Waiting to cut and buff

Discuss anything after that final masking comes off.



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PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 9:11 am
Hi,

I'm doing a 1968 Camaro with S.P.I. Medium Red and S.P.I. Universal Clear.

I understand that I can cut and buff within a couple days after shooting the clear. But is there a MAXIMUM amount of time that I can wait?

I have a feeling that once I get the paint done, I'll want to go onto assembly and start driving it. Mainly because my mind will be ready to get out of "paint mode". :) And then maybe 6 months to a year later do a cut and buff if I want to bring out more shine.

Can I wait that long? Or does cut and buff have to come right after paint?


Thanks,
Sal

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 11:10 pm
Well, as somebody who has worked with that clear before....get this.... I've had a couple of projects that got some road rash (scratches mostly) like a year and a year and a half later. And, surprise....I found that I could still do a cut and buff on the old stuff. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the same as doing a "fresh" clear but I thought it was pretty easy.
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:22 am
Personally I feel it is better to wait a few days before buffing. Yes it takes more work to wet sand and buff but less chance of scratches returning.
1968 Coronet R/T


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 10:05 am
You don't have to do a Cut and Buff at all you can just leave it as sprayed.
I prefer not having to Cut and buff myself. OR only doing Spots where Trash got into the clear. BUT If I do have to do it I prefer to do it as soon as possible while the clear is still soft the longer you wait the harder it gets which is not a bad thing like 68 says.

Good luck with it
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.

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PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 11:36 am
Dennis, yeah, I am with you. On production type cars my off the gun coating could even use a little more peel to it. I'm only cutting and buffing on my highest end personal stuff anymore.
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 10:11 pm
You can wait years if you want. The paint will be a little harder, but long-term I suspect the results will be better.

Personally, I wouldn't want to polish on paint that is less than a week old if I could avoid it. I would treat it like it is dangerously soft.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 12:46 pm
Depends on the clear,
I've used some that set up like concrete in 2 days, Nasson brand was one.
But S.P.I. clear stays soft so If you can go ahead and wait as long as you can,
it will hold better by waiting for it to finish curing and shrinking.
When I did a "show car" paint job on a Corvette I used the S.P.I. Universal
and waited a week to cut and buff, it was just as easy as when I usually wait a day.
So I recommend it.
JC.

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

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