Wetsanding to improve gloss?

[Lowejackson]

I had my car resprayed last year. The work was ok but no matter what I have tried (with the PC), I cannot get a good shine as I had with the original paint.

Could wetsanding help or should I consider a rotary?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Wetsanding to improve gloss?

Originally posted by Lowejackson
I had my car resprayed last year. The work was ok but no matter what I have tried (with the PC), I cannot get a good shine as I had with the original paint.

Could wetsanding help or should I consider a rotary?

Hi Lowejackson,

A couple of things,

If you do wet-sand, you will have to use a rotary to effectively remove your sanding marks as the dual action polisher is too gentle to effectively remove sanding marks on most paint.

What kind of paint is it? If it's a catalyzed clear coat, chances are it's pretty hard by now and that's going to make removing sanding marks very difficult even for a seasoned professional.

Mike

[Lowejackson]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I should have stated the paint is a single stage paint. I do not want to give the impression the paint is dull it is more about the gloss or shine factor compared to the original finish.

Before someone poured paint stripper on the car, people would comment on the shine. These days it simply looks like a clean car but with no real shine to it.

[Superior Shine]

Traditionally when dull paint is made glossy it is by removing a top layer of dry/damaged paint that has become dull because it is no longer smooth. Light is reflected off the surface of the finish that gives you your shine. The flatter the finish the more evenly the reflected light, the higher the shine.

Paint that is older and not properly cared for becomes porous. If you were to look at it with a microscope you would be surprised how rough it looks. By the use of paint cleaners and polishes one smoothes out and/or fill in the roughness.

If a new paint job doesn’t shine like it should be you need to look at it a little bit differently. It isn’t reflecting light like it should be it is more than likely isn’t from being dried out from neglect.

The paint may have not been mixed correctly, allowed to dry correctly or maybe topped with a paint sealer without allowing the appropriate amount of time for the finish to cure first. If the wrong reducer was used (too slow, too fast) that will also give you a dull finish.

Also the way the paint was “laid down� will affect the shine. The type of spray gun, air pressure and/or the painter’s technique will also affect the amount of shine.

If the problem is “chemical� (the way the paint was mixed or products used) you pretty much have to refinish the vehicle or live with what you have. If “technique� was the problem it is usually corrected by cut and leveling the finish. That can be done with a rotary and an aggressive pad or in severe cases with a color or wet sanding then buff.

First experiment with the least aggressive products for the job and step up as you see fits. If you already tried the PC with various products with less than desired results I would step up to a rotary before I went to colorsanding.