# wet sanding tips for a lazy dude



## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

My car was painted in 1998 at Maaco for $800. I removed all the trim and bumpers myself to save $ and floated the guys tequila bottles for the "extra special" paint jobby-job. Definitely not award winning, but it has held up pretty well. Definitely a 20 footer these days.

I have not properly cut-and-buffed it in a LONG time and it has very deep oxidation and sun deadening now. I wet sanded a baseball sized test patch with 1200, 1500, compound and polish to see what the color looked like under all those years of exposure and it came out great. The paint is a solid body paint (no clear) and is thick. 

I do not want to hand sand the car. I was a house painter for years and hate that work now. So, any tips, tricks or tools to do this the "easy" way (I know there is no real easy way besides paying someone else to do it)? Dangerous to use an orbital tool with sanding discs to wet sand? 

Not looking for show quality here. Just want to restore the super-faded yellow to its former glory!

Thanks.


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## ponchonlefty (8 mo ago)

i have used a swirl remover and a semi firm pad and buffed the paint back before. what color will make a difference as a light color wont show swirls as easily than a dark color. as far as wet sanding maybe do a section at a time. i don't really like to sand paint that i didn't lay down. but have done it. makes me too nervous afraid of breaking through. stay off the edges. i bought a small buffer from harbor freight it takes a 3 inch pad works pretty good on places close to handles and such. buy extra batteries. the small buffer is lighter and easier to use in tight places. if its the chalky surface it should clean up. i feel your pain i hate sanding.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

ylwgto said:


> My car was painted in 1998 at Maaco for $800. I removed all the trim and bumpers myself to save $ and floated the guys tequila bottles for the "extra special" paint jobby-job. Definitely not award winning, but it has held up pretty well. Definitely a 20 footer these days.
> 
> I have not properly cut-and-buffed it in a LONG time and it has very deep oxidation and sun deadening now. I wet sanded a baseball sized test patch with 1200, 1500, compound and polish to see what the color looked like under all those years of exposure and it came out great. The paint is a solid body paint (no clear) and is thick.
> 
> ...


Well, this is what I have used on my tan '73 Fury - *Soft Scrub*. I wet the body/paint surface and squirt some of it on the surface and use a sponge to rub it in - not killer hard. It cleans like a polishing compound and removes any mildew/dirt/stains/oxidization and seems to leave a good finish as mine oxidizes and looks chalky due to color/age/and being outside.

Someone buffed it at some point and did not know how to buff and buffed through the paint on corners/edges and even some other thin pain areas. So I figure I can't really do any more damage that it already has. I also follow up the now clean surface with a wax/sealer to protect it for another year - I hate polishing/waxing/detailing a car.

You might want to just try a small area and see what you think. I also have done this on my 2015 Hyundai. Just make sure you have a wet surface, not dry. Then rinse it off with running water and clean sponge and dry it up. Then wax/seal it.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Dont wet sand at all. Use this, which basically is wet sanding. The grit goes on coarse and then breaks down on it's own to polish. Ive been using it for 20 years, after new paint work and to restore old shit.








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Buy Meguiar's M8532 Mirror Glaze Diamond Cut Compound 2.0, 32 Fluid Ounces: Polishing & Rubbing Compounds - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



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And/ OR this... which is one of the best tools I ever bought! It comes with all of the pads and polishes and it makes car work fun.



















Amazon.com: Chemical Guys BUF_503X TORQX Random Orbital Polisher, Pads, Polishes & Compounds Kit - 9 Items : Automotive


Buy Chemical Guys BUF_503X TORQX Random Orbital Polisher, Pads, Polishes & Compounds Kit - 9 Items: Buffing & Polishing Pads - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

armyadarkness said:


> Dont wet sand at all. Use ....


I think that's good advice, Army. I recently refinished the hood on my '69, and I used the 'traditional' prime/seal/color/clear/wet sand/cut/buff process. It took me forever and multiple tries to get it to where I wanted it. Part of that was my screwups though. The reason I was refinishing the hood was that I was FINALLY getting around to repairing some damage from my engine fire that I had in 2013 and wrote about a few minutes ago on the insurance thread. There were two spots on the hood just slightly smaller than the size of my fist where the paint had bubbled from the fire. I'd been living with them ever since, but they bugged me every time I saw them, and I saw them every time I looked at the car. I messed up by sanding them down to where they "looked good" but didn't take them all the way down to bare metal - so of course as soon as I painted it, they came right back -- duh on my part. 

