What is WetSanding?

[Guest ChaplainLar]

As I was reading about 'painting it yourself', wet sanding keeps coming up.

What the heck is wetsanding and how do I do it?

[Tom M]

Wet Sanding and Color sanding are one of the same. I believe.

http://www.carcraft.com/howto/926

[Bhigdog]

"Wet sanding" is any time you sand with a water proof sand paper and repeatedly dip it in a bucket of water. This does two things. It results in no dust and it prevents the paper from loading up or "corning". It's typically done as the final finish sanding with fine grit paper which loads up very quickly if used dry. Waterproof paper usually has "wet or dry" or "waterproof" printed on the back.......Bob

[FomocoService]

And it can make you a mite sore the next day....

I've been painting cars for years and I still dread the wetsand/color sand (synonomous terms)..

But the end result is worth it.

[Guest elmo39]

as i have said on a previous post about painting , i have been painting cars since 1965 , all my sanding from the first to last sand is all done by wet sanding (ie) with running water and wet and dry sandpaper . in my opinion it gives a far superior job , plus it beats getting sanding dust in your lungs or wearing a dust mask. as for sore hands the next day they soon harden up after the first layer of skin is worn off

[Tom M]

Curious did they wet sand and buff at the factory before the cars left the line?

You see cars today with orange peel. Did cars back then have it also?

[poci1957]

In the early days from the early 1920's on back the bodies were usually sanded and polished on all but the cheapest cars like black Model T's. Other black parts like fenders may or may not have been, but bodies usually were. As sprayable finishes were used and production increased lower priced/higher production cars were less often sanded but they were still often buffed, at least on the body. Senior Packards were probably buffed into the 1940's and beyond.

I was not around then, but my studies seem to indicate that finishes were much smoother and less orange peeled all through the 1950's and 1960's and into the 1970's when water based paints began to be used to control solvent emissions, any old timers out there to confirm?

[FomocoService]

All I can comment on is Ford...

Model A bodies were color sanded & buffed while the fenders were not. The Fenders were dipped in enamel and the bodies were sprayed with lacquer.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">as i have said on a previous post about painting , i have been painting cars since 1965 , all my sanding from the first to last sand is all done by wet sanding (ie) with running water and wet and dry sandpaper . in my opinion it gives a far superior job , plus it beats getting sanding dust in your lungs or wearing a dust mask. as for sore hands the next day they soon harden up after the first layer of skin is worn off </div></div>

i agree 100% .. my hands are permanently calloused from body/paint work. I consider it a badge of honor.

Wet Sanding is easier and saves materials too.

I spent all day blocking out a '55 Ford Victoria with 400 and 600. Hope to paint it first of the week.

[Guest ChaplainLar]

How much paint & how much sanding?

A thin coat, sand it some then another?

[Guest elmo39]

If i'm spraying lacquer i usualy wet sand the u/coat with 400 ,then apply about four coats of lacquer thinned 150% with about ten to fifteen minutes between coats after that has dried (i like to leave it over night, or at the minimum 4 hrs) i wet sand again with 600 i then spray another three coats thinned a bit more .after it is thoroughly dry (one to two days) i flat it back with 1000/1200 before cutting and polishing

[Restorer32]

To further confuse the issue, the newest PPG "wet sanding" products use very little or no water whatsoever, instead relying on 3000 grit dry paper and special pads. Works very well indeed but the paper and necessary equipment is very expensive. Anyone else remember wet sanding with gasoline as the liquid and final polishing with corn starch?

[1937hd45]

Never used gasoline but the corn starch final buff was just unreal the first time I used it. Noticed a guy using a spray pottle of water on a TV show while sanding, looked like it saved a lot of bucket dipping. At one time I knew the total number of loovers on a Bugatti GP car, a sanding nightmare.

[Guest elmo39]

I haven't used gasoline but i have used turpentine ,and still do occassionaly for final sanding if its in a spot that i don't want to get to wet. the only problem using a spray pottle or bucket dipping is that you dont remove all the sanding sludge as you go, which apart from the mess to clean up it is harder to see what you have done and whether it is sanded right

[Guest imported_MrEarl]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: elmo39</div><div class="ubbcode-body">.after it is thoroughly dry (one to two days) i flat it back with 1000/1200 before cutting and polishing </div></div>

"flat it back" ... "cutting" ...

[Guest elmo39]

sorry for a moment i forgot that we were in different countrys and have different meanings for some words and sayings. flat back (sand) cutting and polishing,(buffing with a machine cutting compound to get the gloss, then finish off with a product called final glaze.) i use one called Perfect III made by 3M the # is 05937 it is a swirl mark remover and gives a high goss finish it has got instructions for use on the containor, even though it is a machine glaze i apply it by hand using a very soft cloth.

[Guest Skyking]

The worst thing anyone can do is wet sand (OR ANY SANDING PERIOD) without using a block. I've seen some nice paint jobs destroyed by people sanding with just their hands on the paper. OUCH!!

[Guest elmo39]

I totally agree,there is nothing worse than seeing finger marks in the job after you are finished. the first sand i do on the undercoat is with a rubber sanding block , the ones after that i use a 3M hand pad, which is the same size as a sanding block but is about 3/8" thick and is flexible and will follow the contours of the panel .i also should say that you should apply a guide coat,which is a mist coat of very thin black or any dark color to the undercoat before you sand it.

[57plymouth]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Restorer32</div><div class="ubbcode-body">To further confuse the issue, the newest PPG "wet sanding" products use very little or no water whatsoever, instead relying on 3000 grit dry paper and special pads. Works very well indeed but the paper and necessary equipment is very expensive. </div></div>

I did this to my truck. It uses a special soft backing bad and very very fine paper. Believe it or not, it all goes on a DA sander! I sanded the whole truck out with the DA in less than a day, and buffed it up the next. I spent a week wet sanding my 57 by hand the old way to get the same results.

Sure, the paper is more expensive, but it's worth every penny!!

[Guest Skyking]

My local jobber has many different types of sanding blocks in different sizes and shapes. A little pricey, but when you're spending mega $$$'s in paint & supplies, whats a few more dollars to do the job right & professional...........I hate skimping...........

[Guest ChaplainLar]

Thank you all. I am going to give this a shot.