Junkman's "How to Wet Sanding - The Videos!"

[Junkman2008]

You've asked and asked for it, and I finally made the time and got it done. My start to finish videos on DIY wet sanding!

 

There are 8 videos in this series, however, most of the information will be covered in the first 4 videos. Halfway through the fourth video, I change up and try using the PC-7424 as an orbital sander. Now the only orbital sand paper that I had was 3000 grit, which isn't going to do all that much so I had mixed feelings about the results. Add to that the price of orbital sandpaper and I wasn't about to invest a whole lot of money trying to see what would happen. Maybe somebody from 3M will see this and donate some to the Junkman's research fund!

 

Just as always, READ THE TEXT THAT ACCOMPANIES EACH VIDEO BEFORE YOU WATCH THE VIDEO! This cuts down on the repeat questions that I get, which are usually covered in the text (not to mention the videos). If you skip through the videos and miss something I covered in detail there, I'm just going to send you back to the videos. If you ever have to suffer through uploading videos of high quality to You Tube, you'll understand (it took 12 hours to upload these). Plus, I always get bombarded with questions from people who stumble upon the videos, not having any knowledge of the thread that they are posted in. It actually takes me hours to answer my emails some days!

 

So, with that said, here we go!

 

 

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuYGtOyk-28&feature=plcp&context=C32ddf2bUDOEgsToPDskI63TAiC-WymRrh1AYgP529]Wet Sanding 101 - Part 1 - YouTube[/ame]

 

In this video, I talk about things like the paint thickness gauge, the grits of sandpaper that you can use with Adam's Polishes, and general information on what to and what not to do. I also go into the description of the Adam's Focal Pads and Backing Plate Kit..

 

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8PvDksGSZw&feature=plcp&context=C3271e74UDOEgsToPDskLAeHy7fi0p7EQQ6bYaVSlc]Wet Sanding 101 - Part 2 - YouTube[/ame]

 

In this video, I continue the discussion about the focal pads and start the wet sanding process using the 2500 grit sandpaper. Every once in a while, you may hear me say that I'm using 2000 grit paper. That is not true, that is just me having a senior moment.

 

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EMZJQ6KKko&feature=plcp&context=C3866f86UDOEgsToPDskICMp12nylLxXIwDnxfLEmX]Wet Sanding 101 - Part 3 - YouTube[/ame]

 

In this video, I'm removing the scratches with both grits of sandpaper. Once I get through with the 3000 grit paper, I find that I didn't go deep enough with the 2500 grit. Thus, I repeat the process again. The reason I didn't go deep enough was because I was trying to be careful and not go through the clear coat. This is why you need a paint thickness gauge. Without one, you are just guessing at how much clear coat you have to work with. That hood had been painted before so it has more clear on it than a car that has factory clear on it. Factory clear is notoriously thin and you have to be extremely careful when wet sanding on it.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYXJje9hM0s&feature=plcp&context=C3022bf9UDOEgsToPDskJedRfTdTuFDaXxXDy5SKn5]Wet Sanding 101 - Part 4 - YouTube[/ame]

 

In this video, you see me remove the damage that I've done using the Focal Pads and Adam's Swirl and Haze Remover Car Polish (SHR). Halfway through this video, we are basically done with the repair. I do show you the area that I'm working on and how much of the damage has already been repaired. All that is left is to follow the SHR with the Adam's Fine Machine Polish, and then the wax of your choice. I prefer the new Adam's Americana Premium Paste Wax

 

After that, I go into the discussion of using the PC-7424 as a orbital sander. Since the sandpaper that I was using is so fine (3000 grit), it really didn't do much but laugh at the paint. If I am ever to do this again, I will definitely have to get a heavy grit sandpaper. At $80.00 a box for 15 sheets, I won't be doing it anytime soon!

 

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a0TkuQYsUk&feature=plcp&context=C389df95UDOEgsToPDskLs-H5fsri6Uy0YN7e6wUwc]Wet Sanding 101 - Part 5 - YouTube[/ame]

 

In this video, you get to see me using the PC as a orbital sander using some 3000 grit orbital sanding disk. The results are not what I was looking for as 3000 grit sandpaper is just not harsh enough to do what I was thinking I could do. Had I used some 1500 grit paper, I would have really accomplished something but the damage would have probably been unrecoverable. That would have called for a visit to the paint shop!

