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Wet sand or ????
Posted by turbomangt
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Wet sand or ???? September 23, 2003 12:07PM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 333 |
<HTML>My Lotus dealer called me yesterday and asked if I do wet sanding, (which I don't like to do,) He had a 69 Corvette come in that was dull as hell, so I told him I would look at it, maybe it doesn't need sanding. Here are my concerns. 1. I don't have a thickness meter, chances are it is non-clear coat. If I try to buff it out, I fear that the paint may to thin anyway, and I might further damage it. At the same time I don't want to turn down work he offers me. How can I save face without taking a risk. I'm going over there later today, I hope someone reads this and can give me some direction. I was going try a little cleaner by hand to see if their is potential on bring ing it back from the dead. Thanks Gary</HTML>
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Re: Wet sand or ???? September 23, 2003 04:41PM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 36 |
<HTML>Gary, if you're not feeling comfortable with doing the car, then don't. Take a trip over to the dealer though to check the car out and make your determination then. Never wet sand unless you have to. I would doubt that the car being that old would have original paint, but ask. Even if it has been painted, it was probably a while ago meaning that there is no clear on the paint. Use some cleaner polish on the vehicle first. If the area you choose starts to clean up nice, then I would go ahead and use the buffer (at a lower speed) on the car. Use compound with practically no grit if possible. If you have any First Place Finish Fine Polishing Compound around, it will work wonders. DO NOT WETSAND THAT CAR!!</HTML>
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Re: Wet sand or ???? September 24, 2003 03:23AM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 894 |
<HTML>If the finish is so oxidized that you need to spin your buffer with a 100% wool pad for a long time to get anywhere, I would start wet sanding it with 2000 grit paper( get ready for some REAL work), granted you have enough paint to work with, luckily you have a single stage paint job thats probably pretty thick. Before you start sanding make sure you clay to remove anything that can get between the paper and paint, use a small block pad and meguiars papers(they are much better than others).
Start buffing out your sand marks with a wool pad and work your way into a foam cutting pad, then finish with a polishing pad, if it needs it use the DA to remove little swirls, and you know the rest.
A lot of times old cars can be made to look great with a little sanding to remove the dead paint that a buffer wont touch. But make sure you have enough paint to work with, test a small spot and see if a couple swipes of wetsand paper will reveal a brighter color, keep the finish wet, and relax!!</HTML>
Start buffing out your sand marks with a wool pad and work your way into a foam cutting pad, then finish with a polishing pad, if it needs it use the DA to remove little swirls, and you know the rest.
A lot of times old cars can be made to look great with a little sanding to remove the dead paint that a buffer wont touch. But make sure you have enough paint to work with, test a small spot and see if a couple swipes of wetsand paper will reveal a brighter color, keep the finish wet, and relax!!</HTML>
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Re: Wet sand or ???? September 24, 2003 04:22AM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 56 |
<HTML>While I'm no detailing expert, I have some experience doing paint touch up, bumper & scratch repairs and the like. I would suggest that you first take a rag and put some compound on it. Lightly rub it onto a panel in an obscure place, like down near the bottom of the 1/4 near the very back of the panel. Now, look at the rag. If it's got some of the color of the car on it, then you're working with a single stage paint. If it's got nothing on it, it's clearcoat.
If it's a c/c finsih, try & find out how long ago it was painted. Better yet, invest in a thickness gauage so you can tell how thick the c/c is. If it was repainted by a reputable sho within the last 10 years, it's probably got 2 mils of c/c. If that's the case, you should be safe to buff. Start lightly and go from there.
If you are still hesitant to buff, then go to your local Harley dealer and pick up a bottle of S-100 Shine Enhancer and a tub of the S-100 paste wax. This is the same stuff as P-21, only about $10 or so (per product) cheaper. The enhancer should do a nice job of lifting the dead paint off and the wax will restore the shine. You can also apply the enhancer with a Cyclo and the soft pads if you want to save time and use less product. I've had good results using this stuff on some of the jobs I've done, and while it's not guaranteed, it should work for you, too.
And, like Mark said, DO NOT WET SAND THAT CAR!!!</HTML>
If it's a c/c finsih, try & find out how long ago it was painted. Better yet, invest in a thickness gauage so you can tell how thick the c/c is. If it was repainted by a reputable sho within the last 10 years, it's probably got 2 mils of c/c. If that's the case, you should be safe to buff. Start lightly and go from there.
If you are still hesitant to buff, then go to your local Harley dealer and pick up a bottle of S-100 Shine Enhancer and a tub of the S-100 paste wax. This is the same stuff as P-21, only about $10 or so (per product) cheaper. The enhancer should do a nice job of lifting the dead paint off and the wax will restore the shine. You can also apply the enhancer with a Cyclo and the soft pads if you want to save time and use less product. I've had good results using this stuff on some of the jobs I've done, and while it's not guaranteed, it should work for you, too.
And, like Mark said, DO NOT WET SAND THAT CAR!!!</HTML>
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Re: Wet sand or ???? September 24, 2003 11:49AM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 333 |
<HTML>Well, I drove over and looked at the car, finish was dull, and hand some imperfections throughout. I determined that I could improve it, without doing the sanding. (I brought some fireglaze with me to test first) The paint was re done at some point, shitty job I may add. Never hit the door jams, appeared they didn't even remove trim, (paint on trim in some spots) I drove to my near by body shop experts and had the guys look at it, they determined it was clear coat Lacquer base and clear. What I did after the prep was a product that Anthony turned me on to called Hi Temp light cut with a DAPC, (I didn't even feel comfortable using the high speed on this thing) and a yellow cutting pad. Almost instantly the shine was coming out. After that I used Fire Glaze (You guys should try this stuff) then top with a #26. The owner saw me drivinig up and said to me, well thats a big improvement, the key word here is improvement NOT perfection. Thanks guys for your help! Gary</HTML>
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Re: Wet sand or ???? September 24, 2003 12:44PM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 36 |
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Re: Wet sand or ???? September 24, 2003 10:40PM |
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Re: Wet sand or ???? September 25, 2003 12:27AM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 333 |
<HTML>Fire Glaze is an awesome one step product. I got it as a sample from Auto Magic, who is now selling it. The manufacturer is ACM out of Glendora Ca. Here is a toll free # to contact them. 888-688-4569 Oh they have a web site also, check it out> www.autopolish.com Many times when I need a quickie, this product saves my butt. It is safe for all finishes. After you read up on it, let meknow your thoughts. Gary</HTML>
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Re: Wet sand or ???? September 25, 2003 01:59PM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 866 |
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Re: Wet sand or ???? September 25, 2003 07:56PM |
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