I've read several threads on this subject and I want to get the supplies I will need for finishing up after wet sanding. My plan is 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000 then buff and polish. This is all new territory for me so I'm looking for what products I need and the best place to order for the best deals. I have purchased a Harbor Freight variable speed buffer. I have used PPG paint in black and orange so I'm thinking I need the polish for dark colors. Specific product names and numbers will be useful. Any hints, tips, and/or suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks, Bill.
3000 is way overkill for wet sanding. 2000 is plenty. I've always used the same polish regardless of color of paint.
I would beg to differ. The finer the finish the easier it is to polish, right? The finer the finish the faster it comes up, the less chance of wheel marks and swirl marks caused by the heat generated from trying to pull less refined scratches. There is now a 5000 grade trizact, almost polished before you put a wheel to it.
It's got to be flat before you go to the finer papers. 600 grit WET is very efficient at getting it flat, but be careful to ensure you stop sanding as soon as it is flat when you squeegee the surface. I then go to 1500 and up, but once its flat with the 600, the rest of the time is spent removing scratches. I like the 3M products the best. The OEM's use 3M exclusively.
Invest in the BEST sanding blocks you can find. Paint is not filler, the finish sanded primer is what gives you a perfect body, paint just proves that. Bob
Use 3M Trizact paper. That spelling may be incorrect. I usually start with 1500 then 2000, 3000, & 5000. When your done with the 5000 you wont believe the finish. Then you wont even need a cutting pad, just a polishing pad and a lot of time with a good quality machine glaze. I always finish off with a good quality swirl remover. It's a lot of work to make a paint job look great and as for mentioned the bodywork and primer has to be right before you start.
Do you use the trizact discs on a DA? do you have the name/number of the products? I see the 3M perfect it, perfect it II, and rubbing compound, polish, machine glaze, hand glaze, etc. Being such a novice on this I don't know hwich ones I need or don't need.
if you use the Trizact then use the 06085 compound, 06064 machine polish and the 06068 ultrafine glaze and corisponding pads for each.
I usually switch to finer paper just before its totally flat- like 1000 grit to reach total flat. 600 sand scratches are pretty deep but they are completely gone by the time I get to flat with 1000 grit. That may seam to be a bit more work sanding but far less than risking going thru the clear , especially if your just chasing wet sand scratches. I switched to this method after causing myself a bunch of extra work. I've never gone beyond 2000 paper. Going to 5000 might be worth a shot to experiment. I use the 3m stuff with the matching convoluted foam pads. The DA paper can cause you trouble too. I only use that when I get a spot with heavy orange peal.
All good advice. I usually stop at 2000, Maybe I'll try that 3000, and 5000. Don't forget when wet sanding to squirt a little dishwasher soap in your water spray jug. It helps the paper slide better.
This is 3000...You can see it is already getting kind of shiny. On this car I did try going to 5000 and it REALLY helped the buffing. I was too big of a chicken to do it on a DA, so I just wrapped the 5K pad around a soft block. Defenately worth the extra time. All good advice so far... -Abone.
Most of the above is good info. 3M makes nice products and so does Mcguiars. The foam pads are nice and I like to keep them clean and new pads seem to buff better then the older ones. I find one of the tricks that helped me is that a variable speed buffer w/ variable speed on the trigger will help. Slow movement at slow speed. I usually buff between 1000-1200 RPM moving slowly working a smaller area at a time. I know otherguys buff with higher RPM but they also seem to complain about die back. Also pay attention to the surface of the paint if the paint is shiny but you can still see scratch then you will get die back. Clean / wash after wet sand, compound and polish.
I use 1000,1500,2000 all on a wet block, then i go to 3000 trizac on a D/A. 5000 is great but not necessary...
Good point on the switch to 1000 just before flat. I JUST started using the 600 grit method, after polishing an "almost flat" surface to a mirror finish, and then having to sand again because it wasn't flat enough in the first place. Trying to get the surface flat with 1500 paper is a challenge. Coarser will get you there. I also use the 3M foam polishing pads with the "sculpted" surface. ....but I agree that sanding to 3000 and up MAY be worth a try. My shop rate is free.
Thats what we call it anyway. It is when you buff the panel but do not get all the scratch out of it. The compound and polish are worked into the sand scratch and give the appearance of a shiny finish but after a couple weeks or washes the compound washes out and the dull finish is left.
Personal preference is Presta products. Ultra cutting cream 1st, Ultra Polish 2nd then finish with swirl remover. They make a different grade wool bonnet for each product. Personal opinion, far superior to any 3M product. I DA and hand sand with 1500 Trizact wet then 3000 Trizact then cut and buff. Works for me. Should add they recommend higher buffing speeds (2200) so your regular grinder works fine.
I have heard that you run the risk of "burning" the paint if you use a regular grinder. It can be done, but you've got to keep it moving! I prefer the lower RPM buffer. (<2000 rpm) It's fool-proof for fools like me.
Over here in Ohio Once its all buffed and polished the gloss fades and looks kind of muted like it still needs polishing. Can usually spot it from outer space on a repair job. Sometime an enamel that looks a mile deep out of the gun and still wet will loose its shine as it dries . We call both of those die back because the shine "dies back" to being dull.
My 8" grinders go at 5000 and 8500 ( that's a monster) and are about twice the weight of my variable speed sander/buffer. Presta certainly is more economical than 3m , I'll have to give it a try
3m #06068 Perfect It. Foam pad. Followed w/ Malco Plumb Krazy glaze foam pad. Both done with a rotary buffer. Follow this w/ Wizard Sealant and a orbital polisher and a soft foam pad. Lots of hand work in all the tight places. One of the reasons paint jobs cost $$$.
I start with 1000 grit. I cut a wood mixing stick just shy of the width of the paper. And roll it up with 1000. You can tear it off as it wears out. Then go to 1500 then 2000 by hand. Also get a small squeegee to check the panel as you sand with each grit. The I go over the flat areas with 3000 on a DA. Have not used the 5000 yet. But everyone on here has been giving you great advise. I have used 3M products for a long time. But I just switched to Meguiar's compounds. And I love it. They use a wool pad. Witch I thought I would never use after 3m Foam pads. BUT with theirs you dont get have the mess. And the buffing compound leaves very little swirls. Only thing with Meguiar's is. Its harder to find in stores then the 3M. Good luck with it.
I have also been using the Transtar cutting compound (5361) seems to work like the 3m Perfect-it compound of a few years ago before they went to the lov VOC stuff. You can feel a little grit when you rub it between your fingers. I was not impressed with the polish though and stick with the 3m.
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