Any experience with wet-sanding?

[sensinitas]

Hey guys - Last weekend I wetsanded my headlights to a pristine-clear brand-new shine. It was amazing. Now I'm wondering about wet-sanding paint to rid it of any orange-peel. Does anyone have any experience with this, or know where you can get it done, cost, etc???

[GTi_01]

use start with 2500 grit for the areas needed. if its not coming out, rub it down with 1500 (be careful not to burn the paint) then smooth out the spot (spreading the area just sanded) and buff it out with trizac (rubbing compound). finally polish and wax the area.

[sensinitas]

use start with 2500 grit for the areas needed. if its not coming out, rub it down with 1500 (be careful not to burn the paint) then smooth out the spot (spreading the area just sanded) and buff it out with trizac (rubbing compound). finally polish and wax the area.

Thats seems pretty easy to me. There has to be more to it. I read some horror posts on vortex of people completely effing their paint. There must be some more tips to avoid a disaster.

[GTi_01]

thats all. i've done work like that in a shop. i even do it now on my own cars. people burn their paint because they're too ruff. the harder you press the deeper you get into the paint.

oh and actually, use a microfiber towel when you polish and wax.

[stereooptions]

how did you wetsand your headlights what grits did you use?

[scottd1975]

how did you wetsand your headlights

[Brk4Euros]

I have quite a bit of experience wetsanding, so if you have any questions at all....send one my way! :)

[sensinitas]

I have quite a bit of experience wetsanding, so if you have any questions at all....send one my way! :)


Thanks man...I will:tup:

Actually, how about this. What is the best process for waxing/sealing your paint. I start with the clay bar, then paint cleaner, the wax, then polish (I think that's the process). This has worked so far, as my paint still looks amazing, deep, and clear. I've been using Mother's products.

When should you use a compound? I know it cleans the paint, and removes scratches from 1500 grit or finer sandpaper. But should you ever do your entire car? What is the difference between rubbing compound, and paint cleaner?

Is wetsanding a good way to get rid of minor scratches?

My paint is silver, so any little scratch shows.

[scottd1975]

brk4euros i would ask but your pm box is full hehe

[daygoVR6]

use lots of water - you cant go wrong with too much and be careful not to load up the sand paper too much ....are you wet sanding / polishing clear coat or paint - there are a few different steps to take when doing either

[scottd1975]

hey brk4euros your pm inbox is full...also how do i do headlights

[sensinitas]

hey brk4euros your pm inbox is full...also how do i do headlights

Here you go:

Brand New Headlights!!! (http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2485084)

I did it two weekends ago, and was amazed. You can find most your answers on Vortex. :tup:

[scottd1975]

vortex has alot of haters and people who yell at the newbs like me

[sensinitas]

vortex has alot of haters and people who yell at the newbs like me

I feel you there. That is why I like this forum as well. But if you go to the DIY/FAQ thread, it has just about every answer to any question you may have. That's where I found out about how to do the lights. In fact, I need to search on there about wetsanding...:smokem:

[veedubber7]

vortex has alot of haters and people who yell at the newbs like me

Go to the vortex and read the FAQ's it will answer a lot of your questions. :tup:

[Bmxdubdub]

HA!! I wet sand for FUN!!!
If you are gonna wet sand I highly recommend using Meguire's Unigrit professional line sand paper. It's a little pricey, but well worth it. The grit is even so you'll get less scratches. And use a soft foam wet sanding block too so you are sanding with even pressure and not have uneven areas caused by using your fingers.
Keep the area you are doing wet, and when sanding(lightly), make about 15-20 passes with the paper, then squeegee away the water and check your progress. 3M makes a little rubber squeegee for this purpose and I picked one up at Tri-City Paint in Miramar. You have to constantly squeegee away the water to check cause the water makes the paint appear shiny and smooth and makes it very difficult to see your progress. Also be VERY careful about sharp curves/raised areas of the body such as hood lines and trim. It is very easy to sand through the paint on these areas. They make special round blocks to do these areas easier, but you don't really need them. Just be careful and check your progress.
Like daygoVR6 said, keep it wet so the paper doesn't load up. It will have a tendency to do this with heavier grit. I sanded mine with 3000 grade to remove orange peel. It took a little longer, but it was safer cause it's a little tougher to sand through a finish with 3000 grade. I do recommend it though. Reason being I didn't need to use a rubbing compouind, the paint was smooth enough. I actually used a very fine cut rubbing compound and the sandpaper was smoother. I just used Meguire's 3 step paint system (cleaner, polish, wax) and it came out great.
PM me if you have any other ?'s

[sensinitas]

What about if the paint has a clear-coat on it?

[DieGTi]

The paint job I did on my Jetta I did myself in an incredible hurry- I have some Meguiars Unigrit left over from when I painted the last chassis and wetsanded/buffed it out. It works really well to clear the orange peel. Method suggestions:

*Add a drop of dish soap to the water you're soaking the paper in to help with the loading of the paper.

*GO SLOW. Take your time and check your work often. A 6pack and a radio helps with this.

*Sand in only 1 direction to avoild spiderwebbing and swirl marks. It will also tell you this on the packaging for the Meguiars but I know how most people are with directions... :)