What DA DO YOU USE FOR SANDING CLEAR

well if your wet sanding then you def dont want vacuum. if your da has vacuum then you need to put a solid interface pad on it or stick it on so the holes dont line up. any da that your comfortable using will work. a typical 3/16" orbit is what your looking for though. mine are all dynabrade or 3m.
 
I have 2 dynabrades and both are vacuum, my problem is that I am getting terrible pigtails when wet sanding and was thinking the vacuum was causing things to clump and lead to pigtails. I have tried several brands of discs and every one is pig tailing.
 
after you spray your clear how long are you letting it sit and cure before you sand it? my sanders are vacuum as well but i use a solid interface pad so there is basically no vacuum. are you using a soft interface pad? what are your grits and paper your using?
 
The interface pad definitely makes a difference. I have a purple 3M pad on my clear coat DA, which is pretty soft, and forgot to use the interface pad one day dry sanding with 1200. It pigtailed bad, and I had not had any problems before that. Any good quality 3/16" da should work fine. Just make sure it and the hose is clean, so it won't drop dirt on the surface. I have several interface pads, but I like the 3M the best. They seem to last a little longer.
 
I am sanding Universal Clear that has been sprayed 2 weeks ago, I may have a too firm interface pad. I dry sand with 1200 3m red line to denib and level then 1500 wet 3m red line and then 3m 3000 foam cubitron and on to 5000 3m cubitron.
 
Ok here is one major problem. You cant sand your clear with red line. You need finishing film. It cuts completely different from regular paper. Its deigned to leave a shallow scratch so it can be sanded or buffed out easy. I assume you meant trizact instead of cubitron.
 
JC Daniel said:
Hey Jim, I looked at the disc I was using and they say Red Abrasive "Film" disk. Are these the wrong disc?
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Not sure really. I cant keep up with what 3m does. Too many part #’s and renaming of their products. I can say that finishing film is designed to sand clearcoat for buffing and finishing. It completely different than regular p1200 or 1500. 3m’s finishing film were typically white with purple writing on them. Just be sure you have the right type of paper.
 
There arent many finishing films to choose from. I always use eagle yellow film discs. I have turned many people on to them and all seem pretty happy with them. Cheaper and last longer than 3m. I think the 3m part # you are looking for would be 30667. Those are the purple ones. Then they have 00950 which is what i used a long time ago before eagle.
 
after reading your post again you said you wetsanded 1500. were you wetsanding with your red film discs? keep in mind finishing film is for dry sanding. i havent had good luck wetsanding with them. i typically only dry sand my first grit then move to wet to just refine the scratches. i will do 1000 with yellow film then the 1500 step wet with eagle pink/peach assilex which is a 1500 grit cloth material meant for wet sanding then i will move to 3000 trizact then 8000. if you dont end up using eagle then i believe they have 1500 trizact foam discs. you can order eagle paper from eagleguys.com
 
I appreciate the help Jim, Yes I did wet sand with red line. Now the car is covered in deep pig tails and I have decided to re clear instead of work myself to death trying to get the pig tails out. I have some 3m purple 2000 film disc that I have not tried yet, I think the number is 30666? Hopefully the re clear and next sanding session will be less work and stress. I am at the end of the rope on this car.
 
the purple ones are good as well as the trizact you have. get rid of the other crap and order yourself eagle yellow film in the 1200, then a box of pink assilex. that will take care of your lower grits, then move to the trizact. you should end up with a finish that buffs right out. just be sure to let your clear sit atleast a few days to a couple weeks. sanding soft clear is more prone to pigtails and is harder to buff out because the sandpaper cuts deeper. always use a soft interface pad with every grit as well. be sure your environment is clean when sanding just like when you spray. a spray bottle of water is all that is need for the wet sanding. what compound are you using?
 
I use Mguires M 100, 3m for 2nd and 3rd steps. I have quite a bit of the purple 2000 and need to use it as much as I can to get some funds back in the box, One guy told me to only denib and sand out peel with 2000 and move to 3000?
 
the m100 is fine and pretty good. the purple 2000 is good but depends on the finish your looking for. your not going to cut the clear flat and get a mirror finish starting with 2000. 2000 will denib and smooth over some of the peel.
 
I used some of the purple discs on my truck and was happy with them. I thought the Eagle stuff was better though. I followed Jim's advice and ordered the yellow 1200 and the pink assilex, I liked that system just a little better. The problem is it's a little harder to get, and I bought just the job pack and didn't have quite enough.

I did 2000 purple and buffed on the inside of my box. It cleaned it up quite a bit and works good for hard to access or hard to buff areas. A place you have alot of edges or corners and you want to be careful. Otherwise I would go more aggressive, you can definitely tell a difference by going more aggressive from the get go.
 
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Is 1500 enough to get the clear flat or to I need 1200? The Eagle yellow film disc are 1200 grit and what grit is the pink assilex?
 
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