What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding?  
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All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> RC Warbirds and Warplanes >> What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding?
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What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 2:50:40 AM   
SMUGator



Posts: 1368
Joined: 10/28/2003
From: Sammamish, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Just a little bit of work last night on a small test panel reminded me how much I hate wet sanding primer coats. After an hour of it on the model, it looks like I hosted the regional mud wrestling semi-finals in my shop and lost miserably. Everything including me ends up covered in a pinkish-gray paste from the primer-filler sludge run off. I figured that one of you wise guys would have come up with a nice process to get it done and keep the mess to a manageable level, so let me in on your secrets.

Tom

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 3:29:48 AM   
willey



Posts: 377
Joined: 1/22/2003
From: Waterford/Erie, PA, USA
Status: offline 		That's too funny!!! I prefer the other end of the spectrum, I dry sand and look like the ghost of Dupont's great great grandpa I guess I like the mess it leaves?? No, really I prefer it cause I can see the low spots better and I have a better idea of how much I'm taking off, it's a feel I guess, plus if I need more primer I can spray right then and don't have to wait. On the very final I sometimes wet sand thou, depends on the finish I'm after.

Should'a takin a picture, sounds like you had fun thou!!

Great Hobby isn't it.

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 3:35:25 AM   
SMUGator



Posts: 1368
Joined: 10/28/2003
From: Sammamish, WA, USA
Status: offline 		I'd probably dry sand as well, but the primers I've used to date clog dry sandpaper faster than I can reload it. So I always end up reverting back to the wet sand approach. I'm pretty much over spraying anything noxious or requiring MEK for clean-up, so the wet sand mess seems to be the by-product.

Tom

< Message edited by SMUGator -- 6/11/2008 3:59:23 AM >

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 4:30:22 AM   
willey



Posts: 377
Joined: 1/22/2003
From: Waterford/Erie, PA, USA
Status: offline 		Tom, Not sure what you are using, but the low end primers will clog the sand paper very easily, if you do alot or plan to do a nice paint job it's "worth the money" "and the time" to invest in an activated automotive primer (2 part), little more hassel to mix and clean the spray gun (definitely clean the gun within the hour or two or it will harden in the gun). NOT GOOD! that's kinda like the don't touch the stove it's HOT! story, it happens once and you won't forget!! Laquer primers shrink so stay away from that when you can.

By "TIME" I mean the time it takes "to" sand, sands very easy and won't shrink on you overtime like low end primers, that means less primer used also.

Sand paper - get some 3M black 213Q wetordry paper, with this paper and a good primer it will not clog comes in all grits & you can buy it by the sheet (again - automotive paint store) I use 180 (sometimes), 240, 380, 500, 800, 1200 dry - then wet sand with 1500 then go to paint.

the primer I think you can get it in quarts too.

Hope this helps, just my experience







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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 4:31:38 AM   
bosssman


 

Posts: 310
Joined: 5/7/2004
From: Moreno Valley, CA, USA
Status: online 		I have been wet sanding cars since the late 1960s in high school which carried over into my primary hobby of restoring old cars. Since so many of the products (and methods) related to car restoration have to do with painting my RC planes, it makes it fairly easy for me. First off - DO NOT WET SAND IN YOUR SHOP!! Your shop is where you build the plane. Wet sanding is best left outdoors, and if the weather isn't so good, then at least under your patio or some other suitable outdoor overhead covering. Since our models are small (compared to full size cars and planes), I use a spray bottle with water and just a touch of dishsoap to add "lubrication" for the sandpaper. I use the bottle to keep the surface wet allowing the paper to do its job. Also, I have resorted to using shop coats (you know, the white lab coats doctors and others use) when doing a messy job. At the very least, use a shop apron to cut down on how much sludge gets on YOU. One other thing - I have a bucket of warm clear water that I use to dunk a CLEAN terry cloth in so that I can intermittently wipe the surface down to a) get off any sludge/slurry, and b) provide a smooth wet surface to hold up to the light to see if any imperfections remain. One last thing - once the plane fuse, wing, etc is dry and supposedly straight, take a single sheet of toilet paper under your fingers and run it along the entire surface - you will be surprised at the minute "dips" your fingers will feel that your eyes can't see. Make sure you use a quality sandpaper such as 3M or Norton. Many of the cheap "knockoff" papers don't cut it (no pun intended). Good luck!

randy

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 4:42:52 AM   
khodges


 

Posts: 5091
Joined: 7/3/2003
From: newton, NC, USA
Status: offline 		Interesting thread, and I plan to utilize the info myself. This is the least desirable part of building, to me, but the results are not satisfactory without it.

I consider sanding to be one of the Rings of Hell, and the mere thought of an eternity of rubbing 400 grit paper against something keeps me going to church on Sunday.

The ultimate punishment would being forced to sand a telephone pole into dust using only 600 grit paper.

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 4:45:49 AM   
SMUGator



Posts: 1368
Joined: 10/28/2003
From: Sammamish, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Thanks for the tips guys. Good to hear from you again, Randy.

I do appreciate the tip of sanding outside. I try to do that here. I don't know how the rest of the country is going but we are having Junuary here in the Pacific NW, so painting projects are tough. We had snow less than 30 minutes east of here last night in the passes and the rain is unending. I've had 3 good weekend flying days since Feb.

