Paint Finishing Advice Needed.

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

Basically im at the stage of flatting and polishing the 205's paintjob.

 

i sprayed it 4 weeks ago with cellulose with no laqeur (was advised it wasnt needed for this paint)

 

it had a good 5-6 coats over high build celly primer.

 

the paint went on pretty well, just a couple of runs and a little shrikage here and there but thats not the issue.

 

being cellulose it has a fair bit of orange peel so im having to flat it quite a bit to get a good smooth finish, trouble is i can seem to get it shiny but the paint is still covered in swirl marks.

 

im using a da sander with 1500 grit wet n dry, them im hand flatting with 2500 grit (which seems to make it worse?? as i get deeper scratches in it??).

them im using a rotary polisher with meguiars 105 compound then 205 finishing polish after.

 

does anyone with any sound experience know what i need to do to get it right?? as its doing my head in at the moment.

 

im thinking of buying some 300 grit pads for the da sander and maybe some farecle g3 instead of the megs?

 

could also do with some advice on what sponge pads to use (brand and colour) as at the mo im using an unbranded white waffle for the 105 then a black sponge for the polishing (which seems to work well)

[vtifan 26]

WHEN YOU SAY POLISHER DO YOU MEAN A PROPER MOPPING GRINDER LIKE TOOL,AND THE WAFFLE PADS ARE MORE FOR FINISHING I THINK,YOU NEED THE SOLID SPONGE MOP ATTACHMENT AND G3 FOR YOUR 1ST CUT,THEN YOU SHOULD USE YOUR WAFFLE MOP WITH A LESS ABRASIVE COMPOUND LIKE G10 TO GET OUT THE MINOR SWIRLS LEFT BY G3,I HAVE ONLY EVER HAND FLATTED RUNS AND THEN GO OVER WITH THE ORBITAL WITH A MEGA FINE PAD THINK ITS LIKE 2000/2500 GRIT,GOOD LUCK

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

Yeah a proper mopping polisher.

 

I'm gonna grab a couple of normal

Solid sponges and some g3 and g10 and see how I go.

 

I've been taking out the runs by hand as you say then finishing with the da

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

The way I have always done it is to flat by hand with 1500 grit lots of water. Then compound with G3.

[nickaliath 22]

Depending on how bad it is and how confident you are at polishing.

 

Best to not go any courser than 1500 wet with a block, then go over that with 2000 wet on a block. Once you have done this you could take it further with something like 3000 3M TRIZACT on a interface pad with a DA (Random Orbital Sander). Then polish it up with 3M course (Green) then 3M Yellow finishing with 3M antiswirl (blue)

[SurGie 54]

Which type of clear coat are you planning on using, 2k is the preferred clear coat but has safety implications using it incorrectly, its anti stonechip formula is what makes it a better product than the cellulose type.

 

This stuff in here will make it last a long time, its like another clear coat that needs renewing every few years or so, no matter which you choose, although 2k clear will last longer > http://gtechniq.com/shop/

 

They have you tube videos on how to apply it and what effects this nanotechnology provides to new paint jobs. Its top quality stuff that many detailer business's use on cars at the higher end of the market. They will be able to tell you which place in your area that can apply it for you professionally if you so wish. It will help smooth out imperfections on the paints surface, scratches etc.

 

Is your basecoat metallic type, as this can be effected by sanding it back i believe, i tried to clear coat after keying back and the metallic finish was not as good as when i did not.

 

Clearcoat is best applied in a lot of thin coats, to build up the shine.

Edited September 14, 2012 by SurGie

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

i think i have found the right technique for me, taking a good chunk of the orange peel off with 1200 then 1500 then 2500. plenty of water and also rubbing the paper with soap beforhand.

 

still waiting on my g3 to be delivered but have had some good results using the megs 105 and 205.

 

im hoping a decent glaze will get the last swirls out before wax.