Grit steps ??

J

Joe 73

Need to order up sandpaper. Would like to clarify the best way to go. Car will be down to bare metal, scuffed with 80 and then epoxy. Thats the easy part.

Then I'm figuring some 2K primer and blocking (guide coat of course) with 220, 400 both on the long Durablock. I cant find 600 on a "roll" for the long Durablock. Or do I need to?? Or just leave 400 and shoot reduced epoxy on top then color?

If I need 600 on a roll, where is the best place to get it? Or get sanding supplies in general?

Or should I be using 600 sheets on a smaller block? Which seems to defeat the purpose of using the long block.

Just need a little guidance here to get my grits in order.

Thanks guys.
 
And for wet sanding. 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 ? Opinions? Do I need to go to 2000? Do I need to start at 1000 or would 1200 be a good start ?? Thanks guys
 
For colorsanding-if you have to remove peel, urethane wave, or major nibs it is best to start out with a coarse grit like 800 or 1000, some people start out with as coarse as 400! 1000,1500,2000 will get the job done
 
Thanks bob. So I'll skip the 1200.

Now for quide coat work. 220, 400 then seal with epoxy then base ?
or
220, 400, 600 then seal with epoxy then base ?

And if all the quide coat work is with a long block can 600 be done with smaller block.
 
I wet sand with 600 . Not sure they make 600 in a roll
 
220 then 400, seal and base will work fine if it's a solid color but I'd finish sand with 600 if it's a metallic color, JMO Apply guidecoat between grits. You can buy the finer grits by the roll but a lot of places don't stock it. I've bought the 2 3/4" rolls in grits as fine as 1500. http://abrasives4sale.com/psa_abras_rolls.html
 
The finer grits 400 and 600 are mostly for just refining the scratches and just a little but of perfecting the shape, you'll use mostly smaller blocks and contour pads for that stage.
 
I like to block my first application of 2K or Poly with 120 (especially poly....when I use it). Coarser grits level better, finer grits tend to follow the surface more. If you are a relative novice using a coarser grit on your initial blocking will help a lot. Save the finer grits for your 2nd application. I met Herschel "Junior" Conway once and found out he started his blocking process with 80 grit! He's done some amazing jobs over the years so I took his advice, although I rarely start with 80, 120 seems to work nicely. I think you'll also find that once you go past 320 grit dry it's easier to then wet sand with 500-600 grit rather than trying to use 400 or finer dry paper. By the time you are wet sanding like Bob said all you should be doing is taking out the scratches left by your final round of dry sanding.

One more thing, when you're blocking dry (until your final sand) always crosshatch. Being disciplined about crosshatching consistently will go a long ways to helping you block your panels straight. When you do your final sand it's a good idea though to keep the scratches only going in one direction. Otherwise they sometimes will show.
 
Great info guys and I appreciate it. Havent done any bodywork in a long time like since 2000. Just wanted to ask opinions and Ive read up loads on it. I should be good to go with chevelle now. Thanks again guys.
 
My first cuts aren't in a crosshatch pattern, I've found I get better results and quicker if I sand with the length of the panel using the longest block that makes sense to establish the straightness then move to a criss-cross pattern. It seems counterproductive at first because you'll get some flat spotting but they disappear fast once you go to the next stage with a crisscross pattern. Everybody has their own way of doing things and what works for some may not work for others.
 
If you don't have a lot of experience stick with crosshatching. That was one thing Junior drilled in my head when I spent some time there. Sanding straightline for a novice is a recipe for disaster. Might work well for Bob but I would advise against it for a noob.
 
I'm familiar with the cross hatch sanding. I used that technique when wet sanding cars. Thanks guys.
 
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