my adventures in painting the car thread, DONE! Some final thoughts... Options

[IronHillRestorations]

+1 on wet coats. Too dry can cause adhesion problems

[914 RZ-1]

Here's the latest results at 72 degrees and about 50% humidity. I got a little bit closer and went a little bit faster. This was taken about 15 minutes after I painted. I have not done any sanding or polishing:

[jd74914]

Much better!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

Tough to tell in this light, but it looks like it should sand nicely. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Cairo94507]

Looks much better; persistence pays off. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[Localboy808]

How many coats did you do? Makes a difference. Hopefully you have enough paint on there. I'm no expert but I like to shoot at least 3 semi heavy coats to feel comfortable cutting and buffing it. If you have at least 3 coats on there I like starting with 800. Just goes faster if you have heavy peel.

[Andyrew]

I wish the humidity was lower, but temps are good!

Very smooth painting! Now you just have to be very careful with the runs (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[aggiezig]

Wow, night and day. Much better! Looks like you have your rhythm down now.

[914 RZ-1]

Here's the latest. I did the front hood. I was waiting for a morning I could paint. It was 65 degrees and about 55% humidity.
I put on 3 coats for those of you who are counting.





I'm not sure where the little "bumps" are coming from. While my hillbilly painting "booth" is not exactly NASA airtight, it's not full of dirt. I strain the paint and use a filter on the gun. I've sanded these out before.

[Andyrew]

Here's the latest. I did the front hood. I was waiting for a morning I could paint. It was 65 degrees and about 55% humidity.
I put on 3 coats for those of you who are counting.

I'm not sure where the little "bumps" are coming from. While my hillbilly painting "booth" is not exactly NASA airtight, it's not full of dirt. I strain the paint and use a filter on the gun. I've sanded these out before.

Dust settles. Without an updraft booth your just not going to be able to prevent this. Wet sanding should always be factored into a garage paint job.

Also note I typically leave my fans on for 12 hours after the last application of paint.

[aggiezig]

Dust settles. Without an updraft booth your just not going to be able to prevent this. Wet sanding should always be factored into a garage paint job.

Also note I typically leave my fans on for 12 hours after the last application of paint.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[914 RZ-1]

I'm now painting the body. Here's the latest. Looks like there's a little orange peel in places (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) :


This is the front by the window. Not bad, got a little dust on it.

[914 RZ-1]

So I've started sanding and polishing the hood. I used 800-1000-1500-2000 and used a spray bottle to keep the surface wet. I then polished with Chemical Guys V32. I can see small scratches in the finish. I'm wondering what I did wrong?

I've watched plenty of videos, but they don't really go over sanding in enough detail. I'm thinking I might not be pressing hard enough, using enough water or just not doing it long enough.

I go in and "X" pattern, not a swirl. The scratches match that.

I started with 1000 in another spot and the finish is better, but there are still scratches.

I used the polisher until the compound turned clear. Didn't press really hard, the pad was spinning (I have marks on it to see that) and moved the machine about 1" per second, maybe a little faster.

Here's a picture, but I'm not sure you can see the scratches:

[Andyrew]

Can you describe how much time your spending on each step?

Your probably seeing 800 grit scratches. I would resand an area with 1k grit, then double the time with 1500 grit and the same time with 2k grit.

Add a little soap to your water (a drop or two) and make sure it's always soaking wet and clean. Sand till it starts to milk up then spray, wipe, spray the paper, sand and repeat.

[ValcoOscar]

Can you describe how much time your spending on each step?

Your probably seeing 800 grit scratches. I would resand an area with 1k grit, then double the time with 1500 grit and the same time with 2k grit.

Add a little soap to your water (a drop or two) and make sure it's always soaking wet and clean. Sand till it starts to milk up then spray, wipe, spray the paper, sand and repeat.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) and stay away from edges during color sanding.

Best of luck Jeff

Oscar

[914 RZ-1]

Can you describe how much time your spending on each step?

Your probably seeing 800 grit scratches. I would resand an area with 1k grit, then double the time with 1500 grit and the same time with 2k grit.

Add a little soap to your water (a drop or two) and make sure it's always soaking wet and clean. Sand till it starts to milk up then spray, wipe, spray the paper, sand and repeat.

I go over it with each grit about twice. Takes about 15-20 minutes for each grit, maybe less. I sand until I have a soup of what appears to be paint and grit, then wipe it down with water and a Harbor Freight microfiber towel (the freebie ones). If I let it dry I can see the places I missed. I use a 16" long Durablock. I think I'm going to get a smaller one.

When I polish I think I'm going over it too fast. I re-watched the Chemical Guys videos and they go a lot slower than I did. They use the same pad and compound I did, but it was on nicer cars than mine.

Sounds like I need to sand with 1000, then do it with 1500 but take twice as long, then do it with 2000 and take twice as long as that (4X the time it took for the 1000 grit), correct? So, for example, 15-20 minutes, then 30-40 then 60-80.

I think I might need to let it dry more between grits and look for scratches. I also bought a more aggressive pad that I will try.

Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[914 RZ-1]

Can you describe how much time your spending on each step?

Your probably seeing 800 grit scratches. I would resand an area with 1k grit, then double the time with 1500 grit and the same time with 2k grit.

Add a little soap to your water (a drop or two) and make sure it's always soaking wet and clean. Sand till it starts to milk up then spray, wipe, spray the paper, sand and repeat.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) and stay away from edges during color sanding.

Best of luck Jeff

Oscar

Thanks Oscar! Always appreciate your comments! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif) I think using a smaller block might help me stay away from edges. That, and being careful!

[Andyrew]

Couple things.


I color sand with a 6" flat rubber block ONLY. Anything larger than that and you probably won't get all the scratches without sanding too deep. Your not using heavy aggressive grits anymore so your not going to cause waves in your paint.

Keep your paper wet!!! I keep a bucket next to me and dunk it in every minute or so. When the paper loads up or about 30 minutes go by I get another piece. One that has been soaking in the water bucket the whole time.


Let's take a 12" square section as an example.

3 minutes with 800 grit (Or until all the material is evenly dull and the orange peel and any imperfections are gone)

6 minutes with 1k grit.

6 minutes with 1500

6 minutes with 2k.

Compound 1-3 minutes. (10 passes, slow pace, slowest speed with your orbital that will allow rotation of the psd)


These numbers seem a bit high in my head but let's just say they are right.

[914 RZ-1]

So here's the latest. I sanded with 1000. Got a few low spots (shiny in the pictures). Should I just keep sanding with 1500 then 2000, then polish these areas? Or should I fix these areas? I don't want to repaint if possible. Seems like they will polish out and not be noticable. I'm going for the "daily driver 10 foot" paint job. This is a hobby, not a concourse car. Thoughts?

[Andyrew]

Close-up of the shiny spot please?

You've taken the rest of it down that far I would hate for the orange peel to be uneven...

[914 RZ-1]

Close-up of the shiny spot please?

You've taken the rest of it down that far I would hate for the orange peel to be uneven...

Here you go:


I bought a yellow hex logic pad, which is a little rougher and I plan on using that to see how it works.