D
de1kustomizer
Guest
Can anyone help me by telling me the order of steps needed to wetsand, buff and polish a new paint job? What size sandpaper do I use and what kind of buffing pad or foam pad should I use?
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BonesFX
Guest
This step by step is assuming you're using a base coat/ clear coat system.
Make sure when you're final clearing to add an extra coat or 2 and above all, take your time with the clear application to avoid runs and sags. It's easier to sand out orange peel than it is to shave off runs --
1. Determine the proper "window" for color sanding and buffing. Check your tech sheet for times and temp for this and remember the warmer your booth, the quicker the clear will set up. Since I don't have a regulated booth and paint from 40 degrees up to 100 degrees I use the finger test - after at least 4 hours of cure time press your finger on the clear - if your print is still there after 30 mins wait a while longer - if it's gone or barely there - start sanding
2. Depending on how bad of a "paint-edge" you have will determine what grit to start with - I wouldn't go below 1000 and if starting with that, try to just hit the bad edges and leave the rest alone. Continue with 1500 and then finish with 2000, dry with a soft cloth as you go. Be careful around the edges and where you think you might have problems getting with your buffer.
3. Pull out the buffer and slap on a 3m foam rubbing pad (its the yellow one). Set your speed around 1200-1400 RPM's. Apply 3m Perfect II Rubbing Compound (they make a perfect 3 compound that is supposed to rub and glaze, but I don't care for it) (note to other manufacturer's never combine 2 products into one unless they're food products). Wet your pad with some compound and rub it in with your fingers then generously apply to the piece you're buffin - start off slow and work up to speed(if you haven't put on old cloths - well, no need to now) work the buffer until the compound is gone - move the buffer up and down - side to side and criss cross, this will help remove and "hard" sanding marks and keep the swirl mark to a minimum. Be extar careful around those edges - paint comes of quick with a buffer.
4. Switch pads to 3m's Glazing Pad (the gray/black one) crank your speed up - 1400-1800 and apply 3m Glazing Compound to both the pad and the piece. This material seems to work a lot faster - you might not see much of a difference in shine - but trust me - it makes a difference -
5. Wash down all your parts with soapy water and a very soft cloth - blow dry with your compressor - and WALLA!!!! -- all done -- now go change outta those messy cloths before your wife see's ya!! -- -Good Luck!!!
Make sure when you're final clearing to add an extra coat or 2 and above all, take your time with the clear application to avoid runs and sags. It's easier to sand out orange peel than it is to shave off runs --
1. Determine the proper "window" for color sanding and buffing. Check your tech sheet for times and temp for this and remember the warmer your booth, the quicker the clear will set up. Since I don't have a regulated booth and paint from 40 degrees up to 100 degrees I use the finger test - after at least 4 hours of cure time press your finger on the clear - if your print is still there after 30 mins wait a while longer - if it's gone or barely there - start sanding
2. Depending on how bad of a "paint-edge" you have will determine what grit to start with - I wouldn't go below 1000 and if starting with that, try to just hit the bad edges and leave the rest alone. Continue with 1500 and then finish with 2000, dry with a soft cloth as you go. Be careful around the edges and where you think you might have problems getting with your buffer.
3. Pull out the buffer and slap on a 3m foam rubbing pad (its the yellow one). Set your speed around 1200-1400 RPM's. Apply 3m Perfect II Rubbing Compound (they make a perfect 3 compound that is supposed to rub and glaze, but I don't care for it) (note to other manufacturer's never combine 2 products into one unless they're food products). Wet your pad with some compound and rub it in with your fingers then generously apply to the piece you're buffin - start off slow and work up to speed(if you haven't put on old cloths - well, no need to now) work the buffer until the compound is gone - move the buffer up and down - side to side and criss cross, this will help remove and "hard" sanding marks and keep the swirl mark to a minimum. Be extar careful around those edges - paint comes of quick with a buffer.
4. Switch pads to 3m's Glazing Pad (the gray/black one) crank your speed up - 1400-1800 and apply 3m Glazing Compound to both the pad and the piece. This material seems to work a lot faster - you might not see much of a difference in shine - but trust me - it makes a difference -
5. Wash down all your parts with soapy water and a very soft cloth - blow dry with your compressor - and WALLA!!!! -- all done -- now go change outta those messy cloths before your wife see's ya!! -- -Good Luck!!!
I followed the steps Scott has in his How-To section and I can't get it to look anywhere near as good as the jobs in the Samples sections. Seems like things look really good but as soon as I wipe off the excess polish I get some tiny scratches and end up seeing circular scratches when viewing the parts in the sun?
Any other tips or tricks from you pros?
Thanks-Stretch
Any other tips or tricks from you pros?
Thanks-Stretch
B
BonesFX
Guest
Strech - Some clears are rally soft and no matter what type of cloth you us or how light you are with it - it will leave tiny scratches - - The circular ones sound like swirl marks caused by the buffer and rubing compound - use a glazing compound and it should get rid of that - try not to wpie the parts too - buff until the compound is gone and then wash gently. Also - use clean pads when your buffing - keep all your pads seperate and place them in bags - Wash them every now and then too -
Bones!~
Bones!~
I put on about 3 good thick coats of clear using the low temp reducer spraying at about 70° with next to nothing humidity up here in Colorado. I had to jet out of town for over a week before I buffed out the clear so I know it had time to cure. I can get it to look pretty good, till I run something other than the buffing wheel over it.
As a bit of background I started with a heavy-cut compound, followed it with Swirl Remover and finalized with a hands free polish, all Maguiars products.
Maybe I didn't use enough hardener, would adding a bit of extra hardener on the final coat be a bad thing?
Thanks-Stretch
As a bit of background I started with a heavy-cut compound, followed it with Swirl Remover and finalized with a hands free polish, all Maguiars products.
Maybe I didn't use enough hardener, would adding a bit of extra hardener on the final coat be a bad thing?
Thanks-Stretch
B
BonesFX
Guest
I think its the clear itself - If I remember right, someone on this board was sayin that certain PPG clears scratch like crazy - even if the wind blows across it - adding extra hardner won't hurt - it just makes the chemical reaction speed up a bit - as long as you don't add too much. I've had small scratches happen with some of the HOK clears - but it wasn't that bad and seemed to easy to polish out by hand after the proper curing time -- Bones!~
Sorry Stretch,my ISP just got fixed.Could be a few things.2021 is a somewhat slow drying clear,especially with 3 coats.Putting them on heavy will keep it soft longer and the low humidity will allow it to dry slower.DT870 should have been the reducer to use and even a splash of 885 would have been cool in that temp,but the heavy coats didn't help.It'll take 30 days for the clear to fully cure so I'd wait that long or even a week or 2 longer and repolish the scratches out.As long as you put 1 part of hardner to 4 parts of clear you're fine.You will get very fine scratches from polishing or waxing but that's normal for Concept clears.I love 2021 but I get tired of the extended dry time so I use 2042 most of the time.It still takes 30 days to cure but it dries faster.