cliffud

iTrader: (3)

How does one wet sand???

I have 2000 grit sand paper at my house but is it simply the same as dipping the sand paper in water and then sanding away and keeping the area wet as you sand???

I did that and my headlight looks like crap now. It's like my car has glaucoma!! (yes, I applied/buffed off the polish).

Any help from the detailers out there???

bmgs400

I recently did a wetsanding job on my headlight lense and it came out great. After the wetsanding it will look hazy, but noticeably smoother. I then used Maquires Scatch-X and an electric buffer to clear it up.

GS300Rich

Did you wrap the sandpaper around a block or something flat? I have read that if you just use your hands it creates uneven spots so you have to use a sanding block. As far as the headlights you probably need to use an orbital buffer to get that haze off.

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

i used my hand.

I would think that using a sanding block would be equally detrimental as far as having uneven spots simply because you're sanding on a curved surface with a flat block. Ideally the best way would be to have a curved block that matches the curve of the headlight exactly and has a layer of sandpaper.

i didn't soak the sandpaper before sanding - could this be my issue? i was thinking about using a finer sandpaper to see if it would work better...

anything out there that's higher than 2000???


c

GoldGS3

iTrader: (1)

you could use white toothpaste to do fine-sanding if you cannot find higher than 2K grit.

correct me if i'm wrong.

bmgs400

2000 wet/dry paper is what I used too. Use a small piece ( 5" x 5") at time. Wet it really well before starting and keep dipping in water. I used even-pressure motion along the lense, not circles.

yESman

For headlights I would suggest the Wolfgang headlight polishing kit from AutoGeek.net

Guitarman

If you want a REALLY comprehensive, detailed step by step rundown, here's something I wrote years ago for another website;

caution-long read;

http://www.fordvschevy.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46645


Let me know if you have further questions, Good luck!

cantsleepnk

I would definitely not even try to wetsand any painted part of a car unless I had access to a circular polisher and a the proper pads.
Trying to remove wetsanding marks by hand is going to be a major PITA and you might end up with worse results than before.

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

wooooooooooo!

i went back out there and used my meguirs plastix stuff again. i remember waiting a while last time before rubbing the compound away and it was still cloudy. this time i applied it and rubbed it into the headlight before it dried and now they are super clear!!

bmgs400

Great!!!

05ES330

you need to make sure you use a lot of water when wet sanding. 2000 grit is very fine. but there are particles in your water that make using a 2000 grit sand paper ineffective. this can be prevented by using a type of filter on your water line. oh yeah, if you are going to use 2000 grit also, then use running water on a filter,instead of dipping your sand paper into a bucket of water. even though you are sanding a curved surface its still better to use a sanding block.

EFMJR

iTrader: (4)

They sell sanding blocks that are really flexable. One by 3M that I have used is a 1/4" thick piece of rubber that is pretty flexible. I got it for a motorcycl tank I had to paint and it worked great. Its intended for wet/dry sanding. They also have a diffrent one that has a bunch of 3/8" holes in it and it is for more flexible, but I prefer the 3M one since I feel I have more control over the sanding action. While I was dropingmy car off at a detail shop here in town, I noticed they had sanding blocks made of faom with the abrasive on it. It was intended for wet sanding cars and when its done you throw it away. I havent tried them but is a interesting idea. Hope his helps someone.

toy4two

On TRUCKS! last weekend they did a how to on wet sanding, easy but time consuming. Yes use 2000 grit and have a wet rag you hold above it and squeeze out some water while you do it, then its polishing with wool pad and polish, then switch to regular polishing pad and use a fine cut compound, then wax, looked great! Better than factory because it removes orange peel too!

Tips, avoid edges, and use a sanding block!

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

i think i saw that one - but they were working on an old vette or something right? i think it was a black car.

i thought about doing the same thing for my little chips from rocks and stuff but won't that kill the clear coat?