pcg33k

Just wondering whats the purpose of wet sanding and when doing it is it just a matter of wetting sandpaper and then start sanding? I just finished putting 2 coats of paint on the canopy of my boat. When I look at it doesn't have that smooth look to it I'm guessing its because I haven't applied the clear coat yet which I plan on doing. Would wet sanding it be a good idea? I've attached some pics I'm priming the hull tonight.

Scott Schneider

Yep, wet sanding takes off all the dust, dirt particles, odd runs, fish eyes etc ....
Do it wet so paper does not load up and this loading up does not cause snot balls of sanded paint from sticking to the surface.
Once all the "parasite" debris is removed from finish ... a few coats of clear on a CLEAN surface make it look like glass

srw1960

Wet sanding gives a much smoother finish because the water carries away sanding debri before it can scratch the surface..plus the water acts as a lubricant making the sanding a bit easier and making the paper last alot longer...and as mentioned no sanding dust....wet sand the pieces with 600 grit and clear coat and they should look pretty good....the more time you spend in prep the nicer the end result...
The pic is a boat I painted a couple weeks ago..the finish is just as painted it hasent been rubbed or polished,,thats what I mean by spending the time in prep now I dont have to sand and polish ...

pcg33k

do I apply another coat of paint after wet standing or just apply clear coat?

srw1960

just clear

Macleod

Put in little dish washing liquid into the water you are using to wet sand as it will break the surface tension of the water between the sand paper and surface you are sanding.
Making it easier to sand.

Tidnab

My Feedback: (51)

Now I'm divorced,so don't try this if your happily married.I put plastic on the sides and bottom of my bath tub and turn on the shower to get a light spray and do my wet sanding in the tub.The dust is washed off and the sand paper gets cleaned off as you sand.A little may get onto the shower walls ,but is easily wiped off. I then dry the hull,inside and out and then wipe it down with a soft cloth with isopropyl alcohol on it and it's ready for the next step.

pcg33k

Ok I've got the hull primed and I plan on doing some painting today. I'm gonna give my hand a try at wet sanding seems easy enough. SRW1960 your boat came out nice how many coats of clear did you put on?

Dreamin Hemi

Not sure about his paint style, but I've personally been using 2 sometimes 3 coats of urethane clear. Two definately will be enough. I apply one coat medium-wet, the other or final coat is applied very wet, but not so much that a sag occurs. If you plan to wetsand the clearcoat and polish out with compound and a high speed buffer, It is in your best interest to apply three coats. You usually will sand and polish off one of the layers...sometimes more. My website (below in sig) has a few boats in the photo section that are all only 2 layers, not wetsanded/buffed out.

pcg33k

I've been using Dupli Color spray paint and I plan on using Dupli Colors clear coat do you know if that is a urethane clear coat? Will I be ok with the Dupli Color stuff? When wet sanding do I need to apply alot of pressure or just do a light sand?

foodstick

One thing to keep in mind when wet sanding paint..no matter how fine of a grit you use BE CAREFUL of the sharp edges on your project.. You will cut through to the base SO FAST .. I completly admire your desire for good results ! Keep in mind that there are risks involved to the finish.. One coat of paint to you might be two for me. There is a reason good painters get big dollars.. Stick with it and learn..just don't be to surprised if you have an accident like the rest of us did while learning..

By the way for flat surfaces I use a foam 3m sanding pad, with sandpaper wrapped around it..

pcg33k

Foodstick, I saw some 3m sanding pads at Autozone the other day when I was there it looked like there was a sanding material on them are these what your talking about? This is my first paint job and first time doing some patching work on my hull so I'm expecting some mistakes here and there.

foodstick

the ones I mentioned are about 3 by 5 inchs,black and greyish. It has two pieces of foam laminated together..that gives you one soft side, and the other is more solid or stiff...

this page has some types. I don't see the two piece type like I mentioned, but the one piece is about the same.. You should be able to find it anywhere with automotive paints, or maybe even a good parts store.

http://www.thefind.com/crafts/info-3...ge-sanding-pad

pcg33k

Here's some more pics of my on going progress.

misshydro

Yes urethane paint work over dupi-color...I've done two of my Oberto hydro with dupi-color and top them off with urethane.pcg33 dupi-color isnt urethane and the gas will eat/attack that paint up.Thats why we said to put two-three coats of urethane clear on your boat...plus you want to wet sand your paint to buff with 1500 grit too

apache 56

also it helps when spraying to do it under warm lights. or have a cupple lamps directed at it. to make it warmer . like hot lamps . also helps to set a better finish..

