Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: pinkduster]
#1512657
10/05/13 09:40 AM
10/05/13 09:40 AM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 143
Crofton, MD
bri440
member
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member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 143
Crofton, MD
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I did the same thing with my car several years ago. Even if you used high temperature hardener for the clear, 48 hours is plenty of time. Go easy on the sandpaper grit and let the compound to the work for the buffing.
Good Luck
Last edited by bri440; 10/05/13 09:52 AM.
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Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: bri440]
#1512659
10/05/13 12:20 PM
10/05/13 12:20 PM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312
Cincinnati, Ohio
Challenger 1
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312
Cincinnati, Ohio
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Quote:
I did the same thing with my car several years ago. Even if you used high temperature hardener for the clear, 48 hours is plenty of time. Go easy on the sandpaper grit and let the compound to the work for the buffing.
Good Luck
My car was buffed 24 hours later and was not baked. If you wait much longer than 48 hours it's going to get too hard and make it a much tougher job.
It did sit outside that afternoon in the sun the same day it was painted. Then the next morning they buffed it. I was there both days learning and getting in the way. 
Myself and Marz528 did most of the body work before a buddy painted it at his bodyshop.
Cut and buff the very next day and I took it home this day. My car was only there for 10 days. 8 years later the paint is still near flawless. Just as good as the day it was painted, honestly.
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Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: pinkduster]
#1512661
10/05/13 04:43 PM
10/05/13 04:43 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,157
Mass
DAYCLONA
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,157
Mass
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Quote:
How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing fresh base coat/clear coat paint?
Some guys are to quick to cut/buff paint, they polish the surface, and sure it looks good, but the paints are still slowly gassing out, and while you might not notice it with bright/light colors, the peel that you color sanded off will come back slowly, sand/color scratches that you "compounded/polished" out, will slowly rear their head in the finish, esp with dark colors...
BC/CC I like to let sit for 3-4 weeks, then start color sanding the clear with 800 lightly, just to break the gloss, then 1000, then 1500, then 2000, and finish up with 2500, or 3000 grit if it a very dark or black car,....then there's no need for compound, just polish the finish, I find sanding the finish 3-4 weeks is less of a chore than sanding a "gummy" finish still gassing out after just a few days, plus there's no need to re-cut/compound/polish the finish later because it re-orange peeled, or sand scratches swelled...
Mike
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Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: pinkduster]
#1512662
10/05/13 05:50 PM
10/05/13 05:50 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,160
Benton, IL.
DaveRS23
Special needs idiot
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Special needs idiot
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,160
Benton, IL.
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All good answers here. And on target. The reality of "how long to wait" is that it depends on a lot of factors. Not the least of which is how fast the clear is. But in general, later rather than sooner is the safest route. While the clear may be a little harder to cut if you wait, you won't mess it up by waiting. You can, however make a mess by getting at it too soon. If a customer is in a hurry and I use a fast panel clear, we're on it in a couple of days. If it is mine and I care more about quality than quickness, I wait a couple of weeks. 
Master, again and still
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Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: DaveRS23]
#1512663
10/05/13 09:53 PM
10/05/13 09:53 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,653
Near Reading PA USA
pinkduster
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,653
Near Reading PA USA
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Thanks everybody. This is my first attempt at wet sanding and buffing. It's just the hood and cowl panel for my Jeep, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but it is black so....  I went at it this afternoon after my daughter's soccer game. So far, I just did one half of the hood and I'm amazed! Started out with 1500 and then 2000. Could probably start with 1000.  One thing that did surprise me was, after I had all the peel knocked down and the entire finish was flat and dull, I used the buffer and my compound, but some minor peel was revealed after buffing. So I had to do a little more wet sanding even though, to my eye, there was no peel. 
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Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: pinkduster]
#1512664
10/05/13 10:38 PM
10/05/13 10:38 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,160
Benton, IL.
DaveRS23
Special needs idiot
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Special needs idiot
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,160
Benton, IL.
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Check on your sanding progress with a squeegy. Wet the panel down good, then squeegy it off. That's quicker than buffing and re-sanding.
