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**thepanchmx** · Sep 28, 2012, 11:17 PM

It will be if not impossible very hard to finish out the paint with a DA or random orbital because you need power, with m105 a wool pad and a rotary you can make it work, trust me do some research about m105 on youtube meguiars asia and you can do a very good job

**Evan.J** · Sep 29, 2012, 06:16 AM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Well from my understanding the DAMF system can finish out 3000 grit sanding marks. Im sure Michael Stoops will chime in on this.

Are you hand sanding or machine sanding? If your machine sanding your going to get a more uniform removal of clear where as hand sanding your going to have to work harder to remove the sanding marks. When machine sanding with 1500 grit it's said to be like hand sanding with 3000 grit if I'm not mistaken. Machine sanding will be your better option as removing the marks wount take as much work due to the uniformity of those sanding marks.

Meguiar's Unigrit sanding discs are great for giving you very uniform sanding marks and you can Damp Sand with these discs as well. Damp sanding requires much less water that traditional wet sanding and there is no need to soak the discs.

Do you have a micrometer so that you can check your levels of clear?

I know recently in the TNOG They have had to damp sand a few stops due to major defects that were on the clear that was unable to be removed by claying or anything else and I recall Michael using the 3000 Grit then the DAMF system to remove those marks.

**DarkAngel67** · Sep 29, 2012, 08:26 AM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Thanks for your replies. I am hand-sanding. I started on the hood. I have the clear pretty flat at this point. From everything I've read it will be difficult, if not impossible, to correct the sanding using an orbital. I do not have a micrometer for clear levels, I only know that the painter used 3 coats so I could cut it level. I do have a car hood that I could practice with a rotary on but honestly there are parts around the windshield, fenders, grill, and tailgate on a Jeep that look easy to mess up by a beginner rotary user.

Thoryamaha...I will look into the DAMF system. I don't recall reading anything about it. I hope Michael will add some info to this thread. If I do decide to try my hand with a rotary, I would appreciate some input on maybe a model that would be easiest to learn with. I'm very handy with most tools, but I got to say that working with paint is an art. I have a new appreciation for you guys and girls that do this on a regular basis.

Again, I appreciate the comments so far, hopefully some of you will give me some more advice on this soon.
KR

**Evan.J** · Sep 29, 2012, 01:56 PM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

The DAMF provides rotary like results without the hazards of using a rotary. When using a rotary with little to no experience you can get yourself into a heep of trouble very quickly. You can burn through a clear coat in not time if using too much pressure on an angle, too fast of speed, or working in one spot for too long just to name a few.

With the DA Microfiber system you can acheieve great results removing moderate swirls and scratches and moderate oxidation from a clear coat. When using the DA you wont have to worry about all those hazards of a rotary and you will have a swirl free finish.

Here is the TNOG link to take a look at : http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...July-19th-2012

**DarkAngel67** · Sep 29, 2012, 03:28 PM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Thoryamaha...thanks for that link and the info. So should I halt hand sanding and go forward with a DA orbital and Unigrit dampsanding to 3000 grit, then move to DAMF? I guess what I need is a step by step because, while I have seen bits and pieces of alot of methods, I haven't seen a good "start to finish" explanation. I would also like a shopping list of pads, compounds, etc. to work off of. I am ready to purchase a machine and whatever else I need. I'm not in a huge hurry as the Jeep is just an extra vehicle for our family to enjoy, however I would like to keep moving on the project as I have alot of it taken apart and laying around in my garage. Again, I have just completed the hood with 1500 by handblocking. The rest of Jeep is untouched.
Thanks again!
KR

**jarred767** · Sep 29, 2012, 11:54 PM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Hey DarkAngel67,

to MOL!!

I just went through the day long NXT class that Meguiar's offered last weekend and learned a ton of information on damp sanding and the DAMF system. What it sounds like you are trying to achieve should definitely be able to be accomplished without a rotary, and while it will take some time, it's gonna take some time with a rotary too, and then you add the extra risks involved with that.

So, as was mentioned before hand sanding is much more aggressive than machine sanding and doing something like 3000 by hand is similar to 2000 by machine. Do you have a DA to work with yet, are you planning on getting one? If you haven't purchased one yet, this is the best approach from what I learned from Jason Rose, Michael Stoops and Kevin Brown (all extremely talented in this stuff) last weekend - and saw the results first produced by myself (and I had never wet sanded before.

