Wet sanding with 500 grit after 2 days of sun drying?

H

hoodun

I have major orange peel and a lot of 500 grit sandpaper lying around. Instead of buying 800 grit, would it be fine to use 500. I have about 4 coats of clear and an hvlp sprayer in my garage for any touch ups in case I break through. I tried using 1000 on it and it is just not working efficiently. I have heard of people using 600, is it advised to no go below this? I was thinking, even a light sanding all the way around with 500 would save sometime... no totally getting rid of the peel but leaving that for the 1000... just cutting down a little with the 500.

Also, it is also advised to wait a week before wetsanding? Is this in the sun or in the garage? My car has been baking in the sun for 2 days, which would equal 2 weeks in the garage...
 
You can block it flat with 400 and shoot a couple more coats clear.
If you don't want to shoot more clear than you could wet sand with 500 but I would suggest you stay away from body lines and edges. The problem you are going to run into is getting rid of all the 500 grit scratches with the 1000 grit. If you leave any 500 scratches behind they will show up when buffing.
 
Thanks for the response.

It turns out it is extremely easy to sand after two days in the sun, easier than I thought, the 1000 grit is more or less getting rid of the orange peel after minimal effort - eight to ten passes total. After going over the whole car, once with 4 sheets of 1000 and then with4 sheets of 1200 (also had lying around), it is now perfectly flat. I had major orange peel. It was way beyond an orange and embarrassing to even drive home with. It just shows you how well designed these products are. It was not this easy to deal with Nason clear. It was either gummy or like sanding a rock.

Now the question is going to 1500 or 2000. I am planning on 2000, a little extra work but it ensures I do not go down too much further. I still worry of break through, given how easy it is coming off...
 
500 is about the biggest jump you should make in sandpaper grits.
Normally, I use a hard block and wet sand with 1000 to remove OP and flatten. Then 1500 on a soft block to remove the 1000 scratches, and then 2000 on a soft block to remove the 1500 scratches. Once you get to 1500 and above you are hardly removing any material at all especially if sanding by hand. The danger areas are always the body lines and edges of panels.
 
I think a 9x5.5" piece of wetordry is about shot after sanding one medium sized panel, for most hoods I use at least two pieces. Dull sandpaper is very inefficient and will follow waves and orange peel instead of cutting it flat. I tell guys to shoot for about 10-15 pieces for a whole average sized car.
 
Crash,
I would say that is a good estimate. I have used about 8 sheets on the Miata and still have a door and fender to do.
Most of mine have been 1500 and 2000 with only a couple sheets of 1000 for the trouble spots.
 
I now understand the appeal of a trizact. I tried the 3000 grit on a panel and it was very easy to compound. One pass did it. The other panel took three passes of compound. I prefer the trizact.

I am also finding 1000 grit can get just about anything out if your at it long enough. I was removing major orange peel with 1000. It takes a bit more effort but its doable.

I find hitting it with 500, 600, or 800 (or even 320 for major runs) lightly, getting most of the peel off, and then going to the higher grits is the easiest way. I think the important thing is NOT to remove all the orange peel with the low grit. You need something there to remove the deep scratches. You have to gauge it right so just enough peel about equals the scratches you will be removing.
 
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