Help my scratch and paper issue.

J-RodsGarage

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Hey guys, I recently had my 71 C-10 painted and Im currently in the process of wetsanding and buffing the whole machine. Here is a pic of my baby
IMG_20110626_125551.jpg


Back to business... I have started to work on the hood and fenders and I seem to not be able to get rid of most of the scratches. I show my dad, of whom has painted and buffed out many things in his day(he painted the truck) and he is saying it looks great, but to my standards its not really gonna fly... I had been hand wetsanding it with 1500 grit wet-or-dry. The compound that Im using is 3M Rubbing Compound 05973 Claiming that its used for cutting 1200-2000 grit sanding marks. Using this with a DeWalt rotary buffer and a foam pad.
Now, I have done these steps to find out that it isnt pleasing my wants, and I want to get rid of these scratches that I can still see. Do I just go back at it with maybe a 2000 grit and then a 3000 and try buffing again? Or do I need to take another step before I hit it with the sandpaper again?

That leads me to my next question... Where is everyone getting sheets of 2000, 2500 and 3000 grit?
Also, am I missing any other steps? Any pad recommendations? Im all ears to hopefully get this situation figured out...

Thanks guys! :dblthumb2: You rock
 
You need to use a finer polish after the compound. What you are seeing is more than likely micro marring caused by the compound.
 
When you use a heavy compound, the abrasives often leave marring of their own after they have cleaned up the sanding marks. You need to use a finishing polish and pad in order to remove these marks. M205 is a great finishing polish.
 
When you use a heavy compound, the abrasives often leave marring of their own after they have cleaned up the sanding marks. You need to use a finishing polish and pad in order to remove these marks. M205 is a great finishing polish.

I had tried using this 3M Machine Polish 05996 afterwards and followed a test spot with 3M Hand Glaze 05990 but Im still seeing scratches... Maybe its my technique?
 
Are you using the same pad for all of the steps?

No, for the initial compound I used a green pad, if I remember correctly(I have been overseas for the last 3 months, so my exact recollections are kinda blurry) and then used a grey pad for the other two steps. Cleaning it between stages of course!
 
No, for the initial compound I used a green pad, if I remember correctly(I have been overseas for the last 3 months, so my exact recollections are kinda blurry) and then used a grey pad for the other two steps. Cleaning it between stages of course!

what brand of pads? if you mean a green lake country pad, then its the wrong one for the job. if using a foam pad, then i would be using a yellow LC pad or orange.

for removing wetsanding marks a wool pad would be a better bet than a foam pad, or finish with a finer grit sandpaper. also, try some meguairs M105. its a SMAT product which means that its abrasives dont break down, and finishes a lot better than compounds (leaves little micro-marring) that need to be broken down.

one more thing, if youre finishing with a rotary, be careful of not leaving buffer trails. most guys finish the paint using a DA instead of a rotary after compounding.
 
what brand of pads? if you mean a green lake country pad, then its the wrong one for the job. if using a foam pad, then i would be using a yellow LC pad or orange.

for removing wetsanding marks a wool pad would be a better bet than a foam pad, or finish with a finer grit sandpaper. also, try some meguairs M105. its a SMAT product which means that its abrasives dont break down, and finishes a lot better than compounds (leaves little micro-marring) that need to be broken down.

one more thing, if youre finishing with a rotary, be careful of not leaving buffer trails. most guys finish the paint using a DA instead of a rotary after compounding.

So do you think if I went over the current state it is in, with a wool pad would help? Or should I try sanding it out with some 2000 and 3000 first?

I will try finishing it with my PC after my initial compound buff.

I also notice that megs makes a heavy cut and a light cut wool pad... Any opinions?
 
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