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Sanding and buffing new paint...Latest

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HealeyPassion

HealeyPassion

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Sanding and buffing new paint...up-date

Fellow Healeyphiles, for those of you who plan on painting your own car....or, those who plan on taking possession of a new paint job before it has been buffed out... I offer this

https://stevesaustinhealey.com/index.php?...0&Itemid=11

The rest of you are welcome to look just for the heck of it.

My Works replica project may have an end in sight....or not. In either case, it's getting to be pretty exciting to go out to my shop and see the car with a body and in color!!

Cheers,
Steve Thomton
1963 3000 MKII Works rally replica, w/efi in progress
https://stevesaustinhealey.com
 
Re: Sanding and buffing new paint...up-date

Looking marvelous Steve!
 
Re: Sanding and buffing new paint...up-date

Pretty impressive Steve, the "after" reflections amazing; I swear I can make out all the tools on your workbench!
 
Re: Sanding and buffing new paint...up-date

Hey Steve,
Beautiful job, looks like you could dive into that paint ! Thank you very
much for all the details on how you achieved it as that will certainly help
anyone considering doing the same job.
Regards,
Mike
 
Re: Sanding and buffing new paint...up-date

Looks great! Thanks for sharing. Is it necessary to sand/buff the clear coat as well?
 
Re: Sanding and buffing new paint...up-date

Yes, clear coat mybe sanded/buffed. I never apply clear coat as a top coat unless it is a metalic colour. I use DCC paint by PPG. With this system, you may get the paint with the clear already in the colour. Now, with the clear coat being sprayed on top of the colour, if you rub through the clear, you will need to re-apply clear in that area and start again.
Cheers,
D.
 
Re: Sanding and buffing new paint...up-date

Nevets, what you are seeing in these pics is the clear coat being sanded/buffed. As already noted, the DCC does not need to be clear coated. My clear coats (2) actually have a bit of DCC color added. My mentor, a highly regarded local custom painter, likes this approach the best so I did what he suggested. There are other approaches that work well...sometimes it comes down to preferences.

Cheers,
Steve
 
Re: Sanding and buffing new paint...up-date

Steve, you're a talented guy.

Wet sanding is a craft an art. And a lot of work.
If one does not want any orange peel, then that must be consistent throughout the entire car.
Not only do you have to be careful with the wet sanding, you must also be with the polishing. You can burn right though the clear. Especially at the edges. (Note how Steve tapped them off, smart).

I work for body shops performing PDR and see some body shops that end up with varying degrees of orange peel throughout the car. Not good.

I've wet sanded a couple cars and know what you went through.
My hats off to you for doing your own car.
And from the photos, you did an outstanding job!

Looks terrific!

I'd recommend that anyone who read Steve's breakdown on how he wet sanded and polished his car, save his write-up somewhere on your hard drive. Very well written.

Thank you Steve for posting that.

Cheers.
 
Re: Sanding and buffing new paint...up-date

Thanks for the accolades Roger and others! Actually, I'd have to say that I'm extremely fortunate to have a great mentor, Brad Aregood. A great mentor and the willingness (or ridiculous naivete) to give it a go. I believe most of the guys on this list could do the same with those 2 things.

Cheers,
Steve
 
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