pcg33k

can I get urethane clear coat at autozone or pepboys? does it come in a spraypaint can?

misshydro

you can get them a NAPA,they have Crossfire paint system,but they replaced the clear with ACME...I'd just used the PPG buget paint line called shopline and its great!! even cheap on your walet too!!!! we Just painted a 1957 190 allasion clambers farm tractor... One gallon or orange is 112.one quart of hardner is 42.00 and a gallon of reducer is 23.00.......Dupont buget line NASON wanted 240 for a gallon of orange....paint cost on a quart of ther clear is 18.00 and 10.00 for a 1/2 of hardner/actavator......you want a great clear and save money I would sudjet the PPG shopline ,there should be a PPG paint dealer around or near you.....Find a paint store in your area to get your urethane clear..No spray cans do I know of...

teebox11

My Feedback: (33)

Urethane comes in spray cans as well as qt/gl. Urethane is actually made for wood products that are not exposed to uv (sun). UV will cause urethane to "yellow" (actually amber color) over a short time. However, in the poly line is polycrylic. This also comes in spray cans and qt/gl containers. This covering is as hard as urethane, is water soluble, and is not uv sensitive. I use it as a top coat for all of my planes and my boat each year when I take it out of the water for the winter, makes a good cold weather maintenance project! Happy modelling!

pcg33k

Thanks for the winter tips.

xpresssi

Very Nice Work SRW !!!!! I love the choice in accents

misshydro

your way off on that remark.....urethane doesnt yellow! and there not made from wood products...there made from resions.....the urethane we're talking about are car paints that can last 30years or more and they are water soluble too or they wouldnt spray that on any cars trucks&boats in the world..all the new cars&trucks in the world are sprayed with urethane paints and clears...All paint companys reconmend to use urethane clears for uv protection....here the[link]http://www.ehow.com/about_4727514_what-urethane-made.html[/link] info on urethane is made of..I see nothing about wood in it!!

srw1960

Sorry to take so long to come and check the posts...Thanks expressi!
I put 4 coats of clear on it thats all that was needed I usualy will do only 3 but I had a bug land in it and felt id need to do some sanding and buffing..I dug vhim out and laid the 4 th coat and got it to flow out good enough that I can get by with out the rubbing....and thats a good example of let the paint job determine the coats of clear try to keep it to 2 to 3 coats..thats what most of the manufacturers recomend...but if the last coat hasent flowed out nice dont be afraid to spray a wetter coat to get it to flow out....I would advise against using any lights for anything other than ilumination..trying to use them to heat the surface will mess you up by creating hot spots that will dry/cure faster then the others..dont do it especially not a beginner....the big painters use lights like that to dry the paint quickly so they can get another car in the booth rapid curing paint like that serves no purpose other than to clear a booth for the next job quicker.........
The sanding pads are a great idea they keep the pressure when sanding more even..and I like the shower idea if you can get away with it..I made a small sprinkler out of copper tubing and a small valve to atach to an air sander I have touse for wet sanding big projectsbut you could even use one of those misters the hardware store sell to keep a steady light spray going.....I do not know of any polyurethane clear coats available in spray cans that is nitro fuel proof now GASOLINE/OIL MIX is another story..the clear miss hydro recomended is the same brand I have used for awhile and it works great thats the PPG shopline brand they make a very good primer as well....
Now then..I have been experimenting with minwax clear spray can polyurethane..so far I have determined that it will spray over urethanes and lacquers with no problems I have not tested it over enamel YET...it IS NOT NITRO FUEL PROOF OR RESISTANT it will imedialty wrinkle up on contcatc with fuel and I havent been able to test it with gas mix yet but I will..if it works with gas thatd be nice..yes its intended for wood but if itll work why not use it???

And yes you can use the automotive urethanes over dupli color spray paint but it means you have to have a compressor and a spray gun....

pcg33k

When I do my wet sanding does it matter that I have two different colors of paint? I guess what I'm asking is the red paint won't bleed over on to the black or vice versa?

misshydro

no it wont.. but if your putting clear on that red@black? just get a gray scotch brightpad and scuff the whole boat and wipe it down good with soapy water let it dry and tac any dust off of it then clear it...