single stage white process?

[WhiteLX]

I'm going to be getting my 1992 Mustang ready for an upcoming car show. The paint is not dried out and chalky, but it does have it's fair share of RIDS. The paint on 90% of the car is the original single stage oxford white. The hood has been resprayed, but I had it sprayed in single stage as well. The fiberglass hood will be wet sanded to get rid of orange peel and to level it out.

I am trying to figure out what I should be using from the products I have on hand. Also, what grades of sand paper should I use? IIRC, I have 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000 on hand with M00 to use as a lubricant.

Here is what I have on hand:
M7
M26
M80
M83
M105
M205
NXT 2.0
ColorX
D151
Collinite 845
Autoglym SRP
Pinnacle ASR
Pinnacle AFP
Pinnacle Liquid Souveran

I do have a Makita rotary and a PC7424.

If there is anything else that may work better than what i have on hand, please suggest it and I will consider picking it up.

Will M105 on a purple foamed wool pad with a 7424 remove sanding marks or will I need to step up to the rotary? I have wetsanded in the past, but I used a rotary with a wool pad and M105.

[Mike Phillips]

Let me answer this part first...



Will M105 on a purple foamed wool pad with a 7424 remove sanding marks or will I need to step up to the rotary? I have wetsanded in the past, but I used a rotary with a wool pad and M105.Will M105 on a purple foamed wool pad with a 7424 remove sanding marks
[/quote]

No. Is it possible, "yes" but it's not fast nor effective time and energy wise.





or will I need to step up to the rotary?





I have wetsanded in the past, but I used a rotary with a wool pad and M105.


That is a leading combination as it works fast and leaves a highly polished, low-swirl finish.





Also, what grades of sand paper should I use? IIRC, I have 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000 on hand with M00 to use as a lubricant.


If it were me I would dampsand it by machine using Meguiar's Unigrit sanding discs starting with the #1500 Sanding Disc and then follow this with the #3000 Finishing Disc. The finishing discs are foam backed and the sanding discs are not, this affects aggressiveness/speed. There's also a #1500 Finishing Disc, (foam backed), versus the non-foamed back #1500 Sanding disc.

If you're going to hand sand, and you're sure the painter sprayed lots of paint, then tape off any edges and hit it with #1500 to remove the peel and flatten out the surface. Next re-sand with either #2000 or #2500 then compound.

Note that "generally speaking" single stage white paint is the hardest paint there is because the pigment used is Titanium Dioxide Powder and this pigment is hard and that makes the end product, the paint hard.

So get on it as soon as possible and try to finish out with as high a grit as you have or feel like putting the time and work into. Point being, most people stop at #2000 but it's going to be easier to remove #3000 grit sanding marks out of single stage white than #2000 grit sanding marks.

I typically would not take on a job like yours with single stage white paint because my experience is that it's very, very difficult to remove defects out of.

Whatever you do... start by doing only a small section first. Make sure you can remove your sanding marks to a small area before sanding down the entire hood.





The paint is not dried out and chalky, but it does have it's fair share of RIDS.

I am trying to figure out what I should be using from the products I have on hand.


Here is what I have on hand:
M7
M26
M80
M83
M105


I would buff out the entire car using M105. This will remove any shallow swirls and scratches and expose all the deeper scratches, the RIDS.

Then you can do what I do here,

RIDS and Feathersanding - A Highly Specialized Technique by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/21469-rids-feathersanding.html)



Instead of doing the Postage Stamp technique you could also do this,

Griot's 3" Mini Polisher works great as a 3" Dampsander (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wet-sanding-cutting-buffing/46341-griot-s-3-mini-polisher-works-great-3-dampsander.html)


Since the paint is white, it's going to be hard to work on plus hard to see what you're doing.

Hats off to you for tackling this project...

:)

[Mike Phillips]

Read about white paint here,

The Lesson White Paint Teaches Us (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/22982-lesson-white-paint-teaches-us.html)

http://www.showcargarage.com/gallery/files/1/1959Flattop01c.jpg


Also, the M0016 has been discontinued, so use sparingly, which is how you should use it in your sanding water. M00 was a low-sudsing formula so you wouldn't have suds blocking your view as you sand.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

If you ever get interested in dampsanding, here's a very detailed how-to article on the topic.

Damp-Sanding Tools, Tips and Techniques by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wet-sanding-cutting-buffing/25915-damp-sanding-tools-tips-techniques-mike-phillips.html)



Completely Damp-sanded
The white stuff for anyone reading this wondering what that is, that is clear coat paint that has been sanded off and was in the water film on the panel. After the water evaporates off it leaves the clear coat residue which after being abraded is whitish.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/836/WorkingLowerSections025.jpg



:xyxthumbs:

[Mike Phillips]

After you get all the RIDS sanded down, (assuming you find out you can remove your sanding marks in a Test Spot), then use the M105 to cut out your sanding marks.

