Sanding and polishing old clearcoat

[pebbles]

Wet sanding with 1000 grit: part 1.

[bakerjf]

I’d be concerned encouraging novices to start with 1000 grit sandpaper. Personally, I always start with 2000 grit, and if that isn’t getting it done, in the rare case I will go down to 1500. I will follow those up with a 3000 pad, and then a 5000 pad, before compounding and polish. Does it take more time? Absolutely. Will it prevent screwups? No, but it will minimize them. Clean paper, LOTS of soapy water (use car-friendly soap), and frequent pauses to gauge progress is the key. You want to do the bare MINIMUM to get the paint flat - then stop! Stay away from all edges and corners - they’re thin! Sorry if this looks like I’m hijacking your thread, I just don’t want people screwing up their paint jobs.

[ted heaton]

Wet sanding with 1000 grit: part 1.

I can not see the paint shine due to the glare from your BALD head!

Ted

[Linda]

I thought that was very instructive.
Not much pressure applied. Maybe 5-10 seconds of sanding before each wipe with the cloth and checking for how it looks . 1000 grit would seem like the choice for someone with David's experience. It is what HE would do not what you should do if you are a rookie. It is what is possible to do once you get good enough. So he is not saying take 3000 grit and spend a ton of time on one spot , as if this was a video for amateurs. This is purely watching him work, at his speed, with his preferred tools.
To me the message is "Kids don't try this at home, but here is how it is done in production"
Linda

[pebbles]

Part 2: Wet sanding with 2000 grit.

[pebbles]

Part 3: Compounding. The real trick is to get the rotation of the pad to come off of the edge of the part, not into it. I will compound changing the pad rotation in both directions. Similar to sanding.

[pebbles]

Part 4: Final polish, and the close up.......wait for it.....lol

Got about 8 hours total in this portion of the project, Trim R&R was a little less than half of that

[AC77]

Dave, thanks for taking the time to do this. I've only watched the first one so far, but will definitely watch the series. I think we need to get a sanding, compounding and polishing music playlist for you to include in your videos

[Linda]

Very nice, Dave!
A few questions:
You prefer the wool buff pads over the foam? I had read wool was fairly aggressive.
Which products do you use for compounding and your final polish?
Thx
Linda
Videos help owners to appreciate the time and effort it takes to detail a car!

[pebbles]

Dave, thanks for taking the time to do this. I've only watched the first one so far, but will definitely watch the series. I think we need to get a sanding, compounding and polishing music playlist for you to include in your videos

Yep its pretty boring to watch lol i tried to keep them short. 3.5 hours would be dreadful!

Very nice, Dave!
A few questions:
You prefer the wool buff pads over the foam? I had read wool was fairly aggressive.
Which products do you use for compounding and your final polish?
Thx
Linda
Videos help owners to appreciate the time and effort it takes to detail a car!

Wool finish pad. No need to use the heavy wool pads anymore with sandpaper getting upwards of 5000 grit, and non abrasive compounds.
25 years ago just could not get the hang of the foam pads.
The yellow bottle is 3m rubbing compound, the purple bottle is 3m machine polish. I bought this stuff to sand and buff Erics 660z, but he is unwilling to let me do it.
I waxed the green car with some green turtle wax I found at my dads house, before i reinstalled the trim.
I am super anxious to spray it down with some meguiars final inspection (instant detailer).
Im going to try and finish the driver door and the top of the pass door this week.

[pebbles]

I’d be concerned encouraging novices to start with 1000 grit sandpaper. Personally, I always start with 2000 grit, and if that isn’t getting it done, in the rare case I will go down to 1500. I will follow those up with a 3000 pad, and then a 5000 pad, before compounding and polish. Does it take more time? Absolutely. Will it prevent screwups? No, but it will minimize them. Clean paper, LOTS of soapy water (use car-friendly soap), and frequent pauses to gauge progress is the key. You want to do the bare MINIMUM to get the paint flat - then stop! Stay away from all edges and corners - they’re thin! Sorry if this looks like I’m hijacking your thread, I just don’t want people screwing up their paint jobs.

I screwed this one up the first 10 minutes Any Improvement achieved from there has been a bonus!
600 was the finest paper we had back in the olden days wrapping my head around 1000 and 2000 has been an easy transition.
I keep a lot of used paper around for testing
Ive read that progressively using 3, 4, and 5000 grit paper, is to eliminate the compounding process and the mess it creates. Not quite there yet lol.

[Gregs672000]

I like foam over wool myself, but as noted it is personal preference.

[bakerjf]

I like using a real wool pad (not the synthetic phony one’s that are also on the shelves) for compounding, then I switch over to a foam pad for polishing. Meguire’s Ultimate Compound is the best (and easiest) I’ve ever used. Less picky about the polish; I usually use a very low abrasive product though. Meguire’s carries that as well, however.

[Gregs672000]

If you get swilling that will not respond to swirl remover, go with the Eagle one Nanowax... saved me.

[pebbles]

If you get swilling that will not respond to swirl remover, go with the Eagle one Nanowax... saved me.

I only use a fine wool pad now since these ultra fine grit papers and chemical compounds eliminate the need for a heavy wool pad and abrasive compound.
Dont look Tom!
.

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