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ICEMAN707
11-07-2005, 01:20 PM
After wetsanding clearcoat to get it super-smooth, what are some products do you paint guys in here recommend to remove the cloudiness from wet sanding back to that crystal clear shine? I use 3M Perfect-It products.

What are the steps to shine the clearcoat up again with these products? I'm guessing this is a buffer required step since doing it by hand doesnt cut it. I'm practicing this step and need a lil help in advice. Prep, painting, and clearcoating is easy, it's the polishing part is the hardest for me.

1000-2000 grit wet sanding and polishing is a required step for a flawless finish. cus no matter what you always orange peel the clearcoat or have drip marks, but it seems to be the area of difficulty for me.

gp02a0083
11-07-2005, 04:58 PM
ha, try doing blends on high metallic finishes like some of the newer silvers or golds. if u can paint a car u can polish it , as far as polishing tips go

runs(or drips): small runs can be sanded out ( ive used as low as 800 wet/dry to sand bad runs) but for other runs its ussually good to wait till the clear coat fully hardens and cures( mosly likely a few months after)

as far as the 3m compound stuff gos
usually i started out with a medium compound after wet sanding with a electric buffer( seen guys use air tool ones and there crazy) at about 1500 to mabye 2000 rpm, after that use a light or super light compound, lightly wipe off any extra compoud. then use anoother buff pad thast used for glaze ( it looks liek a eggcrate foam type stuff) as with the glaze use a little bit and u wont get swirl marks. then any wax u wanna use , if ur intrested try looking for ARIDEX products they have alot of good stuff and is better than 3M
and make shure a few things that are good tips with a buffer
1, dont buff a car that was jsut outside in direct sunlight ( the paint is hot and will cook the compound )
2. keep the chord held over ur back over ur shoulders , prevents the chord to pick up dirt and scratch the car, and the chord dont keep hitting the car
3. dont wear hoodies with them hood strings!, i made that mistake and i got into a fight with a dewalt buffer , and the little yellow beast won.

gfrg88
11-07-2005, 09:18 PM
3. dont wear hoodies with them hood strings!, i made that mistake and i got into a fight with a dewalt buffer , and the little yellow beast won

:werd: that really actually made me lol, those are some pretty nice tips, but i still know i wouldnt be able to those the right way....

TheWatcher
11-07-2005, 10:22 PM
One word, Autopia.

Be careful w/ the buffer, you don't want to introduce swirls.

Autopia - How to Polish Paint

http://store.yahoo.com/autopia/inf-polishing.html

Peace.

ICEMAN707
11-08-2005, 03:17 PM
Thanks for the link watcher. That helps alot. I guess my problem is that I'm hand polishing instead of using a buffer. I guess it's time to get a buffer.

gp02a0083
11-08-2005, 05:19 PM
yah anytime u sand down clear coat u really need a buffer

ICEMAN707
11-08-2005, 10:47 PM
i also have to be careful with wetsanding clearcoat in places a buffer can't reach right?

i guess i also need a better spraygun like those expensive devilbliss ones to minimize orange peel and give a more flawless clearcoat finish. saves alot of time from having to wetsand the clearcoat.

gp02a0083
11-09-2005, 07:26 AM
forgot to mention that too , also be careful how much clear coat u sand , unless u know how much clear coat was sprayd onto the car, and yes ur right our hondas are pretty good at not having too many bad spots, jsut dont sand too close to the mouldings probally best thing to do is find any black hood and pratice on that a little bit first so you get used to the speed angel and so on that u use the buffer with

as far as spray guns go its usually not the more expensive ones that are better , ive sprayed with some guns from huskey and ingrasol rand and they sprayed preety good , theres no justification on buying a high end gun like that for 1 or 2 paint jobs , even tho i cant complain i have a sata nr 2000 1.4 and a iwata wider 89 both not to cheap guns, but if u use a gun the right way u can allmost get a flat finish ( given the surface was previously sanded down flat) what kinda gun u using , what pressure, and what size air cap (IE; 1.4 2.0, 1.0) if u got orange peel means 2 things , u got ur material (paint) screw too open try closing it up a little bit, or lower the pressure ( ususally u wanna work with 2 bars of pressure or 20 to 40 psi )

ICEMAN707
11-09-2005, 09:12 AM
i just use a basic $50 spray gun maybe i should lower the material and air pressure screws a lil bit. i always run on 40 psi. i put on at least 3 layers of clear coat, usually more if i can. it's also not that i'm having orange peel, i just want a perfect smooth finish that when you look at the clearcoat at an angle in the sun you wont see any waves.

i'm guessing i dont have enough polishing stuff to really get that shine. i only have meguiar's "deep crystal" 3 step system. #1 is paint cleaner, #2 is polish, and #3 is finishing carnauba wax. i also have 3M liquid wax but i dont have the 3M rubbing compound. maybe that's what i need? rubbing compound? cus 3M rubbing compound is like $11 for 16 oz. bottle. pretty pricey that's why i didn't get it. now i'm thinking i should have. i want to try other brands but i dunno if they work just as well since i've been to a few body shops before and they swear by 3m stuff.

so now i guess i need: to wetsand to 2000 grit sandpaper, use 3M rubbing compound (good for removing 1500 grit or finer scratches), paint cleaner, polish, glaze, then carnauba wax? and a good buffer to buff it all each and every step.

gp02a0083
11-09-2005, 02:45 PM
yah its kinda pricy, liek i said check out ARIDIX , really the cleaner is bull shit , jsut make shure u washed down the car , use plenty of water while wet sanding , running a hose is the best , i would suggest uf u dont wanna see the peel , sand the clear thats on the car till its flat then put another 3 coats on it and posabbly sand and spray again, those show cars have about 10 coats of clear on them to get that flat shine

yah basically u wanna go with the 2k grit wet dry, use alot of water more the better , what i do to see if theres any dirt nibs in there i lightly sand the whole pannel with 2k, for a new-b at sanding this stuff dont use anything lower than 1000 for polishing
as far as compounds u want to use liek a step kit , medium to heavy scratches, then use a light and lighter compound, after that use glaze, then wax after.
as far as buffers go a mekida, milwalkie, and dewalt are good ones ( i liek the dewalt)
dont forget use a wool pad for rubbing compound clean it wehn switching componds , and for the glaze use a foam pad, and use both at lower rpms.

as far as the gun it really dont matter like i said, try on a busted up hood and get used to it i mean also if u have a certian way u like the gun setup then leave it and mabye add or reduce the amount of thinner/activator u put into the clear its all about messin with the chemicals and the adjustments on the gun

if yah got any other q's im me on aim Gp02a0083

ICEMAN707
11-09-2005, 10:36 PM
thanks so much for all of the advice. it solved the problem for sure! now i'm gonna paint my desktop computer candy apple green..hehe.