Paint thickness question

solekeeper

New member
Say you refinished a panel, and wetsanded it with 2k grit (no reduction sanding) by HAND....



And did the same thing again, only this time you sanded with a DA. Is the DA taking off more clear as apposed to the handsanding?





I'm guessing the DA takes off less since you have to spend less time actually sanding and the DA will cut the clear down faster?



Any help would be appreciated guys!
 
solekeeper said:
Say you refinished a panel, and wetsanded it with 2k grit (no reduction sanding) by HAND....



And did the same thing again, only this time you sanded with a DA. Is the DA taking off more clear as apposed to the handsanding?





I'm guessing the DA takes off less since you have to spend less time actually sanding and the DA will cut the clear down faster?



Any help would be appreciated guys!

The only "real" answer is found with the use of an electronic paint thickness gauge.
 
I'd have to ask what are you sanding the panel for? If its to remove orange peel and you carefully inspected during both da and hand sanding it would be equal. You are watching for the paint to be equally dull in all areas with out having shiny "specs" left. Once you cut the "peaks" so the paint is perfectly level the depth of cut would be the same. It sure is easier with a da though!
 
TOG, thank you for that thread!



Mike, i'm not looking to know if the "finish" itself for consistency. I'm more looking to know how many mils of paint are removed from hand wetsanding as apposed to DA sanding.



Example, I refinish a car and it has say, 5 mils. I want to know how much the DA will leave me with after i sand, and how much will wetsanding by hand would leave me.
 
solekeeper said:
TOG, thank you for that thread!



Mike, i'm not looking to know if the "finish" itself for consistency. I'm more looking to know how many mils of paint are removed from hand wetsanding as apposed to DA sanding.



Example, I refinish a car and it has say, 5 mils. I want to know how much the DA will leave me with after i sand, and how much will wetsanding by hand would leave me.

Measure before you start, measure after one pass with whatever, etc.

That is it, no way anyone can provide what you are asking without doing the measurements with an accurate electronic thickness gauge.

Anything else is just a "WAG".
 
Ron Ketcham said:
Measure before you start, measure after one pass with whatever, etc.

That is it, no way anyone can provide what you are asking without doing the measurements with an accurate electronic thickness gauge.

Anything else is just a "WAG".







Yea I know noone can give me an exact number, just kinda looking for general knowledge from people who have sanded both ways on which method takes off more/less clear.
 
I under stand, however if you have followed threads regarding refinishing here, you need to consider some of the "variable's" that are part of "refinishing".

Different clears or single stages cure and compact (become more dense) than others.

Then there is the issue of, if the paint is catalized or pure air cure.

Type of reducer used, and what was the temps, the humidity, as these will often create a different "hardness" in the paint substrate.

Some paints just cure out different and can cure quickly or take a longer time.

So, how long was it since it was applied, etc.

Then it can move on to the brand of sanding paper or disc, and actual grit size, as some are more "exact" in the grit size than others.

Are you going to "dry sand" or "wet sand"?

How can you know that the amount of pressure you will be applying,either by hand or with a DA, in regards to what someone else offers up as their experience?

Which is why the use of an electronic paint gauge is so important so as to not strike through the paint film.

Hope this helps you.

By the way, a mil of clearcoat is not near enough to contain enough UV blockers in the paint film to start with. 5 mil is a little excessive and may create crazing later in the life of the paint film.

The "safe" thing is to understand that only the top 1/2 of a mil of clear is the part that usually contains the majority of the UV blockers and is the most "dense" portion.

That can vary as well, just so difficult to come up with even general answers.

If the vehicle is a "show car" or a "trailer queen" that spends most of it's life in a garage, away from the sun and elements, more clear can be applied to produce a '"deeper" gloss, and seldom will any negative results become apparent.

Unfortunately, many times this is not understood by most.
 
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