Crash course on sanding..

[charger_cody]

Someone give me a crash course on the start of sanding. This is a first for me. Im only 17. Dont want to make thing worse so I thought i'de ask.

Cody

[1ol72charger4me]

Hey Cody, probably need to know what you're sanding and what the parameters are(condition of surface , what kind of tools you have,what kind of paint system you will be using, etc.) I am always glad to help after a nephew brought me a car to paint that needed only to be da'd with 360 to shoot it, so he helped me save time by sanding it with 40 grit!! BTW thats probably not the grit to start with. John

[moparguy01]

well the rough side of the paper goes down. thats the most important thing.  sorry. couldnt resist.

the best I've heard was to let the weight of the sanding block do the pressing, don't press down on it, use an "X" pattern whenever possible, and try not to use your hand with sandpaper on it or you can easily sand grooves into it. Use the biggest block possible for long flat surfaces. Look into the "durablock" sanding blocks. they are quite cheap online and work well. other than that make sure not to let your paper get too clogged up or it won't sand evenly.

Thats about the most generic advice i can give without knowing more specifically what your doing. Hope it helped abit, Pm me if you need any more advice and i'll help when I can.

Russ

[b5blue]

Cody I stink at body/paint work too but check out "Eastwoods" web site...they have a bunch of supply's and info that may help you see what can be done and how it should be done. I thought by now you would have more responses.

[lisiecki1]

the most important thing to know when you're sanding is that your paint job will only be as good as your prep work.....get that sucker smooooooooooth

[twodko]

Hiya Cody,

The interest you're showing in wanting to do it right the first time speaks volumes about how nice your car will turn out.
I'm doing a resto on my '69 and the guy who shot my former car advised me to start out with 180 grit then go to 220. Like Lisiecki1 said "get it smooth" but not shiny smooth or you may experience adhesion problems when it comes time for primer/paint.
Post up your progress too! Good luck.

Tom

[lisiecki1]

absolutely!  would you stay with the 220 or go better?  i was told somewhere around 400 grit as a minimum before paint and then 600-800 between coats and after clear 2000 grit and then buff to shine.....

[charger_cody]

Thanks for the replies guys. The surface of my car isn't very "deformed" just rough. I have never even thought about doing this myself until i thought it would be fun haha. I dont want a multi thousand dollar paint job. I just want one where when im driving down the street and someone says "OMFG THAT IS A NICE CAR"!!!!...

My dad says he has all the power tools i will ever need. So im not sure with what im working with yet. I just started on my trunk deck so im going to from back to front.

Cody 

[lisiecki1]

to get that reaction driving by someone you really only need a "ten footer"  which should be easily achievable with no experience

ten footer meaning something that looks great from 10 feet away 

but do everything the best you can, take your time, do it right, research the net, and i'm sure you'll get even better than a 10 footer....good luck, and most of all-have fun!

[twodko]

I'm by no means a painting pro but I believe after all the body work is done and a coat of primer (blocking coat?) is applied then you go to block sanding with 400 grit. Everything after that is well described by Lisiecki1.
The "10 footer" analogy is old school and I'm a veteran of old school!

Tom

[alcusswhen]

180 is a good grit to start with its used one time for the first sanding of the car and 220 is used until all the high and low spots are taken care of. After you prime the last spot do the whole car by hand with 600 wet. After buying and using paint prep cleaners I still had to take paint back off because of spots that bubbled. The last time I cleaned the car with windex and white paper towels. When I couldn't get my towels dirty anymore I wiped the car down with clean water and a white tee shirt. This time the paint base and clear went on right without a hitch. Your fingers are the best tool you have for knowing your work is smooth. Also I've found air da sanders to be too fast for every now and then body people an electric one is a lot easier to use and does just a good a job.