You thoughts on wet sanding factory paint

I

imported_agentf11

New member
What are your thoughts on wet sanding factory paint? I know it can be done but you need to be very careful since factory cc is very thin yada yada yada.



What I am interested in discussing is... Do you think all the protection and/or UV protection is in the outer most layer?



I have talked to a few body men painters including my brother who is a painter for a living and he has also gone to a few classes and talked to a few paint reps and they all say that if you do not have to break the outer shell of the paint, hence, wet sand you should not do it because this outer layer has the most protection in it and the car will be more susceptible to bird bombs, acid rain etching and possibly even fading. Most will say if it is a garage queen or show car you are usually OK.



What are your thoughts?



I have done quite a few cars and have never had a problem or seen any type of cc failure due to this but do suspect that there is some truth to what the painters are saying.



Of course on repaints where the painter is expecting to cut the paint in order to provide a 100% smooth finish they usually lay down extra cc which is fine. It is the factory paint that is questionable.



There is also a company in Calif that does nothing but this, I am sure some of you have heard of them, glossycar. It seems they have no issues either.



A painting forum would probably be a better place for this discussion but I do not know of any.
 
I know who you're talking about, I can't think of his name but he's attended one of my classes in the past, I've seen his work it's phenomenal and he's done a great job of lighting his garage for his work. Here's his website, Corky is his name.



GlossyCar.com





I just went there and noticed he has a plug for the detailing classes I brought up and taught at Meguiar's, maybe he'll give us a plug out here on the East Coast?
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I'm in the camp of more paint is better but this would start at the factory level, that means I wish car manufactures would put more clear on the car instead of "just enough" clear on their cars.



I was actually in a meeting with to very high-up representatives from two European car manufactures and in the meeting they actually bragged how they were working on new methods of paint cars that would actually reduce the amount of paint needed to coat a car.



I sat in this meeting and when I heard the one man say this I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I could tell the guy had no clue as to the frustration with think paint that detailers and even car owners have to deal with.



Clueless.





I'd say the thin paint and hard paint are in the top 5 list of the worst things about modern paint technology, swirls would be on the top of the list too, but thin and hard would be my 2 top issues.



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Here's a little trick to wetsanding factory paint, so you know you won't burn through. Take a permanent marker, and make a straight line on the paint. When you start sanding you will see the high spots getting sanded away, and once you've sanded it all gone, you know you're on the low spot, sand the low spot line away. If you don't sand any more than that you should be safe. Best of luck.





John
 
Flashtime said:
Ask the question(s) again here: SPI Users Forum :: Index



The topic has been discussed before. Getting answers from someone who makes

automotive clear is extremely insightful.
Click to expand...





Thanks for the resource, here's the top poster's homepage and company page too it looks like,



Home Page





I wrote this years ago as the first part of the introduction statement to MOL and it's still true today..



Mike Phillips said:
As the Internet has evolved, discussion forums have become the primary way like-minded people come together to share their passion and their interests.
Click to expand...









:2thumbs:
 
So you thin that clear a little bit....and four years later somebody brushes against the car with their jacket's zipper, or your mechanic touches the hood when he closes it, and you need to cut off a quarter-mil of clear to fix it..... :o
 
I live in the Northwest. We get so many hunting trucks with deep brush scratches, sometimes wetsanding the factory clearcoat is necessary on an expensive detail.



If you really don't think you should do it, then don't.



It may be better to hit it at about 2500 rpms with heavy cutting compound mixed with water or spray wax, and a heavy wool pad.

This will at least fade out the scratch, but you must be very careful.
 
SlantS said:
I live in the Northwest. We get so many hunting trucks with deep brush scratches, sometimes wetsanding the factory clearcoat is necessary on an expensive detail.



If you really don't think you should do it, then don't.



It may be better to hit it at about 2500 rpms with heavy cutting compound mixed with water or spray wax, and a heavy wool pad.

This will at least fade out the scratch, but you must be very careful.
Click to expand...



Paint is new and perfect right now. My only concern is a mild case of OP. The more I think about it I do not think the peel is bad enough to justify it.
 
i have done it before and havent had any issues. now i didnt go past the lowest point and it wasnt the entire car, the door and fender actually. i also have done a few bmw's, roof-hood-trunk and again no problems. it was actually easier and i feel did less damage than going over and over with a heavy pad and compound. the cars were very neglected and needed it in my opinion. it removed all the oxidation and scratches the "other" detailer couldnt get out and i advised the customers of the down sides. luckily i didnt go through the clear and i was able to correct the sanding.



i used megs unigrit 1500, soaked for a few hours prior. one thing i did that was different than most body shops is that i used a lot of paper. i didnt keep going once the paper felt as if it was plugged. i think some people keep using the paper after the grit is gone and actually scratch the paint with the sharp edges or leave deep groves from fingers and such



just my .02, for what its worth
 
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