Buckwheat wrote:so heres my million dollar question: I will wet sand, and what is the safest finest grit sandpaper to use from start to finish and safest compound(s) to use as well as what king of buffer is easiest to use?
There are probably a million answers, one for each dollar in your question.
Unless the peel is really bad I start with P1500. Damp, not wet - and squeegee off often to see how you're going. Some will say P1200, P1000 or even P800 but I think that's a bit aggressive for someone with limited experience. Just start with the P1500 and a hard, or at least very firm block. You may have to do sections a couple of times until those shiny spots (indicating the lows), disappear. Protect sharp edges with tape, if you like.
I then usually move to P2000 and, more often than not, on a 6" 3M Trizact disc. Reason is that I don't want to cut any more, just take out the P1500 scratching. Again, used damp, not sopping wet. Normally I will then move straight to the 3D ACA 500 compound using a 8" twisted wool pad on a rotary (Hitachi/Hikoki) at about 1500rpm. However you can, if you like, go to P3000 Trizact disc on a random orbital before the compounding step. There are some other brands out there that are a bit cheaper than the 3M. Some are good, some are not.
After the compound I then move to a Gelson swirl remover on a twin head Cyclo. Depending on the finish I want I might do this once with hard pads then again with soft, or just the once with a medium pad.
That's all for restoration work. For production (repair) work I just select the gun/nozzle/aircap that will give the closest peel to what's already there. Allow to dry, denib if necessary and send it.
One comment. Don't put on 4 coats of base. Completely unnecessary unless you're using really cheap rubbish and then it's a false economy since you use double the amount. Select your primer or sealer colour to suit that of the base coat and, with good quality base, 2 coats is enough. Four coats needs far too long to flash properly and you run the risk of going outside the recoat window or, if you clear too soon, trapping solvents in there which will come back through the clear as solvent pop. Check the TDS for the base that you're using - most recommend 20-30μm, which is 2 medium wet coats. Top shelf basecoats can be applied in only 1.5 coats for full coverage. More expensive to buy, but cheaper in the long run.