Wetsanding for a new guy/ multiple questions

R

Rob J

What is the most basic way to wetsand the UC on my car? It will sit for 2 days after spraying. I have multiple runs (I read how to get them out), and some orange peel. I know it's going to take some time but I don't want to kill myself, either. What grit progression would work for a new guy like myself? Do the areas that look really good need wetsanding, too? Also I know nothing about buffing/compounds. I will do some research on that subject, but what is an inexpensive buffer that I can buy locally? Thanks for any advice.
 
Is this a daily driver, or are you going for as good of a finish as you can? If you're not trying to make it really flat, I would only wetsand and buff where it's needed. It's easy to take something that's not quite perfect but still decent and make it into a big problem. How many coats of Universal did you spray?

A grit progression like 1000-1500-2000 (you can keep going higher) will get a much flatter result, but you have to make sure that you get those 1000 grit scratches out, and those are easy to miss. Lately I have been doing 1200-1500-2000 since the current 3m perfect-it compound claims it is capable of removing the 1200 scratches, meaning it's a little more forgiving if you miss some of the first scratches. You can see that it isn't as flat as starting with the lower grit, though.

I don't buff a lot of cars, so for me, the HF buffer gets the job done. Sure, it's heavy, but it works.
 
I applied 4 coats of clear. The car is between a DD and a show car, if that's possible. I drive it April-October on dry days only (to work, around town, to the gym, etc.) I would like a great finish but realize my limitations since this is my first time doing anything like this. I tend to lean to the cautious side, so I prefer not to get too aggressive. Also my patience is starting to wear a little thin at this point due to all the prep, painting, and the inability to enjoy driving the car. For the buffing, I just want a basic buffer that a monkey could use and still get the job done.
 
Just tape your edges and start with 1000. Rubbing through shouldnt be much of a concern with 4 coats of UV (except edges). I didnt have any luck with the harbor freight buffer. The varriable resistor burnt in literally 30 minutes. I have a Flex buffer now...what a difference. Get a good one because you are more likley to loose control and mess somthing up otherwise.
 
Back
Top