just sanded clear coat + used rubbing compound

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ssl2k

Senior Member
Okay , so I sprayed the clear coat pretty damn good, did like 8-10 light layers and It came out pretty damn nice. well anyways, so I had just a few little bubbles in the thing and i used some 2000grit to clean it up. (wet sanding of course) then i used some turtle wax, red rubbing compound followed with some of the white polishing compound followed by some nu finish or whatever it is called wax. Looks like shit, it doesn't shine like the orignal sprayed clear...

what am i doing wrong?

nathan
 
You need a more course compound, The products you are using sound like waxes more than buffing compounds. Buffing after wet sanding is usually done in 2-3 steps using different compounds that cut less progressively. Try a local auto body supply store for the compound. Also, when you are spraying the clear you would want at most, 4 coats. Unless you are wetsanding them inbetween and going for a super glassy show finish. Sounds like a stupid question but are you using a buffer or just a cloth?
 
:concur:

I use a nice polisher/sander, with the correct buffing pad, and use at least a couple differen't compounds. Which compound you use will depend on what needs to be accomplished.
 
i am just using a cloth, regular tshirts and shit

nathan
 
im going to take the wide guess that i shoudl probably be using a damn buffer right?

They have this nice cheap one at walmart that is like 14 bucks, hand held

that hsould prolly work right?

and I mean, im using a rubbing compound and then that polishing compound and i just picked up this kit scratch out shit
so yea
.. let me know

nathan
 
I would try using the cheapo buffer. To restore the clear its going to take a little more than just an old shirt and elbow grease.
 
Originally posted by xyswany@Jul 16 2004, 09:45 AM
I would try using the cheapo buffer. To restore the clear its going to take a little more than just an old shirt and elbow grease.

Damn

This is kind of pissing me off

So my buddy lays down his bike, and tells me he'll pay me $150 to fix it ( I have the body work up to primer done) then we start talkin about if he wants to do it a ghetto way, or the correct way. (ghetto being using a rattle can base coat w/ real clear coat) and then the correct way of just buying some automotive paint and using a real clear.

I told him it'd be like $75-$100 for the paint if we did it the correct way, and then not nearly as much as if we did it the ghetto way. with all of the spray paint and shit that I bought for just the primer/base, I spend prolly $50 on that, and then my clear coat, that shit is like $65 for the can of hardner that needs to be used within 2 weeks of the first opening. (is there any way that I can keep this stuff good?) and then like $25 for the quart of clear.

So basicly I think that I'm going to end up getting screwed over on this whole thing because he wont wanna pay up for the paint, I'm going to end up making like -$50 on this project not to even include my time...and has been a lot. Even for like my like 5th job doing body work (yeah amature, but I can still make it look pretty good to the point where you don't notiuce it) but still I'm going to get jipped on this. Considering I've put in, don't laugh, prolly 15 hours onto all of these peices so that they look like they are perfect.

sorry about those last couple of paragraphs

I had to let some steam out

nathan
 
Try looking for a different hardener. Although its not reccomended you can sometimes get away with mixing and matching brands reducers/hardeners/basecoats/clearcoats. I know not all brands of hardener go to waste after 2 weeks.
 
yeah

i have to find something else to paint within the next week or so, so that i can use up all of this clear ...that kind of pisses me off to have it all go to waste

but whaever
 
the hardener i use is good for atleats a yr anyway....not sure exact time but its never hardened up onme and ive had some sit for months at a time. As far as your buddys bike goes, let it be a learning lesson for u you told him you would do a job for far to little money, and its takin u way to long to be worthwhile at this point. Now you can be a better judge of how much you need to get to do a job for someone. just remember you cant really charge by the hr unless its a very cheap rate because what might take you 5 hrs to do could prob only be a 1 hr job as far as book time goes. Just a little advice for ya if ur gonna be doin work for other people so maybe to better your ability to charge someone accordingly next time but not overcharge because you got screwed on the last deal and dont want it to happen again :thumbsup:

Edit* and to answer your original question, the 14$ "buffer prob wont tdo it for you either, chances are that is justa slow speed polisher of some sort and will not go nearly fast enough to buff the paint back to shine. What you need is a varaible speed buffer such as a dewalt makita etc. or otherwise a pneumatic one such as i use which is ingersoll rand. and also i use 3m perfect it 2 rubbing compound and then 3m perfect it 2 foam pad polishing glaze. for compounds. the first one once or twice to buff oout the sand scratches from wet sanding, then the glaze to polish it to a nice wet shine.
 
Originally posted by ssl2k@Jul 16 2004, 03:38 AM
im going to take the wide guess that i shoudl probably be using a damn buffer right?

They have this nice cheap one at walmart that is like 14 bucks, hand held

that hsould prolly work right?

and I mean, im using a rubbing compound and then that polishing compound and i just picked up this kit scratch out shit
so yea
.. let me know

nathan

Fuck the cheap buffer. It's not worth the time. It might be ok for wax, but won't have near enough power for buffing well.

You could run the middle of the road, like a $60 Sears sander/polisher. I used one for a long time before getting a nice one. ;)
 
All paint jobs are only as good as the final buffing. You can make a shitty paint job look great with good buffing, just remember to stop buffing before the pannel ends, you can buff through the paint otherwise.
 
driver1, yeah I understand it is my mess up...

I am going to take off all of the old ass bondo i have on my car today/tonight and then build up the shit spots w/ fiberglass tomorrow...

i have all of the shit i need to paint my car and since my clear coat shit isn't oging to last, hopefully i'll beable to take care of it within another week

nathan
 
go to your local body shop and talk to their detailer ( dont tell the owner or he'll be pissed ) and ask if he would like to detail a side job. tell him what you did and it will proly run you like 100 bucks , well spent, if you dont want to, use a high speed buffer at at least 1800 rpm with a cutting compound and a 3M buff pad then polish with a polish pad, but i would take it to a shop if i were you.
 
fuck taking it to the shop

i only got paid $200 that was including paint.

i can buff that shit myself and it will look okay for the project.

so you're saying, im going to spend a couple hundred bucks on a gun, then 400 on an air compressor, another 75 on a air trap, then spend the entire weekend taping off my garage, and im going to do my own body work, then paint the car myself, and then...im going to take it to a body shop to be buffed?

fuck that. my shit is homemade. no point to drop a bill paiyng someonee else. i can pickup a top of the line buffer for $250-$300 which is only a couple hundred more than what it would cost for a guy to buff it and plus it is just a bike.
 
Originally posted by ssl2k@Jul 29 2004, 10:46 AM
fuck taking it to the shop

i only got paid $200 that was including paint.

i can buff that shit myself and it will look okay for the project.

so you're saying, im going to spend a couple hundred bucks on a gun, then 400 on an air compressor, another 75 on a air trap, then spend the entire weekend taping off my garage, and im going to do my own body work, then paint the car myself, and then...im going to take it to a body shop to be buffed?

fuck that. my shit is homemade. no point to drop a bill paiyng someonee else. i can pickup a top of the line buffer for $250-$300 which is only a couple hundred more than what it would cost for a guy to buff it and plus it is just a bike.
[post=369813]Quoted post[/post]​


That was my point. I paid about a grand for my first paintjob. But now, I'm setup. Jobs don't cost me near as much.
 
on fresh clear all i do is a 3000 grit 3m velcro wet sand between coats and a light snading on the top and then buff with meguirs pure carnubal wav ax use flanel to hand buff if but only do 2-3 foot sqaure sections at a tima the shit hardens really fast
 
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