Wet sanding headlights and paint

[Ls1transam]

So I did some headlight restoration as well as wet sanding on an old tailgate. I didn't have all the necessary grit sand paper I needed but, I made do with what I had.

 

Headlights: I started wet sanding with 800 grit. Then I went to 2000 grit and last 2500 grit. It would have been nice to have some 1500 and 3000 grit but I was out so, I made do. After I used my Rupes 15mm Mark 2 with Adams MF cutting pad and correction polish. Then I used Adams white foam pad and finishing polish. I made 5-6 passes with each step. The results were amazing!

 

Now for the tail gate: I've never wet sanded paint before. I'll be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. I wet sanded with 2000 grit making 6-8 passes maybe? Then I used 2500 grit and made probably 9-10 passes. I was going straight up and down with the sanding block. After that, I used Adams MF cutting pad with correction polish, then the orange foam pad with correction polish again. Last step was Adams white foam pad and finishing polish. I made 6-8 passes on each step. Ive noticed Adams correction and finishing polish love lower temps and humidity. In the summer this stuff burns up quick, like 2-4 passes. Today it's 50ish degrees and no humidity and the working time was way longer with the Polishes. So here are a couple pics. I took a video that really shows the difference. But YouTube kills the quality so I won't bother uploading it.

 

 

 

[BrianT]

Looks great!

[Ls1transam]

Thanks!

[SumBeach35]

Looks great. I really want to try the polisher based damp sanding pads. I'm hoping to buy a panel to test out on this spring.

[Ls1transam]

Looks great. I really want to try the polisher based damp sanding pads. I'm hoping to buy a panel to test out on this spring.

That would be a huge time saver

[KeepinWithJones]

Amazing work!! Both on the headlights and tailgate. I just want to talk about the tailgate. You did the right thing by using a block for wet sanding. Being a painter i always use a block to wet sand. Just a tip on picking the right block. On a panel like a tailgate you can use a little stiffer block because it is flat panel. If you plan on hitting a panel with body lines and curves you need a block that is going to flex with the panel. (if you would like a reference as far as good kit to buy for wet sanding blocks i can send you a link) The only thing i would recommend is stepping to 3000 and then 5000. This is just my personal preference it seems to make the polishing a little easier and quicker.

 

Looks great. I really want to try the polisher based damp sanding pads. I'm hoping to buy a panel to test out on this spring.

Ive never heard of these but im gonna go out on a limb and say this is something you put on the polisher (kinda of turning it into a DA) and use to wet sand. Just a word of caution. I will admit i am very new to the auto body world. Ive been in it for 2 1/2 years and painting for about 1 1/2 (I got really lucky with the opportunity) Ive learned a lot and still have much more to learn. But I personally wouldnt recommend using that system. From what ive been taught and learned its better to wet sand by hand. You have more control, and its more attention to detail. That is solely my opinion. At least for your heavier grits. Once i get to 3000grit and 5000 grit i will use DA to wet sand. And only do that because yes it is quicker. This is not to say you cant do it using that tool on a polisher because i have used that method ( just not that system) and had great results. I just believe its safer to do it by hand and you can pay more attention to detail.

 

If im way off base with what that tool is then i apologize for misunderstand it.

[Ls1transam]

 

Amazing work!! Both on the headlights and tailgate. I just want to talk about the tailgate. You did the right thing by using a block for wet sanding. Being a painter i always use a block to wet sand. Just a tip on picking the right block. On a panel like a tailgate you can use a little stiffer block because it is flat panel. If you plan on hitting a panel with body lines and curves you need a block that is going to flex with the panel. (if you would like a reference as far as good kit to buy for wet sanding blocks i can send you a link) The only thing i would recommend is stepping to 3000 and then 5000. This is just my personal preference it seems to make the polishing a little easier and quicker.

 

Ahhhh yes. I was wondering about doing curved panels or going across sharp body lines. Any video I found they were demonstrating on a flat surface. I thought, I'll be removing way too much material with this block. So I was wondering how that worked. Again, I had no idea what I was doing on the tail gate lol. But the results were mostly great. There were a few scratches that wouldn't come out. But it was 92-95% I'd say. I would like a link to that sanding kit though. It's something I'm very interested in getting into.

[SumBeach35]

Amazing work!! Both on the headlights and tailgate. I just want to talk about the tailgate. You did the right thing by using a block for wet sanding. Being a painter i always use a block to wet sand. Just a tip on picking the right block. On a panel like a tailgate you can use a little stiffer block because it is flat panel. If you plan on hitting a panel with body lines and curves you need a block that is going to flex with the panel. (if you would like a reference as far as good kit to buy for wet sanding blocks i can send you a link) The only thing i would recommend is stepping to 3000 and then 5000. This is just my personal preference it seems to make the polishing a little easier and quicker.

