sneek
08-02-2008, 11:16 AM
Wetsanding is an often misunderstood process. It is one that can if done correctly can give a show car that perfect look, or simply just fix deep scratches or flaws. It isn't for all cars, but it is a more controlled process for material removal. Wetsanding a factory paint job usually isn't a good idea, but if you seek that perfect look, and are willing to sacrifice paint life, wetsanding might just be your ticket. I take no responsibility for what you do!! If done incorrectly, wet sanding can completely destroy a paint job. It takes a lot of patience, care, skill and dedication.
Parts of this car were wetsanded to remove deeper scratches, as well as defects in the paint inflicted by a bodyshop.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_3904.jpg
The body shop must have done a final sand with a D/A...The problem was that their papers must have been dirty, or they pushed too hard on the sander, either way the paint is almost non reflective and it looks quite poor! There is very little reflection from the rear bumper because of the very heavy orange peel. Overall it was a poor job done by the body shop! Polishing with a heavy compound would not be a safe way to remove these defects, so I chose to use a more controlled method for material removal. This was wet sanding. I started off with 2500 grit, using 8-12 stokes then checking for progress. I personally wanted to be very careful and conservative. When wetsanding, I prefer to let the paper soak for at least 20 minutes. Get a spray bottle add in a hint of soap, I personally prefer M00. Flood the paint you plan on sanding with the spray bottle. (Sorry no pics of this I didn't want to get my new camera wet!). Using a block is optional, but I prefer to use one as often as possible for consistent pressure. Sand in one direction for 8-12 stokes, squeegee off the paint, and inspect the finish. Are the defects removed? If so then you can stop sanding.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4045-1.jpg This is what a partially sanded finish looks like. the right side has been fully sanded. If you look, you can still see the pig tails in the paint, where as the other side looks flat. When you are done sanding, I like to give the paint a nice wash and dry, just to make sure you have removed anything on the paint finish. Depending on your tools and skill set, the next step is to either wetsand with a finer grit paper, or to polish out the sanding marks.
In this case, I knew I could remove 2500 grit sanding marks, but I resanded some spots with a 3000 grit paper. I polished the paint back up to gloss with a 6.5" Lake Country foamed wool pad and Meguiar's M105 at 1500, then 1000RPM. There were *very* light swirls left over from the wool pad. The paint was still glossy, and reflective. Much more than it was before.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4046.jpg
Notice how the paint is actually reflective again?
I tried to capture the paint from the same angle
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4048.jpg
One nice side effect of wetsanding is that you can reduce or ever eliminate orange peel
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4027.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4029.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4028.jpg
Hopefully I will be able to get more pictures of the process up soon. The truck that I was supposed to detail today is MIA, so we shall see when I get a chance to better document the process.
Parts of this car were wetsanded to remove deeper scratches, as well as defects in the paint inflicted by a bodyshop.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_3904.jpg
The body shop must have done a final sand with a D/A...The problem was that their papers must have been dirty, or they pushed too hard on the sander, either way the paint is almost non reflective and it looks quite poor! There is very little reflection from the rear bumper because of the very heavy orange peel. Overall it was a poor job done by the body shop! Polishing with a heavy compound would not be a safe way to remove these defects, so I chose to use a more controlled method for material removal. This was wet sanding. I started off with 2500 grit, using 8-12 stokes then checking for progress. I personally wanted to be very careful and conservative. When wetsanding, I prefer to let the paper soak for at least 20 minutes. Get a spray bottle add in a hint of soap, I personally prefer M00. Flood the paint you plan on sanding with the spray bottle. (Sorry no pics of this I didn't want to get my new camera wet!). Using a block is optional, but I prefer to use one as often as possible for consistent pressure. Sand in one direction for 8-12 stokes, squeegee off the paint, and inspect the finish. Are the defects removed? If so then you can stop sanding.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4045-1.jpg This is what a partially sanded finish looks like. the right side has been fully sanded. If you look, you can still see the pig tails in the paint, where as the other side looks flat. When you are done sanding, I like to give the paint a nice wash and dry, just to make sure you have removed anything on the paint finish. Depending on your tools and skill set, the next step is to either wetsand with a finer grit paper, or to polish out the sanding marks.
In this case, I knew I could remove 2500 grit sanding marks, but I resanded some spots with a 3000 grit paper. I polished the paint back up to gloss with a 6.5" Lake Country foamed wool pad and Meguiar's M105 at 1500, then 1000RPM. There were *very* light swirls left over from the wool pad. The paint was still glossy, and reflective. Much more than it was before.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4046.jpg
Notice how the paint is actually reflective again?
I tried to capture the paint from the same angle
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4048.jpg
One nice side effect of wetsanding is that you can reduce or ever eliminate orange peel
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4027.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4029.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/sneeky_munkey/IMG_4028.jpg
Hopefully I will be able to get more pictures of the process up soon. The truck that I was supposed to detail today is MIA, so we shall see when I get a chance to better document the process.