Wetsanding orange peel

StriderTacticaL · 09-16-09, 03:43

I would like to have a go at wetsanding my hood as I suspect it's been repainted (bought the car used) and the orange peel is terrible. I have some experience in wetsanding which I do when I touch up my paint chips.

I have a question about the actual process. I've heard it is a good idea to take off the edges of the hood as the paint is really thin in those areas and I easily risk taking off the clear entirely. I've also heard that I should use a sanding block. Now the problem is my hood (and probably all hoods) are not exactly flat and I also have some subtle styling lines and edges on it. I was wondering how I am suppose to go over them with the sanding block or should I risk just sanding my hood completely by hand?

Thanks,
Brandon

mystic04 · 09-16-09, 08:13

Good idea is to ask bufferbarry he wet sands often.

yakky · 09-16-09, 08:22

I'm no pro but I have wetsanded a few cars with bad orange peel. You are going to need some flexible sanding blocks and good paper. ADS sells both of these. I'd also get a test panel from a junkyard to practice on. If the orange peel is really bad, you may only be able to make it a bit better. As far as the edges, you should be more carful around them and sand almost to the edge, but not the edge itself.

DavidB · 09-16-09, 08:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by StriderTacticaL

I was wondering how I am suppose to go over them with the sanding block or should I risk just sanding my hood completely by hand?

Brandon,

Never by hand, always with a sanding block. The sanding block keeps the paper perfectly flat for a more precise cut. You will have fewer deep sanding scratches to remove and the overall result is better. It's safer, too.

Be sure to pre-soak your paper in water for 20-30 minutes. This softens the paper to prevent scratching.

Put a small amount of car wash soap in your water bucket. A few drops is enough. This provides more lubrication.

On your first time out, use 2500 or 3000 grit paper. You can't do much damage with paper this fine. It's a good way to get the feel for the process.

the other pc · 09-16-09, 09:10

Just to get the terminology clear, sanding with a block is considered hand sanding, because you’re pushing the block around with your hand.

As opposed to machine sanding, where you’re using a machine (usually a pneumatic Dual Action sander).

But like DavidB said, sanding with only your hand and no block is a recipe for bad results.

Blocks for finish sanding on paint are made of moderately stiff foam. They’ll conform to gentle contours.

pc

mixxmstrmike · 09-16-09, 09:42

Just to add to this, there are different shapes of sanding blocks that will conform better than your average rectangular block. I have had to use a cylindrical block to sand a few concave spots near body lines. If you have access to a body shop supply store, they should have several of these sanding blocks on display.

Good luck,
Mike

JohnKleven · 09-16-09, 11:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidB

Brandon,

Never by hand, always with a sanding block. The sanding block keeps the paper perfectly flat for a more precise cut. You will have fewer deep sanding scratches to remove and the overall result is better. It's safer, too.

Be sure to pre-soak your paper in water for 20-30 minutes. This softens the paper to prevent scratching.

Put a small amount of car wash soap in your water bucket. A few drops is enough. This provides more lubrication.

On your first time out, use 2500 or 3000 grit paper. You can't do much damage with paper this fine. It's a good way to get the feel for the process.

I agree with everything you have said, and you CAN start with 2500 grit, BUT if you're looking for the best results, then I recommend starting with a more aggressive paper. I personally start with 1000 grit, not so much because it saves time by not having to sand so much, but this actually shears off the orange peel without just rounding the tops. If you use 2500 grit you will be able to wetsand the paint to match the rest of the car, BUT will never be totally flat.

John

StriderTacticaL · 09-16-09, 11:42

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Most of my wetsanding experience comes from what I learned to do when I touch up my paint chips. I recently put on a new spoiler on my Mustang and I had my stock spoiler off which had a lot of bad orange peel particuarly on the underside. I thought I would give it a try to wetsand and I was fairly comfortable using 1500 and then finishing it off with 3000 just to experiment. It still needs to be buffed (I don't have any machines yet) but I could already see the huge improvement in the reflective quality.

I have some meguiars unigrit 3000 wet/dry which I quite liked so I'll probably stick to that brand of sandpaper.

Can anyone give me a link to where I can get that flexible sanding block from "ADS"?

Thanks

the other pc · 09-20-09, 05:46

Meguiar's Sanding Pad

Flashtime · 09-20-09, 06:14

Here's a good set: Motor Guard: Surface Conditioning

*You can also use small pieces of plexiglass or wood for itty-bitty spots.

carlsson · 09-20-09, 08:26

If one is wet sanding an orange peel situation with a clear coat paint would not the clear be removed almost immediately from the high spots on the orange peel? You'd have flatter paint, but you'll have removed a lot of clear coat from sanding down all the high spots. There would only be clear left in the valleys. Am I wrong in this assumption?

RickyMartinZ28 · 09-21-09, 07:07

You're right, thats as far as you want to go ideally.