How damp is too damp for a vacuum cleaner?

T

techNIX

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Well i decided to go out and try to wet sand some old touch up paint blobs, the result was ok but now i have a couple of parts that are still kinda dull. i used 1000 grit sand paper and turtle wax rubbing compound. should i try and use more rubbing compund or sand it some more with 1500 grit and try the rubbing compund? most rubbing compunds ive seen have said they will take out 1500 grit or finer scratches.
 
I would say you should have started with finer paper, between 3000 and 2500 grit. Perhaps you should try some 3M FI-II or possibly harsher to get those scratches up. Follow up with some 3M SMR.
 
I am thinking that the rubbing compound may be to abrasive than what you need. Depending on the product, rubbing compound can be the equivilent to 1500 grit dry sanding.



You may want to try 3M Swirl Mark Remover, or 3M Finesse it instead.
 
alright ill try those, one more thing should the paint be dull until i wax it. it was still a little dull but after putting wax on it i can barely tell. thanks.
 
It's the coumpound and the paper. Start off with a finer paper, 2000 to 2500 than use 3M's finesse IT2 than a 3M swirl remover.



You need to work progressively finer, the TW compound and 1000 grit paper are much to abrasive products to work with.



No the paint should be shiny before waxing, wax does not add much shine, it's all in the prep work, get the paint perfect before waxing or sealing.
 
3M FI-II takes out 1500 grit scratches, no more. Says so right on the bottle. 3M compunds are usually labeled to tell you what they will do.
 
If the sandpaper marks are out but the paint is still dull, then you'll need to use a finer polish to bring back the luster of the paint. I've used 3m rubbing compound on paint before and it hazes the paint. You'll need to use something like 3m Swirl Mark Remover or Meguiars #9 to bring back the deep shine.



Regarding the comment on wax. You paint should already be shinny before you apply wax. Wax only provides a wet look and protection. The polish is what will make you have a good shine.
 
I've wet-sanded two of my personal cars ('98 Cherokee and '93 Prelude). I did the entire cars and have tried different things but here's what worked best for me:
3M wet/dry 2000 or 1500 grit sand paper
Prefer 2000 grit, but depends on the amount of orange peel.
Small Plastic squeegee
Soft foam sanding block
3M Perfect-It III rubbing compoung (3M# 05933)
Tried 3M# 05396 Extra Cut Rubbing Compound-too coarse!
3M Perfect-It Foam Polishing Pad Glaze (3M# 05996)

Obviously, the finer the sandpaper, the less work to regain the shine. Use the squeegee frequently to make sure you quit sanding as soon as you can to prevent burn-through. Really hit tops of fenders, etc quickly because if you're gonna cut through the clear, it will be in those areas. Also, resist the temptation to forego the sanding block, just the uneven pressure of your fingers on the sandpaper will cause you to cut too far. Another thing I found was that rinsing your water pan and replacing water often will prevent a lot of small scratches.
Jeep1.jpg
 
dlw, I've seen the results that you got from wet sanding your Jeep and I'm speechless. You are THE WET SANDING MASTER!

I'm going to do the same with repainted bumper that has more orange peel than original and I'm also trying to perfect my touch up technique. My questions are :

What sanding block are you using? I can't find anything locally and I'm affraid to use those big rubber ones.

Do you apply any pressure when sanding?

What do you use as lubricant - water with soap?
 
for my wetsanding I use:



Meguiar's UNIGRIT 2000 grit papers



Meguiar's UNIGRIT Backing Pad/Squeegee (serves dual purpose)



My mix is 50/50 distilled H2O and Meguiar's #00 Hi-Tech Wash



rub unidirectionally, same as if you were using clay. I try to stay in the direction of windflow over the surface.
 
F1Crazy, I use a couple of different 3M sanding blocks. One is a yellow rubber block that resembles a wood plane, it's about 4 inches long and 2" wide. It's good for big flat panels, but for most uses I have another 3M block that is actually a soft rubber pad about 4" X 2" but only about 3/8' inch thick. It's real flexible and grips the paper well. I've never used anything but water as a lube when wet-sanding, but a restoration friend of mine recommended a little liquid dishwashing soap in the water, so I'm gonna try that next time. I had to really work hard wet-sanding both the laquer color and clear coat on my son's Prelude and my friend said the dishsoap would have made it easier.
Prelude_after_doorjeep.jpg
 
As the title says, how damp is too damp to use a standard vacuum on carpeting that has been sprayed with APC for cleaning? I have always used a wet/dry so never worried about it but in many cases it would be the same if you use a "bag" filter (in addition to the pleated paper filter).in the wet / dry.
 
I don't know that I would ever use a home vacuum for anything wet. Give it a try and let us know. Why are you even thinking of using a vacuum like that anyways? Shop vacs are so cheap, especially with craigslist.

Sent from my HTC Vision using Tapatalk
 
MrGolfRider said:
I don't know that I would ever use a home vacuum for anything wet. Give it a try and let us know. Why are you even thinking of using a vacuum like that anyways? Shop vacs are so cheap, especially with craigslist.
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I used the word damp not wet. When I clean carpets with APC, I scrub with a Mothers carpet brush, vacuum, then spray carpet with APC (like 10:1) but it is not wet like with an extractor, bit more scrubbing or wiping, then vacuum. I may wipe the carpet down with a terry cloth before I vacuum with the wet/dry. The question is doing this with just a vac bad. The worst I see is the filter gets a little damp.
 
I do not have any experience with this, so take this advice with that in mind: Try pressing momentarily with moderate pressure with a terrycloth towel. If it creates one big spot, then it's too wet. If it absorbs in a splotchy pattern, then it is probably safe. But I would still prefer to use a wet/dry vac just to be certain.
 
I would not use a dry vacuum on a damp carpet. My day job is as the owner of a Janitorial Supply Distributor. I fix vacuums all the time that have rusted motors casued by someone vacuuming the carpets when they are wet. You will get away with it for a while but it is not long term. If you deal with damp carpets, where damp is defined as a vacuum will take out moisture I would suggest investing in a spotter which is nothing more than a mini extractor. You could also let them air dry or force dry them with a air mover type fan.

I have a spotter, a steamer and a wet dry vac. I extract my interior 1x per year after the winter and when the temperature is above 40 degrees. I dry vacuum, pre spray, extract with just water and then extract with just vacuum.

You can also get quite a shock vacuuming wet carpets with a dry vacuum!
 
JSFM35X said:
I would not use a dry vacuum on a damp carpet. My day job is as the owner of a Janitorial Supply Distributor. I fix vacuums all the time that have rusted motors casued by someone vacuuming the carpets when they are wet. You will get away with it for a while but it is not long term. If you deal with damp carpets, where damp is defined as a vacuum will take out moisture I would suggest investing in a spotter which is nothing more than a mini extractor. You could also let them air dry or force dry them with a air mover type fan.

I have a spotter, a steamer and a wet dry vac. I extract my interior 1x per year after the winter and when the temperature is above 40 degrees. I dry vacuum, pre spray, extract with just water and then extract with just vacuum.

You can also get quite a shock vacuuming wet carpets with a dry vacuum!
Click to expand...


Great write up and suggestion too!
 
Your better off just using a shop vac.

On a side note,

You wouldnt believe the amount of gunk you can pull out of carpet floormats by pressure washing them.

It also gets all the residual cleaner out.
 
Bunky said:
I have always used a wet/dry so never worried about it but in many cases it would be the same if you use a "bag" filter (in addition to the pleated paper filter).in the wet / dry.
Click to expand...

Your suppose to remove the filter if your vacuming water Weightlifter
 
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