68darrt
Well-Known Member
i have heard the term "Wetsanding" alot in the bodywork threads and i have a vauge idea of what it is, but i was wondering if anyone could fill me in on the proper way to wetsand and the advantages to doing it.
Wetsanding??
- Thread starter 68darrt
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tobysoldblue
tobysoldblue
For one,it makes the sandpaper last longer,wich save money.Wet sanding doesnt make dust that can get trapped in hidden places only to come out when you paint the car.Any time you wet sand,USE A SANDING BLOCK!It doesnt have to be an expensive block,i use regular paint paddles,or mixing sticks,what ever you want to call them.Cut them about 6 inches long,roll the sandpaper tight around them and go to it.Use a guide coat.Either a spray primer,or an actual guide coat you can buy.Its just misted on lightly.Yous sand in a criss cross pattern,just until the guide coat goes away,then move on.When you water sand before buffing,or color sand as a lot of folks call it,its the same principle,just finer sand paper
pastortom1
Well-Known Member
You can now buy foam rubber sanding blocks at auto-body supply houses.......they work best for wet sanding.
You can use your hands for small areas, but wear some gloves of some sort.......the paper will actually wear your fingers down....gets pretty painful sometimes.
Use lots of clean water as you sand......it flushes dirt and particles away from the sanded area so you don't get bigger scratches in your paint. 8)
You can use your hands for small areas, but wear some gloves of some sort.......the paper will actually wear your fingers down....gets pretty painful sometimes.
Use lots of clean water as you sand......it flushes dirt and particles away from the sanded area so you don't get bigger scratches in your paint. 8)
Small Block
Well-Known Member
Heres a good idea. Always keep the paper wet and to keep from dunking the paper down in a bucket of water get you a spray bottle of water and use it as needed. I saw one guy at the swap meet this weekend that took one of those round floaty things for use in the pool and glued paper to it and made a round paper form sanding unit. Worked good and cheap to fab up. Those rubber pieces are good to use also. Good luck.
I have about 60 hours of wetsanding and buffing into my paint and I still have a little to do. I made a foam pad up out of closed cell foam. I used 1500 and 2000 grit paper. Keep the paper wet at all times. I used a pump spary bottle filled with water and a little liquid dish soap. It is amazing the difference this makes to a paint job. Be very carefull not to over sand any one area. I used circular motion while sanding. What you are looking to do is get all of the high spots in the paint off. You will know when you have achieved this as the sanding will all be at one level with no dimples. Then you have to buff the paint after sanding. Use a variable speed buffer at the lowest settings and buffing compound. I used a medium and a polishing compound. There are video's on how to do wet sanding. It would be a very good idea to pick one up and watch it a few times before you try it.
Jack
Jack
nasty69
junior member
to coyote jack and others,
one thing the buffers at our shop started doing was, cutting it starting with 1200, then running over with 2000 really lightly , then back over it with 3000, the 3000 makes it much easier for buffing. its unbelievable the amount of time saved. makes for a cleaner finish IMO
one thing the buffers at our shop started doing was, cutting it starting with 1200, then running over with 2000 really lightly , then back over it with 3000, the 3000 makes it much easier for buffing. its unbelievable the amount of time saved. makes for a cleaner finish IMO
Backtobasics
Well-Known Member
Most have covered it well.
Purpose, is to knock down the high spots on painted cars, to achieve the glass smooth finish. Paint will have dull finish and little spot of shine, idea being you sand until the finish is all dull, and therefore, the entire surface is the same level, so when polished, surface is flat, even, and as smooth as possible.
Done with very fine paper in stages, and done wet to offer a little lubrication between paper and paint, for paper longevity and smoothest surface possible.
Purpose, is to knock down the high spots on painted cars, to achieve the glass smooth finish. Paint will have dull finish and little spot of shine, idea being you sand until the finish is all dull, and therefore, the entire surface is the same level, so when polished, surface is flat, even, and as smooth as possible.
Done with very fine paper in stages, and done wet to offer a little lubrication between paper and paint, for paper longevity and smoothest surface possible.
fulltank
Well-Known Member
If you want your sandpaper to last longer let it soak in your water for a bout 10 minutes before you start sanding the backing will have absorbed the water by then.
OldVart
Well-Known Member
68darrt: The guys just gave you some very good answers, but it depends on what stage you're at with your car.
If you're still doing the initial body work, then 'wetsanding' is exactly what Toby explained above. You use water to keep your sandpaper lubricated and clean while you sand your panels straight.
If your car is already painted and you want to 'colorsand', then that's what Jack described. You're using progressively finer grades of sandpaper to cut down the orange peel, then remove the sand scratch marks from the coarser sandpaper until you can actually buff the paint and remove all of the marks.
Hope this helps.
If you're still doing the initial body work, then 'wetsanding' is exactly what Toby explained above. You use water to keep your sandpaper lubricated and clean while you sand your panels straight.
If your car is already painted and you want to 'colorsand', then that's what Jack described. You're using progressively finer grades of sandpaper to cut down the orange peel, then remove the sand scratch marks from the coarser sandpaper until you can actually buff the paint and remove all of the marks.
Hope this helps.
pauly v.100
Well-Known Member
want to learn to wetsand, go to a fiberglass boat shop, im sure they'd be happy to teach! lol
i had a foam block wrapped wet paper stuck in my hand for months at at time when i was building sailboats, would have been good time to be criminal since i had no fingerprints
i had a foam block wrapped wet paper stuck in my hand for months at at time when i was building sailboats, would have been good time to be criminal since i had no fingerprints
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