Small scratch on front part of hood ?

[Indiglofish61]

After I repair scratch,(small. about quarter inch long) on the tip of my hood,and apply clear, when or if I wet sand how much of the area around the repair do I wet sand? Hopefully not the whole hood.

[itsgn]

The smallest area possible. Like an area that extends possibly an inch on each side from the scratch. But even that you've to use to blend it with the rest of the paint. So, you most intensely sand down along the scratch, and the more far away you get from it, the less pressure and passes you're using/making with the sandpaper. Then you use a compound to make the sanding marks disappear, and a polish to give back the gloss.

Always use a hard backing pad, or you'll sand down the paint without actually flattening it. And always use a thickness gauge and measure the remaining paint depth regularly (like initially after every 5-10 passes) or you risk burning through the clear coat. Use 4000-5000 grit sandpapers, because with those you'll always be in control, and not abrade too much too fast.

[Indiglofish61]

Thanks, I just bought a flex xc3401vrg, would it be to aggressive to wet sand with that flex, or should I just wet sand by hand? Where do I get a thickness gauge?

[itsgn]

I personally wouldn't use a polisher, unless I had a very large area to cover (like at least a foot by foot) - and even then use only hybrid sanding pads, which work very different from regular sandpaper.

You can get a paint thickness gauge at Amazon, for around $130-$150. Or if you can wait some time, then one on Aliexpress, for $70-90, which however you'll have to pay import taxes on. Don't buy much cheaper ones, because they're no good, and purchasing more expensive ones doesn't make sense either, unless you will be doing this as a profession now.

[sudsmobile]

Wet sand by hand for one thousand percent sure! DO NOT USE A 3401. By the tone and amount of your questions, I'll assume you've never done this before. There's a learning curve and it's usually pretty steep.