Wet sanding SS question

[elwood]

2000 WAY too fine. Do what Chris Hamilton says. The last thing you want to do is have to respray because it is peeling off in sheets.

 

[MJM]

800 is fine and works great to level texture but you have to be extra careful around edges and body lines, as you found out. I like to use a silver sharpie marker to highlight anywhere that is easy to sand through, it works like a guide coat so you can see when you've sanded just enough to get the texture out without going too far and burning through. After 800 switch to Mirka white dry guide coat, you can see the scratches coming out that way. Once you get up to around 2000 the guide coat doesn't really stick well enough to bother with, so sand all in once direction with 2000 then sand with 2500 in the other direction until all the 2000 scratches are gone.

Is the sanding performed at a 30 to 45 degree angle like filler sanding.......or is it straight sanding, in opposite direction?

 

[theastronaut]

Is the sanding performed at a 30 to 45 degree angle like filler sanding.......or is it straight sanding, in opposite direction?

I never wet sand in 100% straight lines, maybe a ~15 degree difference every few strokes helps to cut the surface better since you're not sanding directly in the same scratch grooves every pass. Then 90 degrees from that direction for the next grit.

 

[shine]

cross hatch each grit. it will tell you when you have the scratches out . spend your time sanding not buffing. after an hour or so of buffing is too late to find 1000 grit scratches. remember the more you buff the more heat your making . rinse often .

 

[Steverotonda]

Chris…I picked up some Tough Scuff today. Wow…you were right. It saved me hours of sanding time. Thanks for the advise. Now I am ready to hit it with 3-4 more coats. This time I need to get my gun and technique adjusted to reduce the orange peel. I also plan on using retarder as is will be over 100 degrees when I spray. Thanks again

 

[MJM]

Thank you astronaut and shine.

 

[Steverotonda]

 

[Steverotonda]

View attachment 21184

Shot 5 more coats of single stage. Retarder helped as it was 108 degrees out. Not to bad of a job for painting outside. SPI black looks great.

 

[Leonard1]

If you do it with a grey pad alone you will really have to work it and change pads several times. Using the scuff stuff you will get a much better scuffing. I would highly recommended it. Something like what you are doing you really need the extra insurance of a good scuff.

Obviously never used Scuff Stuff before, but once you're finished with it, do you just clean it off with 710, or water, or how?

 

[Lizer]

Obviously never used Scuff Stuff before, but once you're finished with it, do you just clean it off with 710, or water, or how?

Scuff Stuff is kind of a cleaner as well. I just use water to clean it off.

 

[AAE]

Scuff Stuff is a great cleaner. I'm kind of fond of Comet with a white pad. I always scuff with sandpaper. I just trust it more than a grey pad.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Obviously never used Scuff Stuff before, but once you're finished with it, do you just clean it off with 710, or water, or how?

Rinse with water as it has a sudsy cleaning agent in it. Essentially you are scuffing and cleaning at the same time.

Scuff Stuff is a great cleaner. I'm kind of fond of Comet with a white pad. I always scuff with sandpaper. I just trust it more than a grey pad.

Thats what the grit in it is for. To enhance a grey scotchbrite pad. It works very well. Gets all the nooks and crannies that you can't easily get with paper.

 

[AAE]

Rinse with water as it has a sudsy cleaning agent in it. Essentially you are scuffing and cleaning at the same time.


Thats what the grit in it is for. To enhance a grey scotchbrite pad. It works very well. Gets all the nooks and crannies that you can't easily get with paper.

I get that and if needed, I'll hit those hard areas. I just don't trust the scratch.

 

[Lizer]

Scuff stuff works great for plastic parts restoration. Especially interior trim parts with molded grain. The scuff stuff gets the dirt cleaned out of the grain well and provides clean substrate for adhesion promoter.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

I get that and if needed, I'll hit those hard areas. I just don't trust the scratch.

It's roughly equivalent to 800 wet IMO. I always go over with paper as well. I use it to finish everything though (collision) It's great for blending. On blend panels I knock the texture down with 800 then scuff stuff it. That and bumper covers is where it saves a lot of time.

 

[crashtech]

Scuff Stuff is amazing for certain things. We get newer rigs that have really tough ceramic wax on them, the Scuff Stuff and a grey pad (plus lots of elbow grease) removes it and washes it down the drain, this removes contaminants from our work area and also makes any subsequent sanding much easier, believe it or not.

 

[AAE]

It's roughly equivalent to 800 wet IMO. I always go over with paper as well. I use it to finish everything though (collision) It's great for blending. On blend panels I knock the texture down with 800 then scuff stuff it. That and bumper covers is where it saves a lot of time.

I use it as one of the last steps too. Just initially, I like to use the Comet