Since it had not been overly warm up here on the mountain, I let the paint cure for a couple of weeks before begining to wet sand it prior to doing the final compounding and polishing (cut and buff).

Testing My Color Sanding and Cut & Buff Process

Everytime I have started on a new phase of the body and paint work, I always tryout the process that I was planning on using the wagon’s tailgate. It makes a perfect guinea pig since it is fairly small and is all compound curves which make for interesting sanding.

The process that I use for single stage paint is:

• Mask off all edges and/or acute body angles to prevent accidental sand throughs. I typically mask to within 1/8″ of the edge.
• Wipe down surface with wax & grease remover.
• Wet sand surface with 1500, 2000 and 2500 using a high density foam roll pad and 3M Imperial Wet Dry Paper. Soak the paper in warm water with Joy soap until paper begins to curl.
• Coat the surface with 3M Dry Guide Coat.
• Wet the surface with soapy water from a spray bottle, using light pressure on the block cross sand the surface until all of the black guide coat has been removed. Use the spray to keep the surface and block wet. Once all of the guide coat has been removed, wipe down the surface with soapy water and then rinse with clear water. Dry the surface and reapply the guide coat prior to changing grits.
• After completing the 2500 grit step I wash the surface with soapy water again and rinse to remove any residue. I then inspect the entire surface for any sand throughs that would require touching up. If touch up is required, I clean the area with wax & grease remover then I sand the area with 400 grit wet and feather the area into the surrounding paint.  I use the air brush to build up the paint back to level with the surrounding paint. I then re guide coat it and use the same sanding steps though 2500 taking care to remove any overspray in the process.
• After everything is sanded to 2500, I remove the edge masking and remove all remaining adheasive from the tape. I then use a small soft pad and 2500 grit paper wet to dress all of the edges and to remove any orange peel or nibs left in the paint on the edges.
• Once all of the edges are in the same condition as the rest of the panels I begin the cut & buff process. I use a 7″ Makita variable speed buffer at 1200 to 1500 RPM. For cutting I use a Mequiar’s W7000 foam cutting pad and 3M Perfect-It Rubbing Compound. For buffing I use a Mequiar’s W9000 foam buffing pad with 3M Perfect-It Machine Polishing Compound.
• For either cutting or buffing, I lay down a 4 to 6 inch line of compound and then work it in with the proper pad. I try to keep the pad at a 10 to 20 degree angle to with work and use no force other than the weight of the machine if working horizontal. If I am using the tool on a vertical surface, I only use as much pressure as required to hold the pad in contact with the work.
• In all cases keep the machine moving! Do not stop in one place or you will risk blistering the paint from excessive heat or worse yet burning though to either your primer of god forbid, metal!
• Remember when it comes to color sanding or cut and buff, LESS is MORE! Every time you have to go back and repair an Opps! it can cost you a minimum of a day to recover since the paint has to cure for at least 24 hrs before resanding it.

The tailgate turned out quite well without having to tweak my process to any great extent, so onward to the entire car!