QA

When To Wet Sand Clear Coat

Some professionals advise that you wait for about 24 hours or largely through the night. Well, the idea is so the wet coat has sufficient time to dry and take it course before wet sanding. Also, caution is equally important during the wet sanding process.

Do you clear coat before wet sanding?

Wet-sand the base coat before starting the clear coat. Wet sanding makes the surfaces smoother. Once the base coat is smooth and clean, start spraying on about three to four layers of clear coat.

Is it better to wet sand or dry sand clear coat?

What’s the difference between the two? Wet sanding, which is sanding with the addition of water to act as a lubricant, is less abrasive than dry sanding, and results in a smoother finish. It’s best to wet-sand the final finish of a project. Dry sanding removes more material, and smooths rough material quickly.

Can you sand clear coat and recoat?

600 grit wet is fine for recoating the clear, I’d stay away from the scuff pad if possible because the scratch it leaves isn’t as even as sandpaper. The overall job looks pretty good so a good cut and buff should produce a nice paint job.

Do you sand clear coat between coats?

Sanding between layers of clearcoat is also not recommended. Wet sanding and polishing the final layer will yield a better result than doing it between each coat. Clearcoat layers are also thinner than they look. Even though it may feel dry to the touch it may be a little gummy and sanding it can ruin the job.

How do I make my clear coat shiny?

Sandpaper and Rubbing Compound Once clear coat is applied you need to sand it with low grit wet and dry sand paper and then rub it out with low grit rubbing compound. This is how you will get it to shine.

What grit sandpaper should I use before clear coat?

You should paint over 400-grit. That is an excellent grit to paint your base coat and clear coat over, including enamels or anything else that you’re doing. You can actually go even more coarser if you’re doing a single stage enamel. Some people even paint over 280 grit-sanded surfaces.

Can you spray clear coat on clear coat?

– Clear coat can be applied over existing clear coat, as long as it is good condition. Urethane clears bond to the base coat while it is still drying. Spraying clear over base after more than 24 hours have passed is not recommended.

Can I spray clear coat over clear coat?

Like I said, you can paint over clear coat but you’ll need to sand off a layer of the clear coat before applying paint. If you just spray base coat over clear coat, the paint will not adhere to the surface, which will only result in an ugly finish.

Can you clear over 600 grit?

600 grit is aggressive enough to sand it flat without doing any damage to the clear coat. Remember, it is plastic, so too coarse of sandpaper can get very difficult to remove scratches from. Everything must be flat with 600!! You will be able to feel the texture through while you’re sanding.

How many coats of clear coat do you need?

You need 2 coats with one being for UV protection and the second for longevity and again, a third so you can sand & buff it if needed.

How do you wet sand then clear coat?

To sand a clear coat, start by soaking some sandpaper in water for 1 hour to soften the edges so they don’t scratch the coat. While that’s soaking, wash and dry your car so the clear coat is fully exposed. Then, wrap a sheet of the wet sandpaper around a sanding block and sand your car in small sections.

How long can base sit before clear?

If, when you try to tac your base prior to clearing, and you leave marks, ie. you disturb the metalics or leave marks in the base, it is too soon to clear. Normally 1 hour is fineeven up to several hours. Most urethane base coats are 30 minutes to 24 hours.

Why does my clear coat look milky?

A. A cloudy look in a powder clear-coat can be caused by too much film or an some factor in the cure oven. If the film thickness is correct the problem could be related to over-cure or oven fouling. Over-cure will occur if the oven is run too hot or the part is in the oven for too long.

Why does my clear coat look hazy?

Clearcoat has a “spungy” layer that can be exposed if you remove more than . 3 mil of clear. This layer is very porus and will, over time, absorb water and other things. Thus giving it a cloudy, milky, appearance.

Can you polish clear coat without sanding?

You can buff without sanding but you won’t remove much texture, it’s common in a collision shop to just denib any dirt spots by spot sanding then buff the panel to make the shine uniform.

Can you clear coat over 1500 grit sandpaper?

I would not flowcoat over 1500 grit or finer. When doing intricate hand-cut graphics and artwork I need all the adhesion provided by 600-800.