 

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVtF382qFGI&feature=plcp&context=C35a92fdUDOEgsToPDskLq3S8g5sjsJj1Ba2djSFDY]Wet Sanding 101 - Part 6 - YouTube[/ame]

 

Just what it says. I use SHR and a orange pad to correct the damage that I did with the orbital sander. I show a new technique that I am using consisting of a lot of pressure with the polisher set on a speed of 5 - 6. As I approach the end of my buffing process, I let up on the polisher and let the weight of the polisher do the final work.

 

I only use this technique with the orange pad, never with the white or black pads.

 

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flv5XAH8vLs&feature=plcp&context=C3f8cb6eUDOEgsToPDskK12cl809j4Ozh_g9tPhjMx]Wet Sanding 101 - Part 7 - YouTube[/ame]

 

In this video, we look at the results of my new technique. I also discuss some of the supplies that I used with the orbital sander. The results speak for themselves. Adam's Polishes are for real!

 

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h17o1thCNg&feature=plcp&context=C3cb2a10UDOEgsToPDskIyLj7qKMas0xxyS5-5ya4Q]Wet Sanding 101 - Conclusion - YouTube[/ame]

 

Just as the titles says, I go over everything that I did and give you my insight of the experience. In the end, I will stick to wet sanding when it comes to getting rid of scratches. Maybe if I had to sand a entire panel would I give thought to using the PC as a orbital sander but for now, it's one scratch at a time.

 

 

 

Well that's it folks! Give'em a watch and let me know what you think. I think you'll find them as educational as always, with me showing my senior monents splashed throughout the production. What can an old jarhead say?

 

 

 

Here are some pictures from the experience:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Junkman

Edited February 6, 2012 by Junkman2008

[Superdutytd]

I'm going to go a little bit against the 'ol Junkman and say go for it. I would read up on it and do research anywhere you can. I see no reason, as long as you don't have very much orange peel, that you couldn't do some 2000-2500-3000 wetsanding.. I picked up 2000 grit, and after practicing on my excursion's door before it went in to get replaced (a key part of this story) it looks awesome with perfectly flat clear. Removed the marks pretty easy. I'm not saying it doesn't have risks with things like new clear being softer than clear that has been curing for a while. Take my advice at your own risk but its definitely doable.

[Junkman2008]

I'm going to go a little bit against the 'ol Junkman and say go for it. I would read up on it and do research anywhere you can. I see no reason, as long as you don't have very much orange peel, that you couldn't do some 2000-2500-3000 wetsanding.. I picked up 2000 grit, and after practicing on my excursion's door before it went in to get replaced (a key part of this story) it looks awesome with perfectly flat clear. Removed the marks pretty easy. I'm not saying it doesn't have risks with things like new clear being softer than clear that has been curing for a while. Take my advice at your own risk but its definitely doable.

 

Here's the million dollar question. Would you allow him to come practice on you car first, BEFORE he does his own???

 

If you believe your own advice, you'd arrange for him to use your ride as a practice run. Since you all live in the same state, you have no excuse to say no.

[Superdutytd]

Here's the million dollar question. Would you allow him to come practice on you car first, BEFORE he does his own???

 

If you believe your own advice, you'd arrange for him to use your ride as a practice run. Since you all live in the same state, you have no excuse to say no.

 

Actually yes I would. I have a couple of panels that have been repainted on the Excursion that I know are pretty thick clear and have a bit more orange peel than the rest of the panels. I just haven't got around to doing it yet. Spokane and where I live is almost 300 miles apart though. The door is open if he would like to.

[Junkman2008]

Arrange it and make it happen! I would love to be a fly on the wall when he starts with that 2000 grit!

[LinPark]

Arrange it and make it happen! I would love to be a fly on the wall when he starts with that 2000 grit!

 

You wouldn't last 10 minutes as a fly on the wall in my garage buddy - WHACK!!! You're smushed!

 

I thought in your video you only used 2500 grit and 3000 grit - where'd all this talk of 2000 grit come from?

[Junkman2008]

That was Shane's idea. The PC is a little too light to address 2000 grit paper. It takes quite a bit of time to repair that grit.

[Wilburbeest]

ARE YOU SMOKING CRACK???

 

On what planet did you wake up on that influenced you to believe that you, a total novice to wet sanding (or any other kind of advanced paint care), has remotely the ability to wet sand a freshly painted car?

 

Allow me to revise my response to this. I believe I must be on some really good @#$, and the planet was earth!

