Question about polishing/rubbing out a paint job

[bigdodge88]

Hello everyone,

I am in the final stages of finishing my entry for the GearZ contest and I have a polishing question. I have painted and cleared the car with three coats of each. I then wet sanded it with 2000 grit sandpaper, followed by 3M rubbing conpond and then finally wax. It doesnt have the shine that all of the models do hre on the site. What am i doing wrong? Am I forgeting a step? It is sort of shiney but I can still see lots of fine scatches in the paint. How manytimes are you supposed to rub the car down with rubbing compound before it has that mirror finish I am after?

Also, am doing this all by hand if that makes difference.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated,

Justin

[a/gass]

Hello everyone,

I am in the final stages of finishing my entry for the GearZ contest and I have a polishing question. I have painted and cleared the car with three coats of each. I then wet sanded it with 2000 grit sandpaper, followed by 3M rubbing conpond and then finally wax. It doesnt have the shine that all of the models do hre on the site. What am i doing wrong? Am I forgeting a step? It is sort of shiney but I can still see lots of fine scatches in the paint. How manytimes are you supposed to rub the car down with rubbing compound before it has that mirror finish I am after?

Also, am doing this all by hand if that makes difference.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated,

Justin

dont really know about rubbing compound only use it in corners(like in the edge of trim on body or hard 2 get spots but im getting toothpick things with various grits 4 finger nails from my sisters girlfreind who does nails 4 a living)i use micro polish cloths start with 3600 and go 1 by 1 till 12000 then micro polish wax.

[Foxer]

I don't consider myself a polishing expert but 2000 grit is pretty course. The polishing cloths I use go as fine as 12000 grit and then still need some polishing compound to get the final shine up. The coarsest grit I'll start polishing with is usually 3200 when I have a lot of orange peel. I doubt a polishing compound could take 2000 grit scratches out.

Edited May 4, 2011 by Foxer

[935k3]

Higher grit sanding and also a finer grade polish used after the compound. Such as Tamiya Fine polish or Novus #2 to name a few will help

Edited May 4, 2011 by 935k3

[Bruno]

Hello everyone,

I am in the final stages of finishing my entry for the GearZ contest and I have a polishing question. I have painted and cleared the car with three coats of each. I then wet sanded it with 2000 grit sandpaper, followed by 3M rubbing conpond and then finally wax. It doesnt have the shine that all of the models do hre on the site. What am i doing wrong? Am I forgeting a step? It is sort of shiney but I can still see lots of fine scatches in the paint. How manytimes are you supposed to rub the car down with rubbing compound before it has that mirror finish I am after?

Also, am doing this all by hand if that makes difference.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated,

Justin

Those fine scratches you see could be a)sand paper scratches, not polished enough, b)too rough compound or c) too rough polishing cloth or dirt/dust in polishing cloth

I sand in straight lines, then polish in swirl movement (hope you understand, my english is far from perfect...) this way I know if the scratches I see are sandpaper scratches or compound/polishing scratches.

Here's how I do it; I use automotive 2 part urethane clear, which is harder to polish than lacquer, for example, I wet sand with 2000 grit sandpaper and then hand polish with 3M polishing glaze #05996 and a Scotties tissue, no wax (still, it's a good idea to use wax, I'm just too lazy...)

Hope this helps.

[raymanz]

BigDodge,I can't really help ya on this build. But,I always add a little clear to my paint right from the get go and get a real shinny shine. Also and I've also found out if I add just a little extra thinner to the paint it seems to be skinnier. You,know come to think of it-how humid was it when you painted the car? That will kill a shine. Are you wet or dry sanding-I'm thinking your wet sanding-right. And myself I don't do the polishing compounds except in tight spots. Good Luck and hope ya figure out was the problem was and pass on any info if you do.

[RickRollerLT1]

I hate wetsanding a paintjob because most of the time it scratches it up and takes some of the paint away. I considered using the tamiya fine grade sandpaper/polishing compound stuff at one point, but it's expensive and some ppl say it dosen't cut it with the small amount they give you! (I know there's Novus, but I can't find it at most of the LHS's I go to, and getting it online costs about $11 dollars more to ship it!)

If wetsanding gets the best of ya, I'd try polishing out the body with good 'ol toothpaste and attack it with some Pledge Future Floor Wax. That's what I do and most of the time it comes out very suscessfull with a sandin' here and there.

Hope this helps,

V

[bigdodge88]

Thanks for all the help guys! I did wet sand it with the 2000 grit. Then polished it with 3M polishing compound & scratch remover with a very soft old shirt. Then waxed with carnuaba wax and a micro fiber cloth.

I now have a couple things to try to see if I can make this come together. Thanks for all the help and I will let ya'll know how it goes.

Justin

[Trae]

I don't consider myself a polishing expert but 2000 grit is pretty course. The polishing cloths I use go as fine as 12000 grit and then still need some polishing compound to get the final shine up. The coarsest grit I'll start polishing with is usually 3200 when I have a lot of orange peel. I doubt a polishing compound could take 2000 grit scratches out.

Same answer here.

And if I'm using automotive clear, I'll follow it up with a good automotive wax as well.

[shucky]

At this point you could easily use Scratch X and give the body a good "rubbing" 3-4 applications will turn the finish glass smooth. Use a clean cotton T-Shirt and rub the Scratch X into the finish well. Just be careful you do not rub through the clear + watch your edges/corners. I typically do not wet sand my clear.

[Steven Zimmerman]

Several things that I do to get 'shine' on my paint jobs. First thing I do is to wet sand the primer with 1200 grit (wet) before I even think of painting. I lay down several 'wet' coats of paint and let dry. (Drying time will depend on type of paint) I then wet sand the entire paint job (even metallics) with 2000 grit paper,then lay on a couple more coats of paint. With metallics, I thin it down a little more and then clear it; I don't clear solid colors. After paint cures,I go directly to 4000 grit sanding pads until all orange peel is gone (if there is any),and then right to Novus # 2 and then polish. Takes longer, but it works for me! I then polish with Meguiar's Deep crystal paint cleaner(may affect some enamels,try on piece of scrap painted plastic first) It seems to work well on Krylon or automotve lacquer. I then buff with Meguiar's showcar glaze,then wax with Meguiars Gold Class car wax. I know this sounds like a Meguiar's commercial,but that's what works for me. I use flannel cloth I buy at the fabric store; for all steps after the #4000 grit pad,and I use a clean new piece for every step. Good Luck, Steve Zimmerman