Wetsand help, fresh paint.
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From: Michigan (Macomb or Lansing)
Wetsand help, fresh paint. I painted an ss hood, ive done other panels before with good results. This thing came out orange peeled like no other. I sanded it for like an hour with 2000 grit, and then i buffed with my wheel and rubbing compound (wool pad), followed up with glazing compound (sponge pad).
Thing is, it still looks orange peeled, isnt flat, and looks like garbage still. I did 3 clear coats to give me a bit of elbow room since im new at wetsanding. What do I have to do to make this thing look awesome?
What is a good method for wetsanding and when do i know to stop sanding and start buffing? What is a good method for buffing?
How do shops do it? There must be an easier way?
Thing is, it still looks orange peeled, isnt flat, and looks like garbage still. I did 3 clear coats to give me a bit of elbow room since im new at wetsanding. What do I have to do to make this thing look awesome?
What is a good method for wetsanding and when do i know to stop sanding and start buffing? What is a good method for buffing?
How do shops do it? There must be an easier way?
get a soft block and u can use 1000 if you are comfortable and very careful if not use 1500, and sand the thing until the whole damn panel is dull with nothing shiny, than buff.
get a soft block and u can use 1000 if you are comfortable and very careful if not use 1500, and sand the thing until the whole damn panel is dull with nothing shiny, than buff.
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
iTrader: (14)
Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Michigan (Macomb or Lansing)
DOH! Lol what a waste of a day. Is it normal to have quite a bit of orange peel when painting? Is there anything I can do to reduce it? I seem to always get a lot. Its been a while since i painted so I forgot to use 1000 this time.
Should I sand it till its perfectly flat? Or leave a little bit of texture on it before buffing?
Should I sand it till its perfectly flat? Or leave a little bit of texture on it before buffing?
the buffing wont take away hardly any orange peel i would 1000 or 1500, 2000, 3000 (optionable but easier to buff). then buff and polish. during the wetsand process stop and check the amount of orange peel left the best thing would be to leave a little to match the orange peel on the rest of the car so it looks factory
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As you sand the tops off the orange peel you will start to see the bottom of the peel. It will look like little fleck shiny spots. If you are doing an overall sand it down until the shiny flecks go away. Go up to the higher number paper in stages removing the sand scratchs left behind by the lower number grit. Work you way to 3K if you want an extremely fine finish. Compound and polish. She will look like a piece of glass if you do it correctly. Just keep working at it. It's the only way you will learn to do it. It's a bit of a job but is worth it in the end.
D.J.
D.J.
Last edited by OneQuickCoupe; Aug 17, 2007 at 01:36 PM.
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i pinted my stock grill and i also painted a spare tail piece and made me a gloss berger panel. i hit them with dupli color spray cans [gloss black and 3 coats of clear] and i first wet sanded them with 2000 and it wasent enough. i still had the little gloss spots like one quick coupe said. so i hit them with 1500 with a soft sanding block[make shure you have one makes it easyer] till it was all hazy and no shine left. then i used my pc and an orange pad with some 3m compound then an orange pad with some mezerna intenseive polish and gave it a wipe down and it looked like a mirror.
the parts look like they was painted by a pro and no one can tell a spayed them.
oh and one trick i found was to get a little dish soap like a drop or two and add it to the water and it makes the paper slide a lot better. hope this helps.
the parts look like they was painted by a pro and no one can tell a spayed them.
oh and one trick i found was to get a little dish soap like a drop or two and add it to the water and it makes the paper slide a lot better. hope this helps.
To reduce the amount of orange peel right from the start, use a lower/slower temp hardner with your clearcoat and add about 5% of urethane reducer, both of which will allow the clearcoat to flow out better and become flatter as it dries.
no clearcoat activator is just another name for hardner and all reducer does is thin out the clear. i use standox at work and it doesnt even take reducer just the harder with a 2:1 mix ratio. i think any texture in paint looks like ****. i usually sand everything flat on complete paint jobs. look at the fenders and bumper cover and match the texture the best you can to that so it looks like it was on the car. hit the hood with some 1200 or 1500, then go over that with 2000 and then if you have a dual action sander and a soft pad, hit it with 3000. of corse do all of this using water. orange peal can be a result of crappy prepping, to high of pressure when painting or holding the gun to far away from your hood. i would stay to the mix ratio of whatever paint your using unless u like your clear a little thin then add some more reducer or if you keep it the same jsut turn the fluid output level on the gun up so it puts out more fluid
Starting with 1000-1500 is best. Next would be 2000. I like to use a sponge block like the others suggested. Also use a 3M rubber squeegee, this helps to check your sanding progress. You shouldn't see any shiny spots after the 1000-1500 sanding.
After the 2000 go to 3000, I like 3M's 3000 trizac on my DA with the intermediate sponge backing pad. You can do it by hand as well. The clear should have a satin finish at this point.
Buffing is a personal preference. I prfer 3M's system (I'm not a rep or sales person for them), it's water soulable which makes easy clean-up. Start with extra cut rubbing compound with a white foam pad. Wash it. Next use swirl remover with a gray foam pad. If it's a dark color use the Ultrafina with a blue pad. Just buff this stuff a little bit, don't try to get it all off with the buffer. Use a detailer's cloth to hand polish the Ultrafina. Finish with a hand glaze or Mcquire's #7. Try it and you'll like it!
After the 2000 go to 3000, I like 3M's 3000 trizac on my DA with the intermediate sponge backing pad. You can do it by hand as well. The clear should have a satin finish at this point.
Buffing is a personal preference. I prfer 3M's system (I'm not a rep or sales person for them), it's water soulable which makes easy clean-up. Start with extra cut rubbing compound with a white foam pad. Wash it. Next use swirl remover with a gray foam pad. If it's a dark color use the Ultrafina with a blue pad. Just buff this stuff a little bit, don't try to get it all off with the buffer. Use a detailer's cloth to hand polish the Ultrafina. Finish with a hand glaze or Mcquire's #7. Try it and you'll like it!
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Canton, MS
sand it down with some 800 or 1000 then reclear it. This time mix some reducer in with your clear if you didn't before and spray it weeeeetttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!! but no runs though 
Then much less cutting and buffing if any.
Greg i've used a buffer with the ultrafine. with no problems even on blacks. Trick is to put alot of compound and turn your buffer up... and make sure you buff the whole panel when you use this.
Then much less cutting and buffing if any. Greg i've used a buffer with the ultrafine. with no problems even on blacks. Trick is to put alot of compound and turn your buffer up... and make sure you buff the whole panel when you use this.
Buffing sucks. The best way to not have to buff is easy.
1. Once color is applied to hiding, take a piece of 1000 grit and remove any dirt nibs. Apply 1 to 2 more coats of color to revome the 1000 grit scratches and assure proper color (basecoat coverage).
2. Use appropriate temp. reducer and hardener, (some clearcoats do not require reducer)
3. Use proper air pressure as per clear manufactures guidelines.
4. Apply 1st coat of clear in a medium wet technique.
5. Apply 2nd coat of clear after the first coat becomes tacky. Apply this coat wet, (dump it on).
6. After you have put on the second coat on a panel, look down that panel for any dry spots (orange peel that does not look like an oem texture). If there are any apply a medium coat over the dry spot to achieve an oem texture.
7. Repeat process for all panels to be painted.
This is the method I use and have also taught my employees to use and we seldom have to buff cars and they all leave the shop with oem gloss, texture and minimal if any dirt at all. However we do have to buff sometimes but less than 20% of the time. If you are inexperienced in painting try a test panel to see how much you can get by with without running the clear. Also too much clear at one time can result in solvent pop which looks similar to small fisheyes or a haziness in the finish. I hope this helps and if you have any paint questions, please do not hesitate to let me know. Good luck with your project.
1. Once color is applied to hiding, take a piece of 1000 grit and remove any dirt nibs. Apply 1 to 2 more coats of color to revome the 1000 grit scratches and assure proper color (basecoat coverage).
2. Use appropriate temp. reducer and hardener, (some clearcoats do not require reducer)
3. Use proper air pressure as per clear manufactures guidelines.
4. Apply 1st coat of clear in a medium wet technique.
5. Apply 2nd coat of clear after the first coat becomes tacky. Apply this coat wet, (dump it on).
6. After you have put on the second coat on a panel, look down that panel for any dry spots (orange peel that does not look like an oem texture). If there are any apply a medium coat over the dry spot to achieve an oem texture.
7. Repeat process for all panels to be painted.
This is the method I use and have also taught my employees to use and we seldom have to buff cars and they all leave the shop with oem gloss, texture and minimal if any dirt at all. However we do have to buff sometimes but less than 20% of the time. If you are inexperienced in painting try a test panel to see how much you can get by with without running the clear. Also too much clear at one time can result in solvent pop which looks similar to small fisheyes or a haziness in the finish. I hope this helps and if you have any paint questions, please do not hesitate to let me know. Good luck with your project.
