wetsanding tracers continue to haunt me...

I

imported_paradigm

New member
the last time i practiced wetsanding (unigrit 2000/2500/3000) on my 92 accord, i ended up with numerous tracers. not sure where i went wrong, since i rinsed carefully and did small sections at a time. :bawling:



so, i've tried to polish them out numerous times...PC...rotary...now tonight, i tried my new edge 2000 pads on the rotary. i hit the marks with the rotary + yellow edge 6" + OHC @ up to 2300rpm. NOTHING. switch to HTEC...1700...2100...2300....NOTHING.



so, i'm pretty sure these things are not coming out unless i wetsand them out and retry the whole process. they are not that deep either (can't feel them with fingernail). not worth it anymore to keep wearing away the cc.



ugh.
 
paradigm said:
the last time i practiced wetsanding (unigrit 2000/2500/3000) on my 92 accord, i ended up with numerous tracers. not sure where i went wrong, since i rinsed carefully and did small sections at a time. :bawling:



so, i've tried to polish them out numerous times...PC...rotary...now tonight, i tried my new edge 2000 pads on the rotary. i hit the marks with the rotary + yellow edge 6" + OHC @ up to 2300rpm. NOTHING. switch to HTEC...1700...2100...2300....NOTHING.



so, i'm pretty sure these things are not coming out unless i wetsand them out and retry the whole process. they are not that deep either (can't feel them with fingernail). not worth it anymore to keep wearing away the cc.



ugh.
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If you finished up with 3000 grit, you should be in good shape. I had the same *frustration* recently, and it takes some time and patients to correct. :hairpull



Here's what worked for me:



-Menzerna Power Gloss (or the compound of your choice) by hand on the tracer marks. Work the product *lightly* and against the grain of the tracer mark. This will swirl the he** out of your paint, but it's a breeze to remove. I use a MF pad or a MF work towel folded in 4th's when working by hand. Use an ISO spray to ensure that you're leveling the mark out.



-Use a SMR or stronger via a 4" orange spot pad to start the clean up process. This may take several passes -be patient. Keep a close eye on the paint temp. If it heats up, move on to another area, and re-visit. A mist of water on the pad or panel will make many polishes more aggressive during 'cutting' chores.



-Move to a milder polish/pad combo to finish up.



Take your time, and all will go well. It's a tedious process, but I think you'll be very happy with the results.



During the entire process: Keep a supply of fresh towels & pads on hand. I went through 4 sets of 4" pads on the cyclo for 1/2 of my hood (as an example).



Hope this helps.
 
With some guideance I did some 2500 wetsanding on this black porsche 928 Followed the wetsanding with black wool and presta 1500.



I also wetsanded w/ 2500 a few spots on my brothers blue vette when I detailed it over the w/e. This time I tried the green edge wool w/ p1500, it took all the sanding marks out with no problem.
 
See, again more and more people are wondering why their problem was not been corrected and waste alot of time. If you are sanding or compounding a resaonable amount of area, you really need a wool pad to fully correct what has been created. Some body shops can get away with using a foam pad, but that's on fresh/soft repaints only.
 
David Fermani said:
See, again more and more people are wondering why their problem was not been corrected and waste alot of time. If you are sanding or compounding a resaonable amount of area, you really need a wool pad to fully correct what has been created. Some body shops can get away with using a foam pad, but that's on fresh/soft repaints only.
Click to expand...



I agree. I was frustrated with leaving sanding marks and found out that no matter what compound or pad I would use would get them out. A painter friend of mine told me to use a wool pad, and bang! Worked like magic! I used farecla g3 as a compound.
 
yep, I wasted hours trying to remove 2000 grit sanding scratches with HTEC and yellow Foam. It just won't work. You have to step up to a wool pad at 2000+ rpm on a rotary. I wouldn't even attempt trying to do it with a PC.
 
I don't know if anyone has recommended wool or not ;) but you just might, I mean maybe want to give a wool pad a try.:D
 
thank you for the comments. the key issue is that i said "tracers"...if that is the correct term. all of the actual sanding marks came out no problem...i just have nasty straight line scratches from something that contaminated one of my unigrit sheets (piece of paint? dirt? something). so, the surface is perfectly mirror like, except for about half a dozen ugly straight scratches. i thought those were referred to as "tracers", since it lines up with the pattern i was using when sanding.



wool will be my next adventure. i think i'll go with Edge 2000 wool pads. i really liked the smoothness of the pads on the rotary. i don't care for the system on my PC though.



thanks again!
 
Why dont you wetsand those scratches with 3000 unigrit in the opposite direction and then polish it out again?
 
What ever you do, make sure to use the most aggressive wool cutting pad so that you don't need to do this again. That's alot of sanding and buffing for a paint job.
 
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