sanding?

sup fellas i got tierd of hand sanding my car so i got one of those orbitol sanders and i wanted to ask what grit sand paper should i get? cuz im hearing tu can ness up the metal?



thanks all..

first, you know that the metal is gonna rust like a bastard unless you put primer over the bare metal, right?

sup fellas i got tierd of hand sanding my car so i got one of those orbitol sanders and i wanted to ask what grit sand paper should i get? cuz im hearing tu can ness up the metal?



thanks all..

I wouldn't use anything less than 600 grit, cause yes you can scratch the metal to much. If you do then theres alot of work ahead of you. anyway use anywhere between 600 - 1000 grit, sand down to the metal, then use 3000 grit to final sand the metal. once your done sanding you need to prep the metal, then prime it. I find that its best to use white primer, because it is more visible when applying the base coat. You can see where you have missed or went to thin. When you prime the car DO NOT USE SPRAY CANS! You do not get an even coat, and you won't notice it till after you apply the clear, then you will have to sand and start all over. Hope this helps, and good luck

I'm sure the car would be as smooth as a newborn baby's ass if you used sand paper that fine, however it's going to take forever to do and you'll need a ton sandpaper with a grit that fine.
I talked to a few body shops before I did mine and they all recommended and I used a 220 to get the paint off, then a 400 once I got to the metal to smooth it out.
Good luck

I agree with the previous post, I have done quite a bit of body work, when sanding down intially before priming don't go any finer than 400, when you start getting into the 600's and higher the primer won't even stick to the metal very good. Think of it this way, the base needs to stick good to the metal or you're going to have problems by the time you get to your clear. I'd personally recommend taking the majority of the old paint off with an 80 grit and just kind of watch it closely. Try not to go all the way down to bare metal with that grit and then start working your way up with a finer grit until you got things nice and smooth. Again though, don't go any finer than 400 before priming. After you're done priming, then start out with a fine grit 320 or so and just kind of knock the primer down so it is nice and smooth, again finishing up with probably a 400 grit. Try not to sand too much of the primer off, or you're priming it in the first place will not have mattered. If you truly want to do it right, start out after you've gotten it down to bare metal and spray on an etching primer, it really makes for a durable finish. Lightly sand that down with like a 320 grit. Spray on another coat of primer, just a regular good quality primer. Sand that down again with like a 320 to 400 grit. Check things over good and make sure you don't have any deep scratches anywhere. If you do, sand them out and reapply primer. You'll be amazed how much primer can actually fill in though. Put your base coat down. Make sure the vehicle and the area that you are spraying the vehicle in is CLEAN! Depending on how smooth the base coat goes on you can sometimes just wipe it down with a terry cloth, otherwise if it does feel a little rough sand it down lightly with a 400 or 600 grit. Again, make sure things are very clean! Spray a few coats of your clear coat on. Let it dry. Go over the clear with a 600 grit. Make sure the vehicle is clean!! Spray on one last nice wet coat of clear. Let it dry good and then if you have any roughness, go over it with your 1200 grit or higher wet sanding and being careful not to knock off too much of the clear. Go over that with some good buffing compounds to get out any of the fine scratches, and finish up with a polish. If you take your time with it you will be amazed at the outcome that you can produce in your own garage. Two main things! #1 take your time, the more you're in a hurry, the more that is going to show in the quality that you produce. #2 Absolutely, Positively, make sure the area that you are spraying in is clean, it will save you a lot of time in the long run. Hope this helps you out!