what am i doing wrong.... [wetsand/buff]

Discuss anything after that final masking comes off.



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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2018 2:58 pm
This has been an ongoing trial and error process for me [the expensive way LOL]. Painted my Nova in Eastwood Single Stage Urethane paint [hugger orange]

I first painted the car last year but made the mistake of painting when it was too cold and using a sketchy home compressor so I ended up with a bunch of runs... decided it would be easiest to just sand the whole thing back down flat using p600 and respray next year.

bought a turbine system and sprayed the car recently. paint went on better, no runs. But I wanted to make it glassy and take out the little orange peel I had so I bought an Eastwood brand rotary which came with a cutting pad and polishing pad....and here is where the crazy starts.

I tested on a 1.5x1.5' spot on the fender.
wet sanded:
1000
1500
2000
3000

Pads/compound:
Meguiars 105 - eastwood cutting pad
Meguiars 205 - eastwood polishing pad

Results -- Looked really good. I was happy with how it came out considering this was my first painting and buffing experience.
so I decided to pull the trigger and do the whole car.
starting with the roof.. I followed the exact same steps as on the fender but the roof came out way different. tons and tons of scratches left over.. some deep, some shallow.

after hours of research I tried a few different systems. Sanding up to 3000 between each trial and working clean.
-Meguairs Ultimate compound/ultimate polish
-Meguairs Pads
-Griots garage pads
-Chemical guys optical compound/polish
-Chemical Guys hexlogic pads
-Different brands and grade of towels
-Rotary machine
-DA polisher

My best results so far are with the Chemical guys brand stuff using a portercable DA but im still not happy with the results.. theres no shallow scratches but several deep scratches..

so my next thought was to go all the way back down to P600 grit which is what I originally sanded the car with before respray and sand up to 3000... then buff.
did that today and the results were not so good...

im so confused.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2018 4:31 pm
are you certain those scratches were not in the paint before you sprayed over them? if they were you are gonna have to resand everything and repaint.

but.. if you are sure it was smooth before you painted. Then let me help you with a few tips..

Dont use 1000grit paper to get out peel, its too course. I only use 1k grit on runs. Start with 1500, then 2000 2500 etc etc... Also make sure you soak your sandpaper a good half our to really soften them up. You can also add dish soap to your bucket to make it a bit more slick.. You gotta really listen and feel what the sandpaper is doing. You can hear or feel when dirt is caught under your sandpaper making deep scratches, Dont be afraid to use lots of water and constantly dunk your sandpaper in your bucket and wipe down your panel with a rag between sand paper grits to re clean the surface..



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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2018 5:42 pm
no shallow scratches but deep scratches tells me youre not refining the scratch from one grit to the next. pick a grit and sand in one direction like /////////////. go up to the next grit and sand in a \\\\\\\\\\\\ direction. it is much easier to see the refinement that way.
ive gone up to 1500 then a PC 7424 with lake country orange pads with megs 105 followed by orange pad and megs 205 with great results so long as the 2000 grit has refined the scratch from previous grit.



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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2018 10:18 pm
thanks for the info guys. i have decided to sand it all down and respray...i still have a lot of paint left. what grit do yall think i should use to start over?

p400(?)
spray
wet sand 1500 to 3000
meg 105 on compound pad
meg 205 on polishing pad

i plan on buildin the paint up pretty good this time. and will most def use the direction sanding method this next time.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2018 11:01 pm
You could knock it down with 400 but then after id finish with 600.

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PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 8:53 am
I posted a detailed step by step process I use in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=22145&start=100

Go to page 11

One thing I have found is that a twisted wool pad is best for the first go at buffing. Foam pads just don't get the job done (I know some will disagree but this is my experience.)

Tomsteve is right about making sure all the previous grit scratches are removed. Buffing won't take out the 1000 grit scratches.

I recently tried Meguiars 100 compound and like it much better than the 105. The 100 reminds me a bit of the Chemical Guys compounds and works much longer without drying out.
1968 Coronet R/T


ACTS 16:31



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:07 pm
i just stuck with 600 the whole time. just finished the roof and rear qtrs.
going to see how far i can get on the rest of the car before the kids baseball game lolol.


i read through the thread coronet..looks amazing! is a finish like that even possible on single stage with no clear?
as i said this is my first ever painting and buffing experience so im not expecting to get quite those results...but i am also not going to accept a garbage finish haha.. not gonna stop until i get "5 footer' results atleast.



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 3:36 pm
Not to take away from Jim or other Pro's

But for a Beginner wanting an acceptable first time job with good results. FORGET the Multiple sanding steps! The technique of sanding out prior sanding steps is an advanced technique best left for guys who are ready for the level of work necessary.

Its Just my opinion but A Beginner should Just sand out his clear with 1200 grit period then hit it with a Twisted Wool pad lightly using a good hi-quality cutting cream for removing 1200 grit scratch followed by a good Black or Blue foam pad with a swirl remover. its simple and effective.

I like to use Presta Products for polishing, I don't like polishing so I like to get through it as quickly as possible with as little effort as possible with great results And this fits the bill perfectly.
First identify any any runs and address them first "I'm not gonna get into how to fix runs" or any Bugs dirt debris but I just address Them with 1200 then sand car out whole car with 1200. I also am not gonna get into if your Orange peel heavy BUT If it is heavy You may want to sand whole car out and respray a flow coat.

Body lines and edges of panels are easy to sand through, or polish through so stay away from them!!!! I tape off all edges and Hard sharp body lines with masking tape while sanding the car then remove for polishing.
I just polish the edges and sharp body lines with the heavy cut cream LIGHTLY with the wool pad to match Sanded areas.
Its easier to accept a little lightly buffed Orange peel on the edges than fixing an OOP'S!

So any way I hit whole car with 1200 then Polish with a Wool pad and Presta Heavy cut or Ultra cut then refine with a Finer pad and finer Presta polish such as there Swirl remover.

I will post a link to there 2 step system which starts after sanding with a Cut of 1500, I like to sand out one time period with 1200 so I use a Heavy cut Cream like I mentioned earlier they have a few which are suitable for polishing out 1200 grit scratch.
http://www.prestaproducts.com/Ultra_2_S ... -list.aspx

Polishing Clear coat or Single stage Paint is an Art all by itself there are many different ways to get there and just as many products to try and use.
I like the Term The "KISS" method

"KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!" I hope it helps someone
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.



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PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 7:10 am
one thing i hope ya did before sanding is wash the car thoroughly then wipe down with wax and grease remover to get all the compound off.

when ya get to the 205, you may want to try using the cutting pad first and see how it works. i stick with an orange cutting pad with the 205 and it has worked great for me.

one note:
since i started cutting and buffing, i started using a rotary with wool pad with the 105. something with rotaries is it isnt necessary to start at high rpms. its ok to start slower and work up to a comfortable rpm. less chance of screwing up paint that way.
guess how i learned that expensive lesson! :knockout:

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 8:10 am
tomsteve wrote:one thing i hope ya did before sanding is wash the car thoroughly then wipe down with wax and grease remover to get all the compound off.

when ya get to the 205, you may want to try using the cutting pad first and see how it works. i stick with an orange cutting pad with the 205 and it has worked great for me.

one note:
since i started cutting and buffing, i started using a rotary with wool pad with the 105. something with rotaries is it isnt necessary to start at high rpms. its ok to start slower and work up to a comfortable rpm. less chance of screwing up paint that way.
guess how i learned that expensive lesson! :knockout:


Have you given the Megs 100 a try yet? I liked it immediately.
1968 Coronet R/T


ACTS 16:31
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