So what you'll need:
Dual Action Polisher (Meguiars' model is great and if you go with the products, everything is very seamless).

For the damp sanding - Unigrit damp sanding discs (definitely 3000 grit, and probably 1500 and/or 2000 grit as well for the first passes) in both the 3" and the 6" as you'll probably want the 3" for tight areas and the 6" for the larger areas. You'll also need the foam interface pad for both sizes which greatly increases ease of use and overall safety along with the 3" and 6" backing plates.

For the polishing - Getting the whole DAMF system would be best (on Auto Detailing Solutions you can get a great starter package that includes all that you'll need) at a minimum you'll need the D300 Correction Compound, D301 Finishing Wax, and both the cutting and finishing pads (again probably in both sizes 3" and 5") You'll already have the 3" backing plate from the sanding stuff, but you'll need the 5" backing plate for the pads. A bunch of microfiber towels, and a pad cleaning brush (unless you have compressed air available) will be helpful in the process too.

After you've got all your stuff together. You'd want to start with the more aggressive sanding with the DA to get rid of the orange peel and dust, and then follow it up with the 3000 grit with the DA to give you really fine "scratches" that the DAMF system will then remove. After the sanding is complete, clean the area and use the D300 with the MF cutting disc, followed by D301 and the MF finishing disc.

I would HIGHLY recommend doing a little test spot all the way through to see how it turns out and then replicate that process over the entire car. There is a ton of information on these threads about both the damp sanding and the DAMF system and I would probably take a couple hours to read through some of these as the information gained will be priceless in your project, especially since you're coming in quite "green" with the whole process.

Post some pictures of what you're working with if you can, and ask a lot of questions; there are a ton of very knowledgeable guys on these forums that should be able to help you out through the process. Good luck with it!!

**DarkAngel67** · Sep 30, 2012, 07:59 AM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Jarred...thanks so much for your reply and info. You and thoryamaha have pointed me in the direction I was hoping I could go. I will be purchasing a DA along with the unigrit and DAMF supplies. I did alot of research last night from the info I received and will continue to try to plan my work until I get all the supplies. I'm glad I've only gone over the hood so far as it will be the easiest to work with. The 3" setup was what I was hoping I would find as there are alot of smaller sections on my Jeep to work on. Those smaller areas were what really had me fearful of using a rotary. Thanks again for the info, please anyone add anything that you feel might help me out. I will try to add to this thread as I progress.
KR

**Michael Stoops** · Oct 1, 2012, 09:35 AM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Jarred is, of course, dead on with this. Hand sanding is fine but it's actually more aggressive than DA sanding, although sometimes you need to hand sand just because of tight spaces, etc. We would highly recommend that you finish sand with 3000 grit using your new DA. Pick up the correct backing plate, S6BP, and the foam interface pad, and use our Unigrit 3000 grit finishing discs with the tool running at speed 4. Remember, you'll just be damp sanding here, not wet sanding, so minimal water will be used. That means just a spritz or two of water on both the disc and paint surface, that's it. Doing this will yield an extremely uniform surface with a highly refined sanding mark. The DA Microfiber System should then be able to remove that sanding mark without too much trouble, and certainly with a much higher degree of safety than a rotary in the hands of a novice.

**DarkAngel67** · Oct 1, 2012, 11:33 PM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Michael...thanks for the info. I'm glad I got a consensus of advice from you guys on the method I should use. I have all items ordered that I need so hopefully in about a week I can start working my way to completing this project.
Thanks again!
KR

**Evan.J** · Oct 2, 2012, 01:22 AM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Originally posted by DarkAngel67 View Post

Michael...thanks for the info. I'm glad I got a consensus of advice from you guys on the method I should use. I have all items ordered that I need so hopefully in about a week I can start working my way to completing this project.
Thanks again!
KR

Nice glad we all could help. I hope you will post pics of progress and processes. Can't wait to see your project!

**Michael Stoops** · Oct 2, 2012, 08:26 AM

Re: Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Don't forget to take pictures. Lots of pictures!

**jarred767** · Oct 2, 2012, 09:43 AM

Glad we could help!

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Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

Just started wet-sanding new paint, please advise me!

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