Next re-polish the entire car with the M205 and a rotary buffer with a foam pad.

After this you can go to wax or you can re-polish a second time using your Porter Cable to ensure there are no rotary buffer swirls that are going to show up down the road.


Your choice.

Hologram Free with a Rotary Buffer (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/43684-hologram-free-rotary-buffer.html)


I was offered a 1966 Chevy II to wetsand, cut and buff but it has single stage white paint and sight unseen I turned it down and decided to let some other guy have the blessing.


:xyxthumbs:

[WhiteLX]

Mike, Thank you for the input. I've owned the car since 1998/27,000 miles. I haven't machined buffed/polished it very often, so the paint should still be fairly thick. Measuring the thickness had been on my to-do list for a while. I had planned on hand sanding the hood with the Meg's flexible backing pad as I don't have an air DA or a 3" DA. The rest of the car is surprisingly free of orange peel (which does have me wondering if it had been sanded in the past).

The hood was painted several years ago and it's always been a sore spot for me on the car. Thankfully it is white and not really noticeable in the sun, but it still bothers me. I have no idea how thick the paint is, and since it is a fiberglass hood, I can't really check the thickness.

One of my concerns with buffing the hood is the raised cowl section. I am guessing I should tape off the vertical section so the edge of the pad does not burn though the paint and allows me to get right up to the corner. I'll probably have to use M105 by hand as well.

Mike, you used to be in CA right? Had the orange blazer up in the high desert? I believe I did the advanced class at Megs with you. You may remember my Mustang or XR4Ti from some of the classes or Thursday night sessions.

http://i51.tinypic.com/5yyliq.jpg

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, you used to be in CA right? Had the orange blazer up in the high desert? I believe I did the advanced class at Megs with you. You may remember my Mustang or XR4Ti from some of the classes or Thursday night sessions.

http://i51.tinypic.com/5yyliq.jpg


Yes, I was the Mike Phillips teaching the classes that you remember and I still have the red Jimmy. :D

Just take your time and you'll be okay but seriously... do a test spot, that is sand a small section on the hood and then see how easy or difficult it is to remove 100% of the sanding marks or the level that suits you. I aim for 100% but that's because I tend to be held to a higher standard, which goes with the territory so I don't mind.

Not all white paint going to buff hard, that why I typed, "generally speaking".

IF the white on the hood is gel-coat then it will likely by hard too... so test first before you get yourself into a can of worms.

I met a guy and worked with him AFTER he 100% sanded down a Ferrari only to find out the paint was so hard neither he nor I could remove our sanding marks. He had to repaint the entire car.

Also, ALL the Advanced Classes I taught for Meguiar's have their own Advanced Class Thread so if you click over to MOL you could find the class you attended and the pictures from that class. I'm pretty good about taking pictures and then getting them up for posterity.


:)

[jdscooby]

I met a guy and worked with him AFTER he 100% sanded down a Ferrari only to find out the paint was so hard neither he nor I could remove our sanding marks. He had to repaint the entire car.


:)

Ouch!

[92LX302]

Nice '92 LX, and surely subscribing as I have a red '92 LX with it's original paint, and a white truck :)


What's under the hood? :awesome:

[WhiteLX]

Nice '92 LX, and surely subscribing as I have a red '92 LX with it's original paint, and a white truck :)


What's under the hood? :awesome:
Just a stock shortblock 302. ;)



http://i27.tinypic.com/205wbcz.jpg

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, you used to be in CA right? Had the orange blazer up in the high desert?

I believe I did the advanced class at Megs with you. You may remember my Mustang or XR4Ti from some of the classes or Thursday night sessions.




Do you remember your forum nickname on MOL?


:)

[WhiteLX]

Do you remember your forum nickname on MOL?


:)
same as it is here.

[92LX302]

Just a stock shortblock 302. ;)



http://i27.tinypic.com/205wbcz.jpg

Yeah sure, love your upgraded A/C compressor on the driver side :)

[WhiteLX]

I did complete the wetsanding in time. It took forever. I started off with 2500, then 2000, and ended up using 1500. I wanted to go back over the 1500 with 2500, but I was running out of time so I decided to go straight to M105 on a wool pad with a rotary. It took a couple passes and some decent pressure, but I was able to get nearly all of the sanding scratches out. Thankfully with bright white paint it is hard to see . I will most likely go back over at a later date with 2500.

I followed M105 with M205 on a W8000 pad with the rotary. Next I used M07 on a black 5.5" pad on the PC for the entire car followed my M26 on a blue pad.

Single stage white hardness is no joke, at least the stuff the shop that painted the hood used. Makes me wish i had an air DA and the Megs sanding discs.

I'll have some close up images this evening, but here are some from last weekend's show.

http://i48.tinypic.com/2h7ihr4.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/u8xag.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/qxmq7p.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/whfmo8.jpg