How to go about sanding and buffing out paint?

[nitro_force_fan]

What the easiest way to go about sanding and buffing out a paint job. I ve never tried it before and dont want to screw iy up untill i know what im doing...lol..........anyone?.Thanks .Joe

[Erik Smith]

Hey Joe...

Get yourself a micro mesh polishing kit, or equivalent. The kits are either pads or sheets of very fine abrasives that, when applied in successively finer "grits", will smooth out a paint job.

Look at your paint and try to guess which is the finest grit that will remove the orange peel or debris you have and start from there down. If it's not coarse enough, go up one more grit (or to a more coarse grit) and try again. Once you can get rid of all the orange peel, then start down the grits (don't skip any grits) to the smoothest pad or cloth, which will actually feel like paper or something it's so fine. You should alternate your sanding patter with each grit so you can make to sure to get all the scratches from the previous grit before moving on. Oh, also, do this all WET! I have a little tub I fill with water and a couple drops of soap (to break surface tension). DO NOT SAND DRY!

Concentrate on highly visible, large, flat areas - roof, hood, trunk, tops of fenders. That will be what people will see more than anything. Be very careful around ridges, corners, or any surface deviations - you can very easily sand through your gloss and color exposing the primer or plastic below. Disheartening, to say the least. It's a big let down if that happens because it's usually after you have spent 1 or 2 hours prepping and working...

After all the pad/cloth grits, get a soft cloth and use something like Meguiar's (sp?) Scratch X and rub the whole body. Then I use Micro Mesh polishing compound, and finally, Tamiya Fine paste stuff applied with a microfiber polishing cloth (like a lens cleaning cloth).

Go slow and careful! I have seen some polishing pads at Hobby Lobby, but haven't tried them myself. I use Micromesh.

[ScaleDale]

Erik: A+ on your spelling, young man!

I use a 3000 grit sanding pad from 3m that I got from the auto store for a first go over and follow it up with the 12000 and 32000 grit from the aforementioned polishing kit if needed. I have the Scratch X 2.0, but use it with caution as it is a polishing compound and will lift your paint. I finish off with Zymol Cleaner Wax and their Detailer Spray. The previous polishings might seem like they remove some of the sheen and these products will put it back. They are upper crust auto products and not cheap. Recommended by Dr. Cranky.

Take your time with this process. Don't force the issue with polishing or sanding, let the weight of the material do the work. It's the last step and the one that scares me the most other than painting, that is.

Dig through Dr. Cranky's videos. Everything I know about polishing that doesn't mess stuff up I learned from him.

Dale

[GeeBee]

I've added a page on my website on wet sanding, I hope you find it helpful ....

http://geoffbrownsmodelling.webs.com/painting-and-wet-sanding

[Modelbuilder Mark]

... Be very careful around ridges, corners, or any surface deviations - you can very easily sand through your gloss and color exposing the primer or plastic below. Disheartening, to say the least. It's a big let down if that happens because it's usually after you have spent 1 or 2 hours prepping and working...

Amen! Chanting to myself "Away from the edges, away from the edges!"

I STILL do this up more often than I like.

[ZTony8]

Tape off sharp edges and corners while doing your sanding/polishing.And ,for a while until your skills improve,avoid doing bodies that have a lot of creases and ridges ( i.e. '63 Chevy,'67 GTX,'66 Wildcat and full sized Mercury).Otherwise you might go nuts trying to shine all those crevices and valleys.

[nitro_force_fan]

Hey Joe...

Get yourself a micro mesh polishing kit, or equivalent. The kits are either pads or sheets of very fine abrasives that, when applied in successively finer "grits", will smooth out a paint job.

Look at your paint and try to guess which is the finest grit that will remove the orange peel or debris you have and start from there down. If it's not coarse enough, go up one more grit (or to a more coarse grit) and try again. Once you can get rid of all the orange peel, then start down the grits (don't skip any grits) to the smoothest pad or cloth, which will actually feel like paper or something it's so fine. You should alternate your sanding patter with each grit so you can make to sure to get all the scratches from the previous grit before moving on. Oh, also, do this all WET! I have a little tub I fill with water and a couple drops of soap (to break surface tension). DO NOT SAND DRY!

Concentrate on highly visible, large, flat areas - roof, hood, trunk, tops of fenders. That will be what people will see more than anything. Be very careful around ridges, corners, or any surface deviations - you can very easily sand through your gloss and color exposing the primer or plastic below. Disheartening, to say the least. It's a big let down if that happens because it's usually after you have spent 1 or 2 hours prepping and working...

After all the pad/cloth grits, get a soft cloth and use something like Meguiar's (sp?) Scratch X and rub the whole body. Then I use Micro Mesh polishing compound, and finally, Tamiya Fine paste stuff applied with a microfiber polishing cloth (like a lens cleaning cloth).

Go slow and careful! I have seen some polishing pads at Hobby Lobby, but haven't tried them myself. I use Micromesh.

So if I want to put decals on do I do that before I put the clear on and will it be ok to wet sand and buff without hurting them? Thanks ......joe

[ScaleDale]

Don't sand or use anything other than a wax on naked decals. Sanding, even the extreme fine grit stuff, is still sand paper and will lift the finish. same with polishing compounds. I like to polish, add decals and finish with either a top coat of clear or a wax to seal the decals in.

Dale