 

Junkman, I'm not sure if you're gonna want to slap me, shoot me, salute me, or all 3, but I ended up doing it anyway. Sanded with 1500, stepped up to 2500 in some of the more touchy areas and finished with a Makita rotary borrowed from my neighbor. I'm not quite done yet, BUT no significant damage has been caused aside from one of the mirrors, both of which were expected to have to be resprayed anyway due to some complications when they were shot but I thought I'd try a last ditch effort to save them before respraying them. Turned out the issues were too bad to fix with sanding. Keep in mind this whole project was done with 2 guys working out of a garage, and all finishing work done by me exclusively with ZERO previous experience. The worst thing I have caused so far is some buffer trails (Definitely not the worst I've seen, but more noticeable than I'd like.) that I will be attempting to fix tomorrow/technically today. If I just can't seem to get a swirl free finish with the rotary I'll be picking up a PC from Adam's for the final finishing:) I will say as a side note, I WILL NEVER SAY WHAT I HAVE DONE HERE WAS A "GOOD" IDEA, NOR WOULD I RECOMMEND IT TO ANYBODY. I did it willing to accept the risk involved since there was no other feasible way of getting it done at this point.

 

This probably should have been from a bit further back in retrospect, but here's a flash shot. I think you can see just a bit of the buffer trails I'm talking about in it. More pics after the project is finished, or at least the rotary portion since I don't know if I'll be able to get the finish I want with the rotary/my skill level yet:thumbsup:

 

 

Edited August 24, 2010 by Wilburbeest

[Junkman2008]

Well William, there lies the problem with a rotary in the hands of a novice. You are going to leave buffing trails. It takes lots of experience and someone showing you how to use one to not do so. There is also the pads you use, the products you use and the speed you work at. That's a lot of variable for a novice to consider.

 

At least you didn't burn all the paint off the car. I'm assuming that the area you worked in had been repainted. That was your ace in the hole because stock paint is NOT too friendly. Also, stepping from 1500 to 2500 is a big step. You should have went with 2000 in between those two grits. You should have also finished up with 3000 grit.

 

Looks like no harm, no foul, no blood, no ambulance as Chick Hearn use to say.

Edited February 24, 2011 by Junkman2008

[Wilburbeest]

Well William, there lies the problem with a rotary in the hands of a novice. You are going to leave buffing trails. It takes lots of experience and someone showing you how to use one to not do so. There is also the pads you use, the products you use and the speed you work at. That's a lot of variable for a novice to consider.

 

At least you didn't burn all the paint off the car. I'm assuming that the area you worked in had been repainted. That was your ace in the hole because stock paint is NOT too friendly. Also, stepping from 1500 to 2500 is a big step. You should have went with 2000 in between those two grits. You shou;d have also finished up with 3000 grit.

 

Looks like no harm, no foul, no blood, no ambulance as Chick Hearn use to say.

 

 

I wouldn't think of doing this on stock paint so yes it was repainted. And I doubt I will get good with a rotary without experience so I'll consider buffer trails a minor setback that's quite fixable, either with more trial and error or a PC:patriot: Probably correct that 2000 before the 2500 would have been a good idea, but M105 on the rotary seemed to take out even the 1500 marks pretty easily. I just used some 2500 to make it that much easier. I certainly don't see sanding marks left except for on a few spots I need to touch up. What would you recommend for a finishing polish? What I have right now is some Meguiar's #9 swirl remover, which after some searching around found that apparently #82 (almost the same thing but breaks down slower) would have been a better choice for a clear coat but the #9 is still ok.....oops. is there something else that would be less likely to leave trails though? Also I've been working mostly on the 3rd speed of the Makita with a white foam pad. Does that sound about right?

Edited August 24, 2010 by Wilburbeest

[Junkman2008]

Just about any polish or compound on a rotary is going to remove wet sanding damage. If I were you, I'd be following that M105 (something I definitely would not have used in this situation on a rotary) with some Fine Machine Polish. I won't suggest which is the best choice between #9 or #82 because it has been so long since I've used them, I have forgotten. You'll have to jump over to MOL for that advice.

 

That M105 is definitely one of the reasons that you have buffing trails.

[Sandra Dee]

hey Junky-babes,

reading thru this thread made me a little scared when my new paint job is done on the 370. ? I dont know what "orange peel" looks like on a freshly painted car -have my own novice eyes to look for it. car not done yet BTW

I asked the shop if they wet sand and buff after finishing the paint job-and they asked if I was asking for a show car finish, etc. cuz that would be extra and take two weeks...

