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Orange peel. What do I do now?

3K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  DC Pony 
#1 ·
I bought a 64 that has had a repaint not long ago but although the coverage is good, so is the Orange peel. So, starting from scratch, I need some help. What DA sander do I need? It can be pneumatic or electric. What size disc? What type of disc? 1500' 2000, 3000 grit? Wet or dry? I'd like to do it dry because I think it would be less of a mess but I need an experienced opinion. How about, rubbing compound. Also any tips would be appreciated. Let me put it to you like this; pretend that someone stole your tools and you had a car like mine. What would you have to buy to fix it?
Thanks,
Jeff
 
#5 ·
pneumatic or electric?

you can use either one but,

IMHO, I would start but wet sanding by hand to first see what grit is going to work best as a starting point.....2000 + is typically good for finishing but, if its too rough, 1200-1500 is not unusual to start with. FYI...you must use a sanding block or similar devise...and not your bare hand as this will create uneven pressure. FYI...there are specialized sanders for this but pricey.....IMHo...I would visit a local auto paint supplier and ask for their opinion......it is best to look at the paint in person to really determine specific need.
 
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#6 ·
This is a pretty detailed blog entry I wrote on cutting and buffing a car, but it's just one method that works of MANY. I did not use a orbit sander and disc until the last grit, 3000. