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Help me out here guys...Buffing Q's

6K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  TurboS10 
#1 ·
Okay I did not get any response on this so I am going to repost since it is off the first page now. This is my clear coat sanding procedure. Am I doing something wrong? I cant get it as Slick as I think it should be.

First, I am sanding with a block and 1500 grit until all the texture of the paint is gone and there is just a smooth dull finish. I am buffing with a wool pad at 1500rpm. When I buff it up to a shine some of the surface texture miraculously comes back. I tryed sanding a small area again thinking I was maybe using too much pressure and it did the same thing. Dont get me wrong it is very minor, and you can only see it in the reflection at an angle to the body. It is about as bad as factory paint. Am I expecting too much for it to have no "ripple" at all?

Second, I used the 3M buffing compound for the initial buffing and the 3M machine polish for the final. I washed down after finishing to remove any residue. In the sun, you can still see a bit of "spider webbing" from tiny scratches. I have been told that a coat of wax will clear it up, but is this normal to still have? I was under the impression that it should come out, but I cant seem to get it all.

Thanks,

Chris
 
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#2 ·
you could have a problem with the clear. If it has any air bubbles in it it will continue to show up after you buff it. If you used to much pressure while buffing you could have burned the clear causing it to "melt" and compound being burned into the clear. If this is the case I might consider trying to sand and buff again but if you did not get a lot of clear on the car you could burn through to the base coat. you might consider sanding the problem panels with 600-800 and re-clearing the panels.
 
#3 ·
You could also have a problem in the base coat if it keeps coming thru. If you spayed the base coat w/a conentual(as opposed to a HVLP) you might have too much of a build-up. You want to put on just enough of the base coat to cover.
I used a Binks model 7 for 30 yrs & it served me well untill I stated bc/cc & it just layed down too much paint for the base coat. The HVLP guns put down a thin coat of bc.....I bought 2 HVLP guns untill I found one that sprayed good enough for me...Sata model 2000. Lets us know how you made out.......Don, (Custodian of Rolls Royce SRX-1414,a Model A streetrod & a Shelby Cobra)
 
#4 ·
There are no bubbles in the clear, and I dont believe that the clear would have gotten hot enough all over to cause the compound to embedd in the clear, but i dont know that for sure. I used very light pressure and kept the buffer moving.

I shot everything with an HVLP. I used three coats of base and three coats of clear. I dont think I used too much base. It took two coats to get it covered and I put one more light coat on to make sure the pattern was good.

Data sheets say not to wax it for 120 days, so I have not tryed that all over yet. I did try it in a small area, and it helped 100%. This makes me think that maybe I need another type of compound or something.

Chris
 
#5 ·
i believe what you may be seeing is called puddling.i have had to wetsand using a flat paint stick cut 8 inches long and starting out with 800 grit then go to 1000 to 1500 then 2000 grit.it seems that the more agressive paper flattens out the surface more completely.the puddling i've experienced is small waves in clear or solid color urethanes.
 
#6 ·
"Puddling"...just the discription sounds like what I am seeing. It is not orange peel. The coats went on wet with no orange peal. It is tiny waves like you described, and it is urethane clear. I guess I will have to try the more agressive paper.

Any ideas on the minute compound scratches Collins MoCo?

chris

[ December 21, 2002: Message edited by: TurboS10 ]</p>
 
#8 ·
Hey Turbo,
I don't know if you get Northern Rodder where you are at but it might just also be in Southern Rodder...There is a complete 4 or 5 page article on color sanding, buffing, and rubbing out. THe Northern Rodder is the one with the flamed '33 Willy's on the front. Might get some pointers in there that would help you out. Also you may want to check this out <a href="http://pub26.ezboard.com/fpaintucationfrm1" target="_blank">http://pub26.ezboard.com/fpaintucationfrm1</a> It's from the guy that wrote the article. His homepage is <a href="http://www.paintucation.com" target="_blank">www.paintucation.com</a>

Kevin

[ December 22, 2002: Message edited by: Kevin45 ]</p>
 
#13 ·
The little "spider web" scratches caused by the buffing compound can be removed with the application of a product called "Black Satin" (I think that is the name anyway.) It is a thin black liquid that you buff into the clear coat, then you mix it 50/50 with wax and hand wax the car. I buy it at our local automotive color outlet where I buy my paint, thinner etc.

Ben
 
#14 ·
All of the responses are close but...You need to use a more agressive sand paper first. I suggest 1000 then go to 1500 then 2000. The 1500 made you think the orange peel was gone but it only smoothed out the waveyness. I don't think your seeing bubbles or heat had effected the paint. You sound like you way beyond that. Try a new area with 1000 etc. once you buff the area to the desired finish go over it with whatever glazing system you like. 3M and Meguires have good products for this. Hard is not a problem soft is worse. Secret is to do samll areas at a time , keep pad clean. Use a good lambs wool pad. Try an air sander that is made for this purpose with 2000 paper on a trial area. They also make 3000 for finish work which you may need to fix the areas you buffed before.

md
 
#15 ·
Hi I've had the lite scratching show up after buffing a lot. Most times the car the car is shinny and smooth,enough so that I'm the only person who knows they are there. But I've come to the conclusion that it's better to wetsand between color coats,especially before the finnal color coat.Make it as flat,smooth and dirt free as possible,so you don't have to polish it,or to be able to use as lite a polish as possible. I think this is true on enamel and ureathanes,because they dry so slow.They are hard on top and soft underneath,no matter how long you wait! If I were you I'd let the car sit a few more months then rebuff with a very lite glaze.Maybe try just by hand. Good luck Tim
 
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