How do I get my panels to not be straight?

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2021 7:00 pm
So I see a lot of posts about how to get panels super straight (comes down to using a long sanding board mainly) but I haven't found any on how to get perfectly smooth crowns, such as are commonly found on 50's sports cars.

I've been using an 11" durabond block and a cross-hatch pattern while sanding. This does ok but I'm not getting that perfectly mirrored surface I'm after. Don't get me wrong... I'm a total beginner and the shine I'm putting on is way better than most cars I see. But I can still see little distortions in my reflections and I'm wondering if there are some tips for getting a little better.

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2021 10:48 pm
To get "razor sharp" images in a surface you need to get each layer hard blocked sanded flat. Practice your sanding on some misc. metal pieces. Make sure you are guide coating your primer and again try knocking it flat with a harder block under your sandpaper. What I see in your pic. with the arrow is like "cumulative mottling." It wasn't completely level in the primer so the base gets distorted and pulls in a direction, then the clear gets over that and mottles pulling other directions. And, you probably don't want to hear this but.... this is a bigger problem with turbine setups like yours than conventional guns. Until you really get your flowout tweeked just right the clears tend to wave/pool around. Coatings laid down by a turbine at this point in your learning curve needs even more hard blocking than usual..... I also think this is somewhat compounded because you are not using a higher solid clear with your more powerful 5 stage unit.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 09, 2021 3:06 am
Jeeze, it's pretty darn good.

Show's you're getting your base and particularly your clear laying down beautifully well. Good luck with that primer :)

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 09, 2021 10:12 am
And, yes, it is pretty darn good.....especially at his experience level. He's trying to hone in on that last 20% of depth/clarity of image here.....
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 09, 2021 10:29 am
To get that show car straightness you have to first use coarse papers
on the primer and the clear.
JC.

(It's not custom painting-it's custom sanding)



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PostPosted: Sat Oct 09, 2021 11:56 am
:goodpost: yep your first session should be a heavy grit. when you have done your final sanding be it 600, 800 or what ever. i like to use the same grit only use it on a soft foam pad. i hold it flat in the palm of my hand and lightly go over the complete job in no particular direction. this will smooth down any flat areas, edges, ridges caused by the previous blocking. you get flat areas sanding with a hard block or pad especially on a curved surface. JC has it right (It's not custom painting-it's custom sanding)
Jay D.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 6:12 am
For curved panels I'm very interested on the new acrylic blocks (with the slotted tube on the back). Come in various lengths and stiffnesses and, if you believe the advertising hype, will flatten panels beyond what any other block can do.

Have a job coming up in a few months that would be ideal and intend to buy some. Bit exxy, though.
Chris

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 8:13 am
Yeah, I've heard about those curved blocks being used in metal conservation. A lot of outdoor art work is very fancy/curved. I've never even seen these blocks so far.....
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 11:36 am
yep it looks really good to me. it could just be a lump in your clear coat the very beginning of a run maybe or heavy overlap in that particular spot. nothing a light sanding and cut and buff can't cure.
Jay D.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 7:55 pm
DarrelK wrote: I've never even seen these blocks so far.....


Overview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8xXAiyi5vQ

Second half of this video shows comparison vs Durablock. Quite impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhn76ihGNMA
Chris
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