How to Properly Wet-Sand and Polish Clear Coat

C

chanh55

New member
Hi I'm new to the forums, was referred here by my brother who says this is the best detailing forums in the world.



I have a Lexus SC300 that I just painted. There is a little bit of orange peel going on and the painter said that since I have clear coat I can just buff it out and it'll be like a mirror finish.



I asked around and people say I should wet-sand and then polish it.



1. What do you guys think I should do, what is the proper technique to buff the clear coat to a mirror finish?

2. Being a detailing newb, should I even attempt something like this?

3. I'm from SoCal (714), is there anyone around here interested in doing this for me?



Here are some pics of my car:



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Nice looking car. TO make it short I would not reccomend doing this job yourself. You would need to do alot of sanding which is dangerous if you dont know what your doing and then you would need a rotary buffer to remove the sanding marks which is also very dangerous if you arent firmiliar with it. I would find a shop to perform this work for you and remember you get what you pay for so take that into consideration if you get quotes.



Greg
 
I am just getting into wetsanding (not doing it on customer cars yet), but maybe try 2500 grit, then megs 85, 83, 80, carnauba combo on one panel and see how it turns out...once you get a panel to the standard you are looking for then repeat on the rest of the car....and I guess you need a rotary to remove the sanding marks (a PC will take you forever), then a PC to remove the rotary imperfections....thats just my take on wetsanding....



*now where's my 1500, 2500, and 3000 grit paper at, time to try some more!
 
Hi chanh55, :welcome to Autopia!



chanh55 said:
...There is a little bit of orange peel going on and the painter said that since I have clear coat I can just buff it out and it'll be like a mirror finish....
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What's important is how thick it is. If he didn't lay down enough coats it's easy to sand right through them.



It's best if the painter understands beforehand that you intend to wetsand. That way he can be sure to lay down enough film. Since it's a done deal you'll want to ask him how thick he built the film. If it's not very thick it's best to live with the OP and just go for gloss.



Since you're in the 714 I'd suggest coming to a Meguiar's Wednesday night session to have the gang look it over.





PC.
 
Man, that looks like FUN! If there is indeed enough film build for sanding and whatnot, that will be beautiful in the end.
 
Wow lots of you SoCal guys where the custom is to wash our cars every other day right? Sad but true haha. Do you guys ever get together and do a detailing meet or anything like that?



I just noticed your avatar too SpoiledMan... Autopia is that go-cart ride at Disneyland! hahhaa... I got an annual pass, next time I'm there I'll take some pics for my sig too. =)
 
SpoiledMan said:
Yeah, that's from the ride at Disneyland.:D



How much paint did he spray on your car?
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I'm not sure how much. But I told him I wanted a mirror finish. So that's what the clear coat was for. He said he'll clear coat it enough so that I can buff out any inperfections to have the desired mirror finish.
 
Yeah, there are a lot of us in Car Crazy SoCal. But it's a big place, we're spread from San Diego to Santa Barbara and beyond so meeting up as a group can be a bit of a logistical exercise. There've been a couple get-togethers and we're looking forward to doing more.



I'm in North County, I'll be around Fullerton today.



The Wednesday Meguiar's sessions are at their HQ in Irvine, near John Wayne Airport.





PC.
 
I'll probably hit up a Meguiar's session one of these days. Sometimes they have sessions for just Clublexus Members (my Lexus forum).



Ok, any recommendation on someone willing to do this kind of work?
 
Since it's not an OEM finish, most likely the painter put down a lot of clear in comparison to an OEM so you should be fine.



If the OP is minor, then an aggressive compound and a wool pad MAY work. However, it would be safer and easier to wet sand it first, the buff out the sanding marks.



3000, 2500, 2000 ... all depends on how severe (deep) the orange peel is.



Sanding is pretty easy but it will take you a long time to due an entire car? i.e. 3-4 days of effort probably.



i.e. do the hood and front fender 1-day. Then do the roof and fender another day, then trunk and bumper, then doors another day etc.



A "GOOD" pro with an air powered DA with either the Norton or 3M Trizac system can do it in 1-day and provide probably a much more uniform finish.



Hand sanding is okay for small areas but an entire vehicle could be daunting, especially for a newbie.



If it were me and I'm comfortable detailing, I'd call 3M ask them for rep in your area and work with them to find out who has experience and would be recommended. You can do the same with Meguiars or Norton.



I don't like 3M polishes, but their Trizac System for sanding is pretty cool.



Paco
 
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