Learning to wet-sand?

kovalchuk71

kovalchuk71

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How did you all learn how to wetsand? I would love to learn from a professional, but being in NC I really dont know of any around, and I dont want to be fed false information....Any suggestions?
 
kovalchuk71 said:
How did you all learn how to wetsand? I would love to learn from a professional, but being in NC I really dont know of any around, and I dont want to be fed false information....Any suggestions?
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your best bet would be to check out "you tube's" videos they have on the subject.
then try it out on some old junker parts first...
Good Luck!
 
i learned the basics in a body shop, practiced on my own car and finally taught myself polishing and swirl removal
 
youtube has some good vids on wetsanding. at the very least you'll get an idea of what NOT to do. and that is the most important lesson IMO. Don't sand one area very long at all. better to do too little and inspect is what I've gathered so far.
 
highline1164 said:
i learned the basics in a body shop, practiced on my own car and finally taught myself polishing and swirl removal
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That's pretty much my story as well. I did a lot of work for a body shop, started out counting sanding strokes to avoid going through. Swirl removal and polishing was not something the body shop or anyone else in my area was capable of teaching me, so like every detailer I know, I read and spent hundreds of hours in my garage. Its a right of passage you pretty much need to go through, although it would have taken me a considerable less amount of time had I found a worthy teacher. Don't worry about being original, there's no such thing in detailing and hasn't been for years, just copy what you see experienced detailers do, and go from there.
 
Practice,Practice and keep Practicing. This is the best way to learn in my humble opinion!
 
Raleigh area, Cary to be exact.

I go to school in Greenville, NC though
 
Some vocational schools offer body shop classes and usually the instructors for these classes can show you the basics and more.

If you really want to do some wet-sanding keep in mind the majority of all wet-sanding is done on fresh paint at the body shop level, not factor finishes on new cars. I only point this out because I see so many posts by people that hear and read about wet-sanding then then decide they want to wet-sand their personal car. The problem is their personal car is some new car with factory hard and factory thin paint.

So keep that in mind as you approach this craft.

Getting a hood or trunk lid off a car out of the wrecking yard is a good option, pick up some #1500 and #2000 grip papers, a rubber backing pad and of course a compound, polish, wool pad, foam pad and a rotary buffer and then just get your hands dirty and give it a try.


:)
 
I had a deep scratch which I wiped with IPA and then used the paint pen to repair it. After four days, I used 2000 grit paper to remove the color bump. Unfortunately, the paint came off and the scratch is now back. Previous to using IPA, I had waxed it with M16. So either M16 withstands drugstore bought IPA or the dealer bought touch-up paint does not stick well. The color match is absolutely perfect though.

In the past, I have used similar technique but that was with different paint and also used the brush which came with the paint bottle. Needless to say, the pen does a lot better job than the brush but I wish it had not came off after light sanding.

Any suggestions? Should I have waited longer than 4 days?

- Vikas
 
sontakke said:
I had a deep scratch which I wiped with IPA and then used the paint pen to repair it. After four days, I used 2000 grit paper to remove the color bump. Unfortunately, the paint came off and the scratch is now back. Previous to using IPA, I had waxed it with M16. So either M16 withstands drugstore bought IPA or the dealer bought touch-up paint does not stick well. The color match is absolutely perfect though.

In the past, I have used similar technique but that was with different paint and also used the brush which came with the paint bottle. Needless to say, the pen does a lot better job than the brush but I wish it had not came off after light sanding.

Any suggestions? Should I have waited longer than 4 days?

- Vikas
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Be sure that the surface is nice and clean. Soak the area with IPA using a q tip. Apply several thin coats and allow to dry between coats. If you apply one thick coat it will not adhere properly.
 
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