Good tips on the shop coat and dish soap as well. The spray bottle will make it easy to add a little water and rinse. I do worry a little bit about getting water in the open bays and soaking underlying balsa, so I'd be curious to hear how you deal with that. My glassing jobs aren't always perfect, so once in a while I have a little spot where balsa is exposed after rough sanding. Probably best to cure those with a little brushed resin prior to sanding. The grades of sandpaper are pretty consistent with waht I'm already using, so that's good as well.

Thanks again,

Tom



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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 4:47:19 AM   
willey



Posts: 377
Joined: 1/22/2003
From: Waterford/Erie, PA, USA
Status: offline
quote:

The ultimate punishment would being forced to sand a telephone pole into dust using only 600 grit paper.





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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 4:53:08 AM   
bigtim


 

Posts: 2337
Joined: 5/31/2004
From: san francisco, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Randy pretty much summed it up,what I would add is, I have a dipping bucket of clean water I rinse the paper out often to clear the paper of slurry,and I keep a roll of paper towels handy to wipe the surface off as well, keeps the goo under control and not flicking all over the place.
when I am doing a large surface,adding alot of water doesn't help lube the paper to surface contact, I just wet the surface once and allow the wetted sandpaper I have rinsed provide the water if its drying out then its time for another rinse off.
I started out with furnature and cabanet finishing,and refinishing which has helped with the model building tecniques and paint work.

< Message edited by bigtim -- 6/11/2008 4:58:23 AM >

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 5:57:55 AM   
warks62



Posts: 593
Joined: 12/25/2003
From: Fresno, CA, USA
Status: online 		Will give my version. Tom I use Orchard Supply Hardware brand primer a lot anymore. Yes I have painted using good Auto Cat primer but it is expensive and not for everyone. You need a primer a gun to do it right when shooting this primer because you need a very large tip. So now I just use the OSH brand primer on the first coat with a very heavy coat. Then I use a vibrating palm sander and block the plane the first coat this way. One thing is I use a air blow gun to keep the paper and plane clean. By blowing it clean regularly it doesn't clog near as much then. Then I spray a light coat and hand sand with 220. Spray another light coat hand sand with 320 and it is ready for paint. My favorite is still using a auto sealer for the panel lines but I have also done them in primer. the only time I wet sand is if I use the auto sealer and I use a spray bottle and wet sand with 400 but just to take the shine off not really anything else since the finish should be perfect by the time you shoot auto sealer. I have tried the water base primer but that is wetsand only by what I found and no longer even try it. Now I also come from a auto background and it is easy to treat every plane like it is a Rod but we or at least I finish every plane in a flat finish and it just doesn't show minor imperfections any way so I now try to do just what is needed and nothing more. On my current project I am going to try the way Luke did it in his Royal Corsair thread with the thinned down spot putty. This stuff sands like butter and should cut down on the whole primer sanding thing. Hope it helps and I agree with the others on the the how to wet sand but one thing I have noticed myself is if you let water get in the open bays and it soaks into the wood it will expand and distort the wood sometimes permantly not a good idea. Hope this helps.

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 6:02:09 AM   
SMUGator



Posts: 1368
Joined: 10/28/2003
From: Sammamish, WA, USA
Status: offline 		It does help. Thanks, Randy. I sometimes manage to build something that looks decent, but I'm a moron when it come's to the "wet work" so I listen to advice carefully on these topics. I did read Luke's approach. I typically find that I'm less precise than he is in my base surface prep and that I need the primer and filler stages to help me a little more. It's tough having limited skills, but it's a cross that I'll continue to bear joyfully.

Thanks for your advice,
Tom

< Message edited by SMUGator -- 6/11/2008 6:08:26 AM >

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 6:06:18 AM   
The Ghost



Posts: 868
Joined: 3/18/2004
From: UlladullaNSW, AUSTRALIA
Status: online 		Tom, Build smaller models , I dry sand and wet sand only the finish coat before polish. Still a pain though, but the only way to get a good finish. We don't have an unlimited budget which would allow a paint shop to finish for us.

Cheers

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 6:10:47 AM   
SMUGator



Posts: 1368
Joined: 10/28/2003
From: Sammamish, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Leave it to the Aussies to be the wise guys. Careful or Peter Oz may crash at your house for a bit.

Tom

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RE: What is your technique/set-up for wet sanding? - 6/11/2008 6:54:10 AM   
Peter_OZ



Posts: 4750
Joined: 6/5/2002
From: Brisbane, , AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		"manageable" that is one of those quirky little words along the realms of "reasonable" Same sort of open endness.

just love those words in contracts eek

So Tom here is what I do, by the way you never get rid of the sludge.

Bucket of water, soft rag, somewhere the mess going on the floor does not matter . . .comprende?

600 grit wet and dry paper

elbow grease.

sand away to your hearts content, constantly cleaning the paper in the water. As you get a sludge built up wipe it away with the wet rag and use the water to simply wash onto the floor.

I work in my garage so a mess on the floor does not faze me, it drys, turns to powder and get swept out the door.

Trick is to keep wiping the sludge away before it builds up too much. You are still going to get it all over you so enjoy, pretend you are in mud wrestling match for some buxom wenches and get those arms pumping.

Billy Connolly would have a funny skit on it for sure? Think of his Scottish accent " There I was pumping away furiously and at the point of . . . " Fill in the blanks hehehe

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