Sounds like a stupid idea, but maybe not. I just sprayed my '51 Friday, yesterday I nocked all the orange peel down w/ 800 (I had gun problems and it was rough). Im ready to start again this morning w/ 1200 then 2000, but how do you know when you've sanded off the previous scratches. A guide coat on primer works great but ive never heard anyone do it on clear. Since your sanding it off anyways why not? jeff I know the answer would be to watch the direction of the previous scratches and sand perpendicular to those till the gone, but w/ a light color, theyre hard to see
I have never seen the need for that if your clear layer properly. Best to use the ole eyeball. If you cant nib, sand and buff it out it needs to be repaired.
I've don it before but only on a small spot that had a run. It worked ok but not good enough to do over a complete panel.
I have a buddy that paints high-end restorations and he uses a Sharpie marker to scribble a bunch of lines on the area he's working on. Sounds weird but it works!
And if ya use a Permanent Sharpie you will stain the clear! To the op, hit it with 800 then reshoot 2 more coat of clear. Do it the right way or don't do it @ all
I used to guide coat clear all the time, really helps make sure the clear is really flat and make sure the scratches are out. I would use 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 w/ guide coat and finish with 2000 wet and 3000 on a DA. I would also use a long block for the 800 & 1000
Sand up and down with one grit, right to left with next grit. You will see scratches left from last grit.
thanks guys, things are well under way w/ the 1200 and looking good. (had to stop for a PB&J lunch break ^^ SOOooo, are you saying that wet sanding and buffing is the wrong way? Im kinda just an amateur but I thought it was just part of the process. thanks Jeff
Instead of a long response check out this thread , Barry Theal is one of the best in the country . Scroll down the thread and check out his technique for flattening the paint of the Bently . http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-...-theal-presidential-details-lancaster-pa.html I used some of the technique on my O.T. Porsche . Hope it helps your project .
My father taught me a million years ago to use one of these. With a good eye it should tell you all you need to know when you squeegee off the water.
Yup - that's the first thing I thought of when I first saw him do it - maybe he sands off to enough depth to eliminate the Sharpie ink. LJ
Wow, And im nervous to be sanding on a crappy '51 Plymouth,LOL 1200 almost done! and its looking good! jeff
I am by no means a pro painter but the squeegee method has worked great for me. One swipe with it and it tells all....
The first cut, a squeegee will work fine but as you progress with finer grits its difficult to tell when you got the 800 scratches out when your sanding with 1000 grit. 3m dry guide coat on clear helps in seeing when the previous grit scratches are out.
I know the OP mentioned he had texture issues, but generally speaking you shouldn't have to go through every grit in the book to get a fine finish. Starting with 800 is a big no-no in my book. I like to start with 1200 and work out to 3000 Trizact pads on a Dynabrade with lots of soapy water. Using the rubber squeegee is ok, but the balck foam pads used for sanding blocks works better. The down side is that after a dozen jobs they lose the hard edge. I've never tried nor felt the need to guide coat the clear. As the final layer of water evaporates you can see what's what. And right there is the discipline. Right at that point, like martial arts or any other practice that demands you to be all in, it's that natural drive to pay 100% attention to the surface. This final stage is one of the most monotonous and almost thankless jobs when trying to achieve a finish, so anything that makes it happen only once is where you want to be. Nothing worse than thinking it's all there, but the 1st pass of the buffer says "Hey dickhead, more sanding required!" On all but simple daily driver repairs (which I almost never do) I've given up the use of actual rubbing compound. I sand all the way to 3000 like I said, then go with Meguire's #3 on a wool bonnet, then i switch out the bonnet for a soft foam pad for the final glaze. Why? Compound can build up very quickly and leave scratches that are deep enough to cut through when you go to sand them out, and nothing but sanding will remove that sometimes. It's a combination of the compound and the material removed that builds up which creates a very hard "crystal" in the bonnet. Sure, you can rake the bonnet out as you go, but then you still scratch the surface when it comes time to wash the compound off, so year ago I gave up on it. It has it's place, but for the ultimate finishes that restoration and show cars demand, no more for me. It's one of my infamous "I'm kinda lazy like that" things where I prefer to work smarter, not harder. Good luck. Cut n buff sucks no matter how good you are at it.
thanks for all the help guys. Ive finally got things showing some progress. 800, 1200 1500, buff I tried going from 1200 to 2000, but it was too big of a jump and looked terrible under fluorescent lights when it was buffed. Heres where im at: thanks again, Jeff
YES! Allways at a 45. And guide coat on clear will only clog your sand paper. Wipe it dry and your eye will see the shiney spots acting like a guide coat. Just trust us on this.
a friend of mine uses a sharpie marker to highlight sags and runs. I thought he was crazy but it worked. looked great and no stains.
My opinion... 1000 on a paint stick will do a really nice job to get flat and level. That may piss you off when you find a spot that needed more bodywork/blocking before you painted it. Fluorescent lights really show a whole lot more than outside will. If you are semi happy with it under fluorescents you'll be thrilled with it out side.
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