This was an unusual TNOG for a couple of reasons: while turnout was a bit small, the two major projects we worked on were just that - major projects! We did more wet sanding at this TNOG than in the last year of TNOGs combined. We don't normally like to do a lot of this type of thing, but there are times when there isn't much else you can do to correct a truly severe situation.
We started out with Jeff's Dodge Ram pickup that had been repeatedly doused with sprinkler water. The water spotting that resulted was so severe that you could feel the texture created by it.
Even claying with our C2100 Aggressive Professional Clay didn't touch it, nor did an aggressive application of our DA Microfiber Correction System.
Sure, it may look better here, but looks can be deceiving. All of the texture was still there, so we knew we had to step things up.
Some DA applied 3000 grit finishing media did the trick, followed by the DAMF System to remove the light sanding marks we created.
This process finally took everything off the paint and returned it to a glassy smooth, high gloss finish. But we still had a lot of work ahead of us!
More damp sanding to repair the effected areas.
Then we put the G110v2 with the DAMF System into Jeff's hands so he could buff out the sanding marks.
Look at the top edge of the pad here - it's lifting off the paint surface, and that's not ideal. It is really important to keep the pad as flat against the paint as possible to keep it rotating, and to maintain consistent cut.
Our other major project for the evening was to get John started on a damp sanding and buffing project for his 1966 Mustang Fastback. John bought this car sight unseen on ebay, but the rushed respray left a lot to be desired. He has plans for some mechanical upgrades to the car but is hoping to put off a repaint for a few years.
What you're looking at here is a reflection of an overhead light in the garage. This picture is in focus, but the paint is so rough that there is no clarity in the reflection so everything fuzzy and blurred.
We damp sanded with 1500 grit finishing media, then refined the sanding marks with 3000 grit finishing media. This did a good job of leveling the paint to remove the texture, but without being so aggressive that we just mowed it all completely flat. This was an inexpensive respray done with rushed prep and not even close to being a show car finish. Our goal was to improve the final appearance of the paint, nothing more.
After buffing with the DAMF System this is level of clarity we managed to obtain. With the paint flatter than before, the reflections appear to "come into focus" and the paint gained clarity, depth of color and overall gloss.
On the left you can see the finish immediately after sanding, to the right is the restored and enhanced gloss. John was super excited and looking forward to working on the entire car.
We finished off the trunk by making sure John was comfortable with both the sanding and buffing processes. He's got a project ahead, but it should be a lot of fun and very rewarding.
Reply With Quote