ANYWAY, after I finally got it (re) painted and cleared, I tried doing "what everybody says" and wet sanded it by hand 1000/2000/3000/5000. When I started cutting/buffing (with Meguiars 105) it still looked like crap and I could still see marks/sanding scratches. I went back over it, by hand, a couple more times - and it still didn't look right. It seemed like no matter how careful I was, I still ended up with visible sanding marks that were obviously from the passes I'd just made. So at that point, I did what everyone says NOT to do and went back through the progression of wet sanding, only this time using my Dynabrade small stroke air-powered random orbital palm sander, using the same progression of grits. When I buffed it out again with Meguiars 105 then 205, it was right. 

It never occurred to me to try starting with the more aggressive Meguiars 85 - duh. Maybe the next time I get a wild hair and want to deal with a scratch or something, I'll start with that. 

THIS is one of the reasons that quality paint work is so freaking expensive. It's extremely tedious and time consuming and there aren't any shortcuts that work. 

Bear


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

BearGFR said:


> I think that's good advice, Army. I recently refinished the hood on my '69, and I used the 'traditional' prime/seal/color/clear/wet sand/cut/buff process. It took me forever and multiple tries to get it to where I wanted it. Part of that was my screwups though. The reason I was refinishing the hood was that I was FINALLY getting around to repairing some damage from my engine fire that I had in 2013 and wrote about a few minutes ago on the insurance thread. There were two spots on the hood just slightly smaller than the size of my fist where the paint had bubbled from the fire. I'd been living with them ever since, but they bugged me every time I saw them, and I saw them every time I looked at the car. I messed up by sanding them down to where they "looked good" but didn't take them all the way down to bare metal - so of course as soon as I painted it, they came right back -- duh on my part.
> 
> ANYWAY, after I finally got it (re) painted and cleared, I tried doing "what everybody says" and wet sanded it by hand 1000/2000/3000/5000. When I started cutting/buffing (with Meguiars 105) it still looked like crap and I could still see marks/sanding scratches. I went back over it, by hand, a couple more times - and it still didn't look right. It seemed like no matter how careful I was, I still ended up with visible sanding marks that were obviously from the passes I'd just made. So at that point, I did what everyone says NOT to do and went back through the progression of wet sanding, only this time using my Dynabrade small stroke air-powered random orbital palm sander, using the same progression of grits. When I buffed it out again with Meguiars 105 then 205, it was right.
> 
> ...


I've used 85 to successfully buff orange-peel out of new paint, without doing any sanding at all.


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

Thanks guys. Very helpful.

I'm seriously pondering that DA polisher, army. 

Here's a question though. The main reason I want to do this, besides the heavily dulled and oxidized paint, is that a cheap car cover was left on my car for months through several rain/sun heat cycles. Something in the cover reacted with the pooled water and bleached spots into the paint on all the flat body panels facing up. I have tennis ball sized bleach spots in my paint across the car. I was certain this was permanent damage, but when I wet sanded that small area i got through it to the rich color below. 

Could this be achieved with the buffing compound product mentioned above and a machine sander, or do you all think this is something I have to tackle with a true wet sanding method? I wonder if the Meguiar's 85 would remove enough material to get through those light spots.

I can try to take pics if it helps.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

ylwgto said:


> Could this be achieved with the buffing compound product mentioned above and a machine sander


HELL YES! And then some!

No sand paper!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

BTW... wet sanding and compounding/ polishing are the same thing... both using various grits of silica to cut and clean surfaces. 

People are always blown away when I tell them you can buy a brand new car, take it home and wet sand it. It's simply no different than polishing it.

That buffer kit has really paid for itself. It comes with various grades of foam applicator, yes, they are not all the same either! Some are for polish, some are for heavy repair... and it comes with a a bundle of quality polishes, too.


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## Scott06 (May 6, 2020)

armyadarkness said:


> BTW... wet sanding and compounding/ polishing are the same thing... both using various grits of silica to cut and clean surfaces.
> 
> People are always blown away when I tell them you can buy a brand new car, take it home and wet sand it. It's simply no different than polishing it.
> 
> That buffer kit has really paid for itself. It comes with various grades of foam applicator, yes, they are not all the same either! Some are for polish, some are for heavy repair... and it comes with a a bundle of quality polishes, too.


What do you follow the diamond cut with? Typical finer grade rubbing compound and polishes?


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Scott06 said:


> What do you follow the diamond cut with? Typical finer grade rubbing compound and polishes?


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Yes. Polishing Compound or mirror glaze


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