first wetsanding attempt...

[imported_paradigm]

i tried wetsanding for the first time today...using the winter beater as the victim. i chose two obvious scratches that can be felt with my fingernail over the majority of the scratches lengths.



i used 2000 and 3000 grit paper, soaked in water for about 45 min prior to starting. also used a mixture of car soap and water in a spray bottle to keep the area wet during the process.



before:



http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/paradigmy2k/wetsanding/before_scratches1.jpg





after sanding:



http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/paradigmy2k/wetsanding/inprocess_scratches1.jpg

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/paradigmy2k/wetsanding/inprocess_scratches2.jpg

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/paradigmy2k/wetsanding/inprocess_scratches3.jpg



after 3 passes with OHC and a 4" orange...then OP and a 4" green pad:



http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/paradigmy2k/wetsanding/after_scratches1.jpg

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/paradigmy2k/wetsanding/after_scratches2.jpg





what i learned:



--use a smaller piece of sandpaper (should`ve done the pencil trick) to avoid excessive wear on surrounding paint

--perhaps go AGAINST the grain of the scratch instead of with it?



the hardest part was that i didn`t know when to stop...since i wasn`t filling in the scratch (not deep enough for that really), i didn`t have a "blob" that i was trying to level.



thoughts?

[imported_paradigm]

one more question....



can someone tell me what it says on the back of your meg`s unigrit 2000/3000 sandpaper (or post a pic)? the paper i ordered online was supposed to be meg`s unigrit...but it doesn`t say meguiar`s anywhere on the back...or unigrit...i think it`s a different brand and the store did a bait-and-switch on me. i don`t really care THAT much...but will just avoid purchasing from them in the future if so.



thanks

[SpoiledMan]

Meguiar`s uses "Nikken" paper. It`s high quality stuff.;)

[imported_paradigm]

ah...cool...that`s what mine says on the back. i was just expecting it to say meg`s or unigrit somewhere. :)

[socommatthews]

looks like a good improvment especially for your first attempt.BTW what does OHC and OP stand for?

[deadlock32]

next time you can get come touchup paint at paintscratch.com and fill it in and then wet sand. then you are golden^_^

[Accumulator]

Yeah, I too think that turned out well. And I dunno about "--use a smaller piece of sandpaper (should`ve done the pencil trick) to avoid excessive wear on surrounding paint.."... Sometimes that makes for a narror "trough" where you did the sanding as opposed to a more gradual, spread-out repair. Sometimes it`s better to use one and sometimes the other, so I wouldn`t second guess yourself too much.