Wet Sanding
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On The Tree
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Wet Sanding Excuse my probably gross ignorance but what is it exactly? What are the instructions for it. All I think I know is the paint it sanded and then buffed with wax or polish. Doesnt this leave swirls? Doesnt it matte out your paint?
Wet sanding is just as it sounds. Sanding with wet sand paper. This cuts down on heat, provides lubrication, and cuts down on scratches by removing the particles of paper and material from the work area.
When pertaining to paint, there are two purposes;
The first is to provide a surface for a coat to adhere to (could be raw metal to primer, base to clear, adding clear to dried clear, etc).
The second, and the one you're refering to, is to elliminate aberrations in the paint, which could be contaminates or flaws in the paint (typically clear, though it can be done to base coats as well) such as severe orange peel, runs, etc. That being said, you want to use the lightest paper possible to correct the problem, and you may have to work your way to a finer grit, finishing with buffing and polishing (both of which technically have the same effect but at a much finer scale. This, if done correctly will not leave swirls, however, you are removing some material, so you have to be careful not to remove too much. Unfortunately, and this applies to all mass production auto companies, the clear coat from the factory is much thinner than it used to be, so many people choose to add a few coats of clear before beginning this process, so as not to sand through the clear.
When pertaining to paint, there are two purposes;
The first is to provide a surface for a coat to adhere to (could be raw metal to primer, base to clear, adding clear to dried clear, etc).
The second, and the one you're refering to, is to elliminate aberrations in the paint, which could be contaminates or flaws in the paint (typically clear, though it can be done to base coats as well) such as severe orange peel, runs, etc. That being said, you want to use the lightest paper possible to correct the problem, and you may have to work your way to a finer grit, finishing with buffing and polishing (both of which technically have the same effect but at a much finer scale. This, if done correctly will not leave swirls, however, you are removing some material, so you have to be careful not to remove too much. Unfortunately, and this applies to all mass production auto companies, the clear coat from the factory is much thinner than it used to be, so many people choose to add a few coats of clear before beginning this process, so as not to sand through the clear.
Last edited by 2002BlackSS; Aug 13, 2005 at 08:00 PM.
Originally Posted by TheLSwon
sounds difficult. Its just sanding the clear mostly? After you do it you dont have to repaint or anything?
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Tulare,CA.
Agree with every thing BlackSS has said.With this being or sounding like your first time attempting to do your wet sanding(you can dry sand to if you have the proper equipment)I would highly recommend using at the minimum a 1500 - 2000 grit wet(I like the Meguiers Diamond cut over 3M)with a soft block behind it.The block eliminates the "finger marks" you would leave if you just do it by hand.Start with small circular(sp?) motions with plenty of water to keep the paper wet and soft,sanding only enough to get an even "matte" look as you inquired about.After completing a panel, and you feel comfortable with buffer/polisher continue with the process of compounding/polishing,if you don't feel comfortable with the buffer,you can use a d/a(dual action) polisher or lastly you can do it by hand(recommend 2000 grit if using this method).All in all if your serious about doing this,your looking at around $200-300 in materials,not including buffer 
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I would SERIOUSLY not try this on your car if you've never wet sanded before. If you have an old beater laying around practice on that. Hell, try to find a piece of scrap metal, paint and clear it and practice on that. Read everything you can about wet sanding and then practice, practice , practice but not on your car right away.
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I agree with parbreak. There aren't any tricks to wet sanding, but it would be best to practice first. I went to a junkyard and bought the cheapest piece of scrap body I could find and practiced on that before attempting anything on my car, and even then, I started in an inconspicuous spot (fender well).
-Mike
-Mike
