How to color sand really bad orange peel

[bighealeysource]

Hey y'all,
Fortunately this is not on my Healey but was trying to help out my daughter by replacing the rear plastic bumper cover on her 2008 Honda Civic. Got the base coat down nice but the clear ended up looking like a textured paint job ! Guess it was too cold and probably had pressure set wrong on the gun but it is what it is. I tried color sanding one area and can get it pretty flat but using 1000 grit will take me a lifetime. Do have the clear on pretty thick - also part of the problem - so should I consider removing most of it with maybe 400 grit and then go back to the 1000/1500/2000 grit process ? Hate to think about stripping it off so trying to salvage my poor clear coat job.
Thanks,
Mike

 

[BigGreen]

Since about a year there are denim pads (flexipads) available for polishing machines
They take care of orange peel in no time, faster than sanding
Be sure to use a thin / oily polish (like Meguiars) and not a relatively dry one

 

[bighealeysource]

Thanks BigGreen, I saw those on YouTube so will give them a try !

 

[Bayless]

You don't remove orange peel with 1000 grit. That's a job for 400 or a machine. If you are relatively inexperienced you need to be very careful with any machine though. They can cut through faster than you might imagine. Use a really light touch particularly on curved surfaces and stay away from any edges.

 

[bighealeysource]

Hey guys,
Thanks for your advice on what to do - appreciated it. Ending up having to use some 400 grit hook and loop sanding discs on my dual action sander/polisher to get it off. Now have it back to the original state so put a fresh coat of primer on and will shoot a new base coat this weekend. Then take A LOT of time and get the clear coat right before I shoot it onto the bumper cover. Will practice on some old sheet metal I have around to practice welding on.
Thanks,
Mike

 

[Mad tiki customs]

You don't remove orange peel with 1000 grit. That's a job for 400 or a machine. If you are relatively inexperienced you need to be very careful with any machine though. They can cut through faster than you might imagine. Use a really light touch particularly on curved surfaces and stay away from any edges.

Actually you do sand with 1000.
Use a medium density block if a DA is not available.
400 is what we in the industry use to prep for paint. 400 will cut through the paint in a few short strokes. And if your lucky enough not to cut through the clear with something so aggressive, by the time you sand out the 400 scratches youll have no more clear left to polish.
If the paints that bad, i would knock it down with 600 and re clear it. Use 15% reducer and heat up the paint or bumper before hand. I use to use the home depot halogen work lights. Keep it about 1-2 ft away from the paint with the lid slightly opened for venting. Wait about 20 minutes and the paint will flow really nice.
Hope this guides you in the right direction. If you have any questions i'll be happy to help. Ive been restoring cars for almost 30yrs. Most of which are show cars. I'll be happy to pass on some insider tips

 

[glemon]

Actually you do sand with 1000.
Use a medium density block if a DA is not available.
400 is what we in the industry use to prep for paint. 400 will cut through the paint in a few short strokes. And if your lucky enough not to cut through the clear with something so aggressive, by the time you sand out the 400 scratches youll have no more clear left to polish.

Not near as much experience as Mad tiki, but I would agree totally, if you are trying to preserve the top coat and eliminate the orange peel 400 grit would scare me to death, if you want to take it all off and start over it is fine, and sounds like that is what the original poster did, so maybe I misinterpreted the question, thought he was talking about taking off the orange peel, not refinishing. Hadn't heard of the denim pad, will have to try it next time.