[Junkman2008]

hey Junky-babes,

reading thru this thread made me a little scared when my new paint job is done on the 370. ? I dont know what "orange peel" looks like on a freshly painted car -have my own novice eyes to look for it. car not done yet BTW

I asked the shop if they wet sand and buff after finishing the paint job-and they asked if I was asking for a show car finish, etc. cuz that would be extra and take two weeks...

 

Orange peel looks exactly as the name suggest. The surface of a orange has this bumpy texture to it. Pretty much every car you look at today has orange peel. If you spray the clear and then sand it down smooth, you eliminate the orange peel. However, the clear at that point is so thin that you have to spray more clear on the car again and sand it again. This process has to be repeated multiple times in order to build up the clear on the car. This is a costly process but if done correctly, the car will appear to be encased in a coat of glass.

 

You can clearly see the orange peel in this paint. Look how bumpy the reflection looks compared to the reflection in the glass.

 

 

Here's some paint that has been cleared to perfection. No orange peel in this paint.

 

 

But that's part of the reason why the car cost $85,000

 

[Sandra Dee]

:glasses:wow-I see it! I see it!

thank you thank you thank you!

you are the BEST!

[Nordgrey]

AJ, that reflection pic, is that the Shelby? That was amazing in pictures.

[Junkman2008]

Yes, it is a Shelby GT reproduction. Someone scratched the heck out of it and I had to repair it at Fords at Carlisle 2009. There a thread by me on it if you do a search.

[MySierra]

Thanks Junky- I have a new hope now. I was only going with 2500 grit and thought, WTH? Now I'm gonna hit those scratches with confidence...................

Thanks again

[Sandra Dee]

Yes, it is a Shelby GT reproduction. Someone scratched the heck out of it and I had to repair it at Fords at Carlisle 2009. There a thread by me on it if you do a search.

you are THE BEST Junkie babes.

[Junkman2008]

Thanks Junky- I have a new hope now. I was only going with 2500 grit and thought, WTH? Now I'm gonna hit those scratches with confidence...................

Thanks again

 

You're welcome. And you're welcome too Miss Dee!

[w0lfy]

hey Junky-babes,

reading thru this thread made me a little scared when my new paint job is done on the 370. ? I dont know what "orange peel" looks like on a freshly painted car -have my own novice eyes to look for it. car not done yet BTW

I asked the shop if they wet sand and buff after finishing the paint job-and they asked if I was asking for a show car finish, etc. cuz that would be extra and take two weeks...

 

 

hmmm sounds like you may have to learn to wet sand unless you choose the "show car finish option! ha ! you can just get junky to do a clinic in yer town

[Shaw'sShineShop]

Thank you for taking the time to make this! I picked up valuable tips!

[Sandra Dee]

hmmm sounds like you may have to learn to wet sand unless you choose the "show car finish option! ha ! you can just get junky to do a clinic in yer town

hey Wolfy-ha it feels like I wrote that eons ago. since then I have taken the 370 to my automotive tech class and we wet sanded in class. I had to wait 90 days for the paint to cure -so I signed up for a class and tried to get educated.

 

but Junkie babes still the BEST.

[Junkman2008]

Thank you for taking the time to make this! I picked up valuable tips!

 

You're welcome.

 

hey Wolfy-ha it feels like I wrote that eons ago. since then I have taken the 370 to my automotive tech class and we wet sanded in class. I had to wait 90 days for the paint to cure -so I signed up for a class and tried to get educated.

 

but Junkie babes still the BEST.

 

Dang girl, you tool a class? Man, you need to move closer! I need someone that dedicated as my next door neighbor!

[Sandra Dee]

You're welcome.

 

 

 

Dang girl, you tool a class? Man, you need to move closer! I need someone that dedicated as my next door neighbor!

As a Junkette, I must learn the ways of the MASTER.

So much to learn....so little wax....:lol:If I moved next door-would ya peep in my window?

[Junkman2008]

As a Junkette, I must learn the ways of the MASTER.

So much to learn....so little wax....:lol:If I moved next door-would ya peep in my window?

 

No, I'd build a tree house. The view is MUCH better.

[Sandra Dee]

No, I'd build a tree house. The view is MUCH better.

Junky-you keep being naughty and Santa not going to bring you anything either....