crashtech
Combo Man & Mod
jcclark;2415 said:You don't have to use a hard block on clear to get a straight finish,
if you sand with coarse paper, like 400 grit.
Anything above 600 will basically not straighten but only smooth.
So a soft block with 400 on those curves will get it straight if you
sand it properly, then the finer grits won't change it.
You have to be careful how you sand, not little overlapping strokes
but long strokes to cancel out each other otherwise you'll
create waves that appear like lines from bad bodywork.
I hope that makes sense. It's hard to explain without showing.
Thank you for your reply. I have been doing a lot as far as different technique, varying types of soft blocks as well as varying the angles of the crosshatching, sanding direction, etc. I'm not sure if I am splitting hairs (no one sees a problem but me) or if there is a small but fundamental flaw in my process.
Most of the time my customers don't have the budget for a second round of clear, so on a lot of these jobs I have to make do with 3 coats of clear, and the amount of urethane wave that can be removed is minimal. So I want to get to a point where the applied finish is straight enough so that a fairly conventional sand and buff is all that is required.
Sometimes, the gun finish looks nicer in a way to me, because the natural texture of the clear coat will not reveal the things that I see once it is removed.
I may be asking too much out of the process.