never believe those "grit ratings" on products, they always seem wildly optimistic.
 
Accumulator said:
And FWIW, I never believe those "grit ratings" on products, they always seem wildly optimistic.
Click to expand...



Yep, take those ratings with a grain of salt. If the process was the same(pad, machine type etc.) for all manufacturers then at least they could be a reference point.
 
It started getting dark so I am going to check it in the sun. I hate to have to sand the panels again. It shouldnt take as long this time though. Spent a good few hours getting after it today
 
Another problem is that I dont know how thick this guy put the clear on. I thought for sure I could take out the 1200 megs ungrit marks. Lesson learned.



I worked in a few places in college and they always would use the 3m after anything 1000 grit and lighter. Glad I joined here. Never heard of a pc until 2 years ago.



Im already losing my *** on this job. If I have to sand again I will be set way back. Anyone ever have success removing 1200 sand marks with any of the product I mentioned.



Compounding a second time took them out in some spots. I just dont want to punish the paint any worse.
 
When working in the body shops/detail shops I was in volume was the key. Once the panel was flat and peel gone we hit it hard, polished and out the door.



I would imagine it wont take as many passes but I will have to go 1500 then 2000 at least on this one. The clear was hard and I had to rub the hell out of it to get the peel out. It was bad.
 
I always finish up my wet sanding with 2000 grit. I've heard of some people finishing with 3000 grit. It just makes it easier to buff it out.
 
danponjican said:
I always finish up my wet sanding with 2000 grit. I've heard of some people finishing with 3000 grit....
Click to expand...



Yeah, I'm a big fan of 3K for the rare occasions when I do this stuff. But my good painter (who's generally urging me to get much more aggressive) always suggests to finish the sanding with 4K; he even gave me some foam-backed Nikken disks in 4K when I tried to blow him off with "well, I don't have any.." :D
 
I used the 3m PI III and it tore it up. I would say 95% or better of them gone. NEVER again will I do it this way. But the 3m was impressive. Hit it at like 2000rpm.



I will be better able to tell once it is polished.



Thank you for all your insight. I have done wetsanding before but I am no pro. MY boss always handed me te stuff to use yet never said what it was. SO lesson learned and thank you all
 
I was able to easily get 2500 grit marks out of Honda paint (soft) with 3M PI II FCC and a PC with cutting pad.



I've also found that when reviving headlight lenses, that last step with the finest paper you have really makes the polishing go fast. Nothing really groundbreaking there. :ignore
 
I just used some 1500 grit wet/dry paper on some spots on my 94 Mustang to correct some scratches and I was able to easily get the sanding scratches out with an Orange 6.5" pad and Optimum Compound.
 
94BlkStang said:
I just used some 1500 grit wet/dry paper on some spots on my 94 Mustang to correct some scratches and I was able to easily get the sanding scratches out with an Orange 6.5" pad and Optimum Compound.
Click to expand...

Wow, i'm surprised. Were you using a PC? I tried to get out 2000 and it was taking forever.
 
Scorponox said:
Wow, i'm surprised. Were you using a PC? I tried to get out 2000 and it was taking forever.
Click to expand...



I was a little hesitant at first but I knew if the PC and the Optimum Compound didn't take them out then I had my rotary and some more abrasive polishes to use, but the PC and the Optimum just made them vanish. Very pleased with the results as I checked it thoroughly in the sunlight and nada a sanding mark.
 
See the vast differences in hardness- some people are doing fine with a PC and others are having trouble with a rotary!



Note that the stuff wagsjr ended up using is another of the good old, discontinued, PI-III products. The PI-III Extra Cut RC, pn 05936. The stuff is like liquid sandpaper, but it *does* do the job. Good choice of product IMO, but note that it's definitely a rotary-only product.



VaSuperShine said:
tell me about [unrealistic grit-ratings], doesnt htec say it will remove 600 grit scratches?
Click to expand...



Heh heh, maybe it would...if you applied it with 2000 sandpaper ;)
 
Yeah the stuff is great. I rubbed some spots with it just on an applicator. Amazing. Takes some scratches right out.



Definetely not for the inexperienced. I dont see myself messing with it too often. I may start doing more scratch removal after this experience. Make some good money doing it. PI III EC, 83 by rotary, and 80 by pc was the perfect combo on this car. The unpainted panels were thin so compound was not an option. Man did 83 tear it up. Never used by rotary before. With 6 inch megs yellow pad it was close to swirl free already. My customer was shocked and thought his car was done. I had to tell him 1 more step buddy. He was more than ecstatic with the end result.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top