Chemical Guys & Sanding
- Thread starter MDPotter
- Start date
bill3337
Member
I'm a rank amateur, this is my second paint and polish and there are lots of expert opinions about sand and polishing on here, but I followed Shine's recommendations, starting with 800......I used 800 wet myself and worked through all the grits up to 1500 by hand, then 2000 and 3000 with my trizact wet and then did three stages of polishing.........worked great for me.
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sprint_9
Rookie
When I get to that stage on this truck I'm doing sprint, I'll video a fender start to finish and post it on youtube if you want. I won't be using any wool. Don't even own a wool pad.
As for when to change grits, look at the scratches as you are doing it. It's subtle but you'll see the scratches change as you are sanding with a particular grit. That and just doing it long enough you start to get a sense of when it's time to switch.
Judging from those pics you posted you have a pretty good grasp on it though. I thought that the inside of your bed looked terrific.
If you take the time to make a video I would definitely watch it. All I have for hands on color sanding experience is what Ive done thus far on my truck, so I have alot to learn. Thanks for the compliment on my bed, on the inside I used only 2000 grit and then buffed. I used fine grits on most of my inside panels to just clean them up a little. On the outside its nice to work through more grits for a better overall finish, but that can be much more challenging.
MDPotter
Promoted Users
When I get to that stage on this truck I'm doing sprint, I'll video a fender start to finish and post it on youtube if you want. I won't be using any wool. Don't even own a wool pad.
As for when to change grits, look at the scratches as you are doing it. It's subtle but you'll see the scratches change as you are sanding with a particular grit. That and just doing it long enough you start to get a sense of when it's time to switch.
Judging from those pics you posted you have a pretty good grasp on it though. I thought that the inside of your bed looked terrific.
Yes, please do post a video when you get there. Sprint is being modest, his finish looks perfect to me.
Thank you everyone for the feedback. I will have to do some trials and see what works for me.
shine
Member
the metal work and fit/finish on this car is outstanding !
First off, beautiful work! Second, how did you like the 2000 trizact? any pigtail issues?
shine
Member
al lot of pig tails problems are created by heat. running the da too fast can melt removed paint into small balls . you can see them on the paper . how many of you have stopped and picked them off 
over the years i have learned to run my da at about 45-50 lbs of pressure . easier to control and paper last twice as long .
over the years i have learned to run my da at about 45-50 lbs of pressure . easier to control and paper last twice as long .
Chris_Hamilton
Trying to be the best me, I can be
With the Trizact there are no pigtail issues. It's not actually sandpaper and at 3000 then 5000 you are not actually removing much material.
1) Try eagle abrasives, available on Amazon. They have "job packs" that are small quantities. Most jobbers also have wet or dry job packs in 3M 2} I personally like the 1000 or 1200 dry DA as a first step. Much easier to see when the texture and trash is gone. After that you're just refining scratches, and that is usually done wet, either by hand or DA, both work fine. 3) Depending how well you refined each grit will determine what you will have to use for the initial cut. I had problems when skipping from 1000 to 1500 with the 1000 scratches showing when I started buffing. Sanding with 1200 after the 1000 took care of the problem, but don't be surprised if your initial buffing doesn't remove all the scratches. In theory, you should be able to start with an orange pad and 32, but it doesn't always work that way. 4) After the orange pad with 32, I have had good luck with an orange pad and 36.
5) Yes. I would suggest doing 1 panel at a time to help refine your system before doing the whole vehicle.
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bill3337
Member
Thanks Shine. It turned out pretty good in the end. Your advice was much appreciated.
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bill3337
Member
The Trizact sanding discs aren't paper exactly, they're more like a mesh fabric. As with anything you have to keep an eye on things and keep the pads clean. I rinse mine often. I have an electric 3M trizact sander and I use it on the lowest speed only.
Chris_Hamilton
Trying to be the best me, I can be
x2!@bill3337 Outstanding work on your car! You should be very proud.
Chris_Hamilton
Trying to be the best me, I can be
Using the 3000 then 5000 Trizact (or now 8000 Trizact) pretty much eliminates the heavy compounding step. After 5000 the paint has a sheen to it. I'll never go back , it cuts out a lot of work and cleanup mess, with the buffer.
shine
Member
i love all this 3k-5k-8k stuff. i've been telling people for 30 years to spend time sanding instead of buffing. i actually kept worn out paper in the old days plus made da disc from denim . damn b/d buffers weighed 15 lbs back then . lacquer wasn't bad but when urethane hit the market it was like buffing concrete .