Master, again and still
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Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: pinkduster]
#1512667
10/06/13 12:28 AM
10/06/13 12:28 AM
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,096
Waddell AZ
azblackhemi
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,096
Waddell AZ
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Quote:
Thanks everybody.
This is my first attempt at wet sanding and buffing. It's just the hood and cowl panel for my Jeep, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but it is black so....
I went at it this afternoon after my daughter's soccer game. So far, I just did one half of the hood and I'm amazed! Started out with 1500 and then 2000. Could probably start with 1000.
One thing that did surprise me was, after I had all the peel knocked down and the entire finish was flat and dull, I used the buffer and my compound, but some minor peel was revealed after buffing. So I had to do a little more wet sanding even though, to my eye, there was no peel.
When you're color sanding don't try to do a whole car with a couple of sheets of sandpaper even though the company reps tell you their sandpaper is better because you can do a whole car with 3 sheets. Bull Crap! You need to keep the paper fresh so it actually cuts the surface flat. Worn out paper will look like it's cutting it flat but it's just kind of floating over the orange peel. It will show as shinny orange peel after buffing. An extra $20 worth of sandpaper will make a huge difference.
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Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: azblackhemi]
#1512668
10/06/13 12:44 AM
10/06/13 12:44 AM
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493
Granite Bay CA
Kern Dog
Striving for excellence
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Striving for excellence
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493
Granite Bay CA
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Quote:
When you're color sanding don't try to do a whole car with a couple of sheets of sandpaper.
You need to keep the paper fresh so it actually cuts the surface flat.
An extra $20 worth of sandpaper will make a huge difference.
Great points! I feel that the paper should do the work. If you have to increase the sanding strokes or press harder, the paper is worn out.
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Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: pinkduster]
#1512669
10/06/13 01:12 AM
10/06/13 01:12 AM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,157
Mass
DAYCLONA
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,157
Mass
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Quote:
I do not have a squeegee. I was using an old chamois to dry it and check the peel. Should have used compressed air to dry if off faster maybe. Does a squeegee make the process faster? If so, where can I get one?
When I wet/color sand, I like clean water, don't use a bucket (just holds all the grit), I use a spray bottle to wet the surface, and to rinse it off, as well as striking the water off with half a wiperblade refill after sanding a small area, say a sq. ft. at a time (I sand in 2 opposing 45 degree angles, never repeating the same overlap) use a squeegee to strike the water off to see how much you've cut the finish, and what you may have missed (no squeegee, use half of an old/clean windshield wiper refill blade) sometimes a little dishwashing soap in the spray bottle slicks up the surface to glide the paper, it's important when getting into finer grits like 2000 plus to flush the surface frequently, and have clean water, smallest amount of dirt will cause a scratch under the paper...change paper often, as soon as it's "dead' a new piece, I like to wrap a piece of paper on a hard rubber block for color sanding, most body supply stores sell them, I use the 3"X5X1/4" thick, for small long areas like the top of a door sill, or narrow fender/qtr edge, the old standby of a wooden paint stick for blocking, does the trick, never color sand with out a hard surface/block/pad under the paper, only amateurs color sand with paper folded in 3rds and use the palm of their hands to glide the paper, a firm surface under the paper assures a flat finish later, esp with black/dark colors
Mike
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Re: How long should I wait before wet sanding and buffing?
[Re: DAYCLONA]
#1512670
10/06/13 11:46 AM
10/06/13 11:46 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,160
Benton, IL.
DaveRS23
Special needs idiot
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Special needs idiot
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,160
Benton, IL.
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Sand, rinse, squeegee, examine. Doing that frequently gets us the best and quickest results.
Wal-Mart, etc and most any auto supply have the car wash squeegees anymore. We use them after a wash to knock down the bulk of the water before chamoising. They advertise the squeegees as a replacement for the chamois. They aren't. But they do save time and wringing.
And then we use the same squeegee during most sanding operations.
Kinda handy really. Of course, the wiper blade would work too.
Master, again and still
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