Okay...i was shamed into trying to sand again. I spent most of today on the hood and top, these are the largest horizontal surfaces on the car and are what people tend to look at first. I also sanded the fenders and the tops of the doors until the first panel line. I stayed off the fender flares and the smaller curved areas.
I used 1500 wet followed by 2000 wet. This got the panels pretty flat so I then used Presta Ultra Ctting Creme on a black wool pad, followed by the Presta Swirl Removr on a blue wool pad. The shine was great but I had lots of scratches...some straight line and mostly swirled. I then tried some 3M Foam Pad glaze witht he Meguire foam pad at about 3 on the buffer. The shine is wonderful, you can shave in it if you wanted, but the scratches are still there if you look across the panel with bright light.
Did I just not buff long enough with the first compound? I am so aware of not buffing through at this point that I buffed until the compound was gone, then stopped. Buffer was on about 3 1/2 and then slowed down to about 2 for the swirl remover. Should I go back to the first compound and start over with the process? I am about ready to wait 3 months and wax it to fill them in and forget it.
Afraid to sand...just going to buff??
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1972 Datsun 240Z with '82 L28 Turbo fuel injection
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Your first compound and wool pad should be able to remove 1500 grit scratches.
You want to move the buffer like ODG shows in his video. Slow but steady and the goal is not shine per se but to remove the scratches. The sanding steps are meant to refine the scratches which is why the majority of detailers will work up from 1000 to remove peel to 2000 or higher in 500 grit increments. The 1500 removes (refines actually) the 1000 grit scratches, and the 2000 the 1500, etc. This makes the buffing much easier and less tedious plus you will not have to rely on wax to make the finish look nice. My 68 R/T looks as nice today as it did in the pictures and its never had any wax put on it. So your first compound and pad remove visible scratches, the second refines the scratches even smaller and the third step makes them invisible to the eye even in direct sunlight. Try working with the buffer again and put some Halogen lights shining directly on the surface so you can judge your progress more easily. And remember the only person you need to please is you. ![]() 1968 Coronet R/T
ACTS 16:31 |
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Got pics?
You might want to hand glaze at that point and say good enough. Some lower end paint can be a booger to get every scratch out. I ran across this with a color or two of LIMCO urethane single stage. Never argue with an idiot, he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
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Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:12 am Location: Atlanta |
Just a thought , when I did my first cut and buff years ago looked at it with a 500 watt halogen , never looked good. Called a friend of mine he said put that light away.
Pulled the car outside and it looked beautiful. He said you can get it to look nice under flourescent lights and natural light . Nobody will be looking at it with a 500 watt halogen. Bitterness of a poor quality job long remains after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten
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Sorry but if it didn't look good under the halogen light it didn't look good outside either. Maybe the shine blinded your eyes. Lighter colors will look real nice in the sunshine but darker colors will show everything.
I have had them looking nice under a halogen and then pull them out and inspect them in direct sunlight and see "halo" scratches around the sun. 1968 Coronet R/T
ACTS 16:31 |
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I have been using a 500 watt halogen for viewing my work...straight on it looks wonderful, but viewed from the side it shows everything.
I was wondering maybe I am seeing some of my previous mistakes...I have sanded this thing twice before...will this last respray cover all those previous scratches...I am thinking so but just had that thought. I guess I will start back at the first compound and try again. I will try to go slower but after about 2 minutes on a section, I get real antsy about burning through. 68 RT...thanks for the comment about pleasing myself. I have to remember that sometimes but then again, I may be the harshest critic around. Who else is going to be looking as close as I do from every angle? Then again, I don't want to be with a bunch of gearheads at a meet or something and have halos around every sun reflection. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and encouragement a lot... ![]() 1972 Datsun 240Z with '82 L28 Turbo fuel injection
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Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:12 am Location: Atlanta |
Well that was over 20 years ago and many, many paint jobs ago also. The color was a pale light yellow and if I remember correctlly the 500 watt halogen was not showing scratches it was showing a light haze on one of the doors . I had cut and buffed the car under flourescent lights and it looked good. ( I am very critical of my work ).
It was probably my 2nd paint job. But before I had pulled it outside decided to check it with the 500 watt and it showed a slight haze on the door. Thats when the painter friend of mine told me to pull it outside. The haze was no longer visable to me , and it did look GOOD. I dont think the light blinded me, now I am sure my cut and buff process has improved over the years also. Maybe it looked nice outside because it was a light pale yellow. I have painted many black cars also but never checked them with a 500 watt light. Maybe I should start, or maybe my eyes are getting old and everything looks nice after I finish. Always looking to improve my process 68. Bitterness of a poor quality job long remains after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten
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I am going to try and load some pictures I took today. One should be straight on (that one looks good), then at a slight angle to the light, and then one looking across the light which shows my dadburn, good-for-nothing halo scratches.
Is there a hand glaze I could use for these or is that just a bad option? 1972 Datsun 240Z with '82 L28 Turbo fuel injection
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Meguiars 105 and a wool pad would take care of that.
Follow up with a foam pad and your swirl remover. 1968 Coronet R/T
ACTS 16:31 |
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