buffing time

[J2speedandcustom]

My advice is no matter what grit you start with say 1000. When you go to 1200/1500 you need to sand until all the 1000 grit scratches are gone. Keep doing this until you start wheeling (buffing).

Our rule of thumb is 1/2 day sanding and buffing per panel. So if a car has 2 fenders, 2 qtrs, 2 doors, roof, deck lid, valance, rear panel = 10 panels = 5 days. So take your time and get a good trouble light to help you see the scratches.

[The WidowMaker]

how many coats of clear do you guys lay down? does anybody wet sand btwn coats? can you put down too much clear? somebody above said if its too thick they cut it first. was this peel too thick, or clear itself too thick?

my plan 2 coats base, sand, 2 more coats base, 3 coats clear, sand, 2 more coats clear. im not painting in the best booth, so most of the sanding is to get any trash out with a quick round of 800. also there is no sanding btwn base and clear of course.

my first job was my frame and i dont plan on buffing it at all. the clear laid down really nice with my sata, but its no where near nice enough to be a body.

[J2speedandcustom]

how many coats of clear do you guys lay down? does anybody wet sand btwn coats? can you put down too much clear? somebody above said if its too thick they cut it first. was this peel too thick, or clear itself too thick?

my plan 2 coats base, sand, 2 more coats base, 3 coats clear, sand, 2 more coats clear. im not painting in the best booth, so most of the sanding is to get any trash out with a quick round of 800. also there is no sanding btwn base and clear of course.

my first job was my frame and i dont plan on buffing it at all. the clear laid down really nice with my sata, but its no where near nice enough to be a body.

This is personal preference and desired end result. You need to apply enough coats of base until 100% coverage is obtained. This can be 2 - 5 + coats depending on the color and brand of paint. The amount of clear depends everyone sprays different and my 4 coats are not the same as your 4 coats. A better rule is the amount of material you are actually spraying example 32oz of material per coat. Spray as much as you can without the clear running off the panels and sagging all over the place. ;) Follow your flash times and don't rush. Get a dirt pick and before you spray the next coat get as much of the dirt out as you can. "You'll never get it all out".

You need enough clear to cut 1 coat off when sanding and 1 coat when buffing. So if you lay out 4 coats you'll have 2 left when it's done.

[The WidowMaker]

can you apply too much clear (too many coats with proper flash)?

Good idea to sand inbtwn or not (cant be done btwn base and clear unless single stage)? seems to me that this is a great way to fix minor imperfections btwn coats. my cars going to be blown apart and the body will be on the rotisserie. sanding shouldnt be too hard, but its going to ruin the tape job each time. how well does trash sand out? meaning, if i have some dirt in it, whats it going to look like once its sanded?

when you guys say hard block it first, are you talking something like a durablok? what soft blocks are you all using?

Thanks, Tim

[hotrdblder]

yes you can apply to much, look in your paints tech manual generally they will have a coat number max and or a mil thinkness max, i never go over 3 coats, if i want more i block it with 800 then re clear and sand and buff

[The WidowMaker]

hotrdbldr - why do you cut it inbtwn coats? trash, peel or does it just turn out better?

do you ever sand btwn base coats?

Thanks, Tim

[hotrdblder]

i usually never cut base down, i usually apply my coats of base 2-4, then go around and nib dust in the base once nib'd i will re apply some base in those areas, then i go on to clear, no i do not cut clear in between coats.
i apply 2-3 coats let cure, sand flat and buff or if theres 2 tone or stripes etc i clear again 2 coats and sand and buff, it burys everything, so theres no tape lines etc.
basecoat should be applied so that it flashes before much dirt etc can get in it.
i usually do not go more then 3 coats of clear anytime, but i use standox and 3 coats of my clear is like 5 of duponts or other americanmade clears