 

 

Ive never heard of these but im gonna go out on a limb and say this is something you put on the polisher (kinda of turning it into a DA) and use to wet sand. Just a word of caution. I will admit i am very new to the auto body world. Ive been in it for 2 1/2 years and painting for about 1 1/2 (I got really lucky with the opportunity) Ive learned a lot and still have much more to learn. But I personally wouldnt recommend using that system. From what ive been taught and learned its better to wet sand by hand. You have more control, and its more attention to detail. That is solely my opinion. At least for your heavier grits. Once i get to 3000grit and 5000 grit i will use DA to wet sand. And only do that because yes it is quicker. This is not to say you cant do it using that tool on a polisher because i have used that method ( just not that system) and had great results. I just believe its safer to do it by hand and you can pay more attention to detail.

 

If im way off base with what that tool is then i apologize for misunderstand it.

The pads I am talking about are foam backed and come in 3" & 5". I'd personally only use them for 3k and 5k grit. From what I have seen in videos I'd use them mainly for large panels and only to put a good non directional finish before polishing. I have seen it used to more level off orange peel than where the hard foam block is used by hand to correct heavier defects or areas where more control is needed. The foam would correct less quickly in some aspects. I am by no means the most knowledgeable in this area but I do plan on getting a test panel and trying this out this spring and summer and making a post about my trials and tribulations.

[KeepinWithJones]

For doing it for your first time and getting that great results is great! I will definely send you that link in a PM in a moment. (not to sure to what the rules are as far as posting non Adams links are)

 

 

 

The pads I am talking about are foam backed and come in 3" & 5". I'd personally only use them for 3k and 5k grit. From what I have seen in videos I'd use them mainly for large panels and only to put a good non directional finish before polishing. I have seen it used to more level off orange peel than where the hard foam block is used by hand to correct heavier defects or areas where more control is needed. The foam would correct less quickly in some aspects. I am by no means the most knowledgeable in this area but I do plan on getting a test panel and trying this out this spring and summer and making a post about my trials and tribulations.

I did some research on what you mentioned and that actaully looks pretty cool. I cant say i personally would use them but I definitely plan on picking some up and and at least trying it. As far as removing orange peel it is better to do so by hand from my point of view. Granted this is just from my experince and the way ive been taught. Its just one those things where you can pay more attention to detail and it is safer. You are correct on your statement about using a block in areas where there are heavier scratches and defects. I also dont use a foam block for wet sanding. its a differnt type of block system and it works great. I think i mentioned before that I have used a DA to wet sand and there is nothing wrong with it really. If i am pressed for time its what i do. But ill even use 3000 and 5000 by hand. I look forward to your write up with your experience.

 

One other important thing to know before wet sanding is knowing how much material you have to work with. Some spots could have more clear and other could have less. Just something to keep in mind to avoid a burn through.

[Ls1transam]

For doing it for your first time and getting that great results is great! I will definely send you that link in a PM in a moment. (not to sure to what the rules are as far as posting non Adams links are)

 

 

 

 

I did some research on what you mentioned and that actaully looks pretty cool. I cant say i personally would use them but I definitely plan on picking some up and and at least trying it. As far as removing orange peel it is better to do so by hand from my point of view. Granted this is just from my experince and the way ive been taught. Its just one those things where you can pay more attention to detail and it is safer. You are correct on your statement about using a block in areas where there are heavier scratches and defects. I also dont use a foam block for wet sanding. its a differnt type of block system and it works great. I think i mentioned before that I have used a DA to wet sand and there is nothing wrong with it really. If i am pressed for time its what i do. But ill even use 3000 and 5000 by hand. I look forward to your write up with your experience.

 

One other important thing to know before wet sanding is knowing how much material you have to work with. Some spots could have more clear and other could have less. Just something to keep in mind to avoid a burn through.

I want a paint depth gauge pretty bad. But heyre so expensive. For me I can't justify buying one when I'm only learning for myself as an enthusiast.

[LT1xL82]

I want a paint depth gauge pretty bad. But heyre so expensive. For me I can't justify buying one when I'm only learning for myself as an enthusiast.

Good tools sure do get expensive. I do not have a gauge. I do light polishing and correction...very rarely deep scratches. If I did any more correction I'd have a gauge. I'd rather spend the money with a tool supplier than a paint shop!