Dalannex

Hello all. I shot my color and clear today. :cool: There is a whole lot I've learned since I started this that I will do differently next time. That's what it's all about though, live and learn. I am happy for the most part with the way it looks. It's not professional, but it didn't cost professional either. There are a few issues I need to take care of, that hopefully wet sanding with 1500 will cure. I will ask about them directly here. Like I said, I am happy with the results. When I walk in the door of the shop and look at the car, a big smile comes to my face, so it must be pretty darn good. :D I still can't believe that I did it myself and it looks that good. :D :D :D I'm proud of it.

Here are the issues.

1) there are a couple of spots that have some texture. Not really orange peel or fish eye because it's not bad, just some texture. Can I sand these smooth. I believe what happened is I didn't lay the clear on wet enough in those spots.

2) There are also a couple of spots where some "debris" got in the clear. They aren't anything big, but if I can sand them out, that would be great. "Debris" is a piece of hair, and a little piece of lint or something like that.

3) What do I do now? Wet sand the entire thing with 1500? If so, how long do I wait before I start sanding on it? Wet sanding with 1500 won't ruin my beautiful shine will it?

Thank in advance for the help.

Justin

LAvetteman

Congratulations Dalannex, you remind me of me the day I shot my car. Learned alot, amazed at the end of the day, and wondering about the flaws. I know you need to wait at least 24 hrs before you sand the clear. I am curious about your other questions as well, hopefully Lars will chime in.

lars

Justin -
Great job!!! Glad you got it shot and done. You have good reason to be proud of the work.

Your next step involves the "color sanding" and polishing. For this, you will need an electric polisher, also commonly called an "angle grinder." You paint supply store can set you up with the correct backing pad for the grinder. IN addition, you'll need the following:

1500 grit wet sandpaper 3M part # 051131-02023
White Foam Pad 3M part # 051131-05723
Black Foam Pad 3M part # 051131-05725
Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound 3M part # 051131-05973
Perfect-It III Machine Glaze 3M part # 051131-05937

Cut a plain ol' paint mixing stick to the width of the 1500 grit paper. Wrap the paper around it after soaking it in a bucket of warm water with a few drops of dish soap added to it.. Soak the paper until it curls up. You will then sand the entire car with the 1500 wrapped around the paint stick. This will know down all your "orange peel," dust nubbers, and other imperfections. You can put some effort into it, as it's difficult to sand through the clear. When the car dries, you can see the areas that need more sanding. Keep sanding until the whole car is perfectly smooth with a dull satin sheen.

You will then rub it out with the whote foam pad on your polished using the white rubbing compound. Rub until all the sanding marks are gone and all the "haze" is clear. You then switch over to the black foam pad with the black finishing compound and do the whole car again. It will then look like a piece of glass.

If you're letting the paint air dry, let it set up for at least a couple of days before doing this. We just went through this process in our tech session here in Denver - the black car you see in the photos was sanded down with 1500, and received the 2-step polishing procedure - you can see the results.

Dalannex

Thanks. I sent Lars a couple of emails today that he'll probably find quite amusing. One was right after shooting the color, and I was pretty worried about how it laid on. After letting it rest a short time, I went up to check up on it and it looked fine. So, I sent him another email that said nevermind the first one. :lol: :crazy: :rolleyes: I am sure he'll reply to this post. I kind of thought maybe monday morning I could do some wet sanding. That should be soon enough, I think.

paso

Congratulations on the Paint job :) post some pictures sometime.

Dalannex

Thanks Lars. You posted as I was typing my first reply. I do have an electric buffer, although I've never used it for anything. I did pick up a reem of the 1500 grit last time I was at the paint store. So a piece of 1500 wrapped around a stick huh? Why a paint stick and not my rubber block? Not doubting you or anything, just curious. Is it hard to sand through the clear, or to wreck it by polishing too hard? Sounds like my sanding will have to wait until Tuesday. That way it will have dried for a couple of days.

Thanks for all your help. Because of you I was able to get my car painted, and within a budget I can afford. If you hadn't been there to help, I probably wouldn't have been able to do any of it. (Of course, I'm not done yet, I can still come up with lots of questions. :D )

Dalannex

I plan on posting some pics. I don't have a digital camera, so I have to do it the old fashioned way with the scanner and all, so it'll take a little while. :cheers:

Larry B.

If you do not already have a "grinder", I suggest buying an Air driven buffer. I bought one a few years ago and love it. They are light and run just the correct speed for buffing paint AND you can use them around wet floors or water without fear if shock. The only drawback is that they consume a lot of air so you need a big compressor or it won't keep up. :yesnod: Be very carefull buffing around any body lines and edges, that is where you will polish through. NO WARNING it just happens. If your buffing pad statrs picking up any "color" you are through the clear. STOP!! After The car is all buffed out, use a product called "Finnesse it" This is a very fine polish/glaze that you apply by hand. Great stuff for getting rid of swirl marks.


[Modified by silvervetteman, 5:33 AM 1/20/2002]


[Modified by silvervetteman, 5:35 AM 1/20/2002]

CF6873

Justin; Congratulations on your successful paint job, feels like all the work was worth it, doesn't it? If this is your first buffing job also I would put masking tape over all the sharp edges. That way you will not hit them with sandpaper or the buffing pad. If you do hit them you could easily be seeing some familiar basecoat or sealer.(ouch) Also you want to run the buffer under 1800 rpms. Change your sandpaper anytime you see it starting to clog or it will put in some gouges. Good Luck, Craig :cool:

R1234

Congratulations!,
All the sweat and effort is worth it. Something to be proud of. Waiting for pics!

Paul 75 L82

It's all about the sanding.

74-Roadster

Congrats!!!!!

Take your time with the sanding and buffing as well. The first car I painted, I wet sanded, buffed and polished the paint by hand. I couldn't afford a buffer, and I painted the car with a borrowed touchup gun. Labor will fix everything. Took me almost 3 months of sanding and buffing by hand to get the paint to shine . . . but she did shine.