So I have the body work done and in primer. Blocked to 320. I can't find rolls of paper for my durablocks past like 400. I feel foolish asking this but is most of the blocking past 400 grit done on a short wet sanding type block? Do I just buy standard sheets of sandpaper or hook and loop or PSA? Is it a bad idea to buy hook and loop DA discs and using one of these to do the final sanding before basecoat?
wet or dry sanding? I prefer to use a cut paint stick to do my final sanding with I wrap the paper around the stick and tear off as it dulls down
long board with 80, short block with 180, third fold two stacked half sheets of 400 for final wet sand before paint. At least that's how I learned....and it seems to work ok.
I long board all the way up to 400. Then I do a final primer and use a water bug and Velcro hook it 6" sanding disc for a final wet sand which is 600 grit. I've never gone passed that because I was told some paint products would have adhesion issues. I've done 2 black cars and they have came out excellent. So I've never seen the need to go further.
You don't have problems with leaving finger lines? Have you done a metallic? my paint says to go up to 600-800 and plan to go to 800 its supposed to help prevent the metallic particles settling weird. You just use a 6" disc by hand? Or with a DA or waterbug?
with 6 thicknesses of paper, it doesn't seem to leave finger lines. And I tend to sand diagonally as well.
Do you find the stick is too narrow? Seems like it would take a very long time. My paint PDS sheet says either 800 wet or 600 dry. Will probably do 600 dry.by hand. An experienced painter I know once mentioned a while ago says he uses a DA and interface pad for the final sand. Dont know if it would be a good idea to go 800 this way since the paint is metallic.
I like interface pads 600-800 is a great choice for metalics I will usually stop at 600 on dark metallic colors and use the 800 on light metallic colors especially if its waterbased due to water paints being a little thinner than solvent paints. I like the paint stick method mostly out of habit, paint sticks work very well with all the detailed body lines that are present on most all older cars. skinning cats sometimes require several different methods
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