Sanding

[TimFMX]

Hey guys

I have a question.........what kind of Sandpaper i can use after painting an clearing my model...before polish an finish.....thanks

Tim

[stevenoble]

You shouldn't use anything too coarse as it will put in many fine scratches that you will not be able to remove.If you have achieved a good finish on the paint to begin with you may not actually need to sand at all so maybe just use a good polishing compound and a wax.For the times that I do need to sand lightly before the compounding and waxing I always use Micromesh sanding papers 6000,8000,12000 grades.You can get them at http://www.hiroboy.com do a search for Micromesh.

[bobss396]

Get yourself one of those Detail Master polishing kits. Comes with cloths in 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, 12000 grits.

I personally start with the 3200, go to 6000 then switch to Meguiars Show Car Mirror Glaze polish. The 8000 and 12000 grits clog up too fast which gives you the swirl marks.

I also have 1500, 1800, 2000 and 2400 grit cloths in case I have a bad case of orange peel to fix.

Tips, cut your cloths into 4 pieces. This way they are easier to handle, the edges do most of the work anyway. Write the grit # on the back with a permanent marker. Use a couple of drops of dish soap in the dunking water, this keeps the cloths cleaner and is a good lubricant.

Start with the 3200 cloth, go until the finish is uniformly dull. If you have trouble breaking the initial glaze, go down to something like 1500 or 2000 grit 3M paper first. Then go up through the grits. Avoid the edges and crown lines of course.

Bob

[stevenoble]

Originally Posted by bobss396

Get yourself one of those Detail Master polishing kits. Comes with cloths in 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, 12000 grits.
I personally start with the 3200, go to 6000 then switch to Meguiars Show Car Mirror Glaze polish. The 8000 and 12000 grits clog up too fast which gives you the swirl marks.
I also have 1500, 1800, 2000 and 2400 grit cloths in case I have a bad case of orange peel to fix.
Start with the 3200 cloth, go until the finish is uniformly dull. If you have trouble breaking the initial glaze, go down to something like 1500 or 2000 grit 3M paper first. Then go up through the grits. Avoid the edges and crown lines of course.

Bob

My personal experience is that the 8000 and 12000 have never clogged and certainly never caused swirls or scratches.You're much more likely to inflict scratches with the rougher grades.If you need to go down to lower than 6000 then your paint job is poor to begin with.1500,1800,2000,2400 and 3200 are all too coarse and will put scratches in the finish and run the risk of rubbing through on the edges.