The too often call.

I've been a UV clear user since 2007 I believe. I do think I am going to try some euro on this next project and play with reducers to get it to act more like a medium solids clear. I typically sand and polish everything i do, but lately I have been doing some "lot" jobs and I just cant get the UV clear to lay out like the other brands. If I spray it trying to get it flat, its laying on the floor! and if I spray it like I would some other clears trying to achieve the factory peel, it comes off too peely. I dont really notice any flow out with the UV clear so its basically what you spray is what you get!

Ive thought about reducing it alittle, but that seems frowned upon with the UV clear and the Euro is designed around it.
 
I was in a shop about 6 months ago or longer and the guy was building a 66 chevelle for his dad and had put 6 coats of universal on the hood, rest of car was done months before, the hood was slick and looked like it had been dipped and NO urethane wave.
Two months later stopped in and his dad was pissed so he wetsand and buffed himself, I think he wanted to kill me because the urethane wave was awful.
I asked how he sanded and sure enough he blocked it on an angle like primer and buffed.
I said take a soft pad with 1000 and sand in a long straight line until totally dull, than convert with 1500 the same way and buff.
The hood turned out perfect.

What's your opinion on going the R/O sander route? I have 1000, 1500, and 3000 paper with an interface pad. I laid down 3 wet coats of UV clear on my project and will cut and buff the whole thing in a few months when it's all put together. And when you say "long straight line", do you mean the short side of the pad is the leading edge or is the long edge leading? Last question - you're saying that sanding a 1 foot square area at a time is not the best method?
 
What's your opinion on going the R/O sander route? I have 1000, 1500, and 3000 paper with an interface pad. I laid down 3 wet coats of UV clear on my project and will cut and buff the whole thing in a few months when it's all put together. And when you say "long straight line", do you mean the short side of the pad is the leading edge or is the long edge leading? Last question - you're saying that sanding a 1 foot square area at a time is not the best method?

I know people who do wonders with those sanders and DA's but I would never trust myself to do anything but hand sand.
Jimc is an expert and one of many on here that machine sanding, hope they answer as this question is over my pay grade.!!!
 
lol, the da will work out quite a bit if done right BUT its not a cure-all for heavy urethane wave. it will only go so far. 50% of it is in the sanding and the other 50% is in the spraying. alot of the urethane wave comes from spray technique. spraying too heavy and too close. also keep in mind that the wave doesnt come from the clear alone. every coat of product you put on over blocked primer will contribute to wave. sealer, base, etc. this is why clearing, blocking flat and reclearing makes such a huge difference. to get a panel really flat without a ton of hand colorsanding the clear, you need to clear, block with 400 then reclear. on the second clear session, reduce a little and spray maybe 2" further from the panel than you normally do and dont spray it heavy. you dont need the clear to really flow out. most of us try for this glass like finish but you are better off on the final clear to make it a little peely. more like a oem ford truck. then use a da with 1000, 1500, 3000, 5000, compound, polish.
 
Ive also found that if I lay it on to have it look real slick I end up with lumps/wave, I personally get more of a lumpy look compared to a wave. Now I have hardly any experience in painting, so take this for what its worth. But anyhow I think that when you spray it to look wet you are right up to the knife edge of having it look flawless or having it over flow. I think its easier to have it over flow into almost a mini sag and that gives alot of that lumpy wave look. This is atleast what I feel has happend to me, chasing after that real wet finish only to have it over flow.

Ive tried this only once, but instead of changing my distance on the flow coats after sanding flat, I instead reduced the fluid needle by a 1/4 turn. For me that seemed to be enough in this one case to put more of a factory peel on, still go on wet, but not overflow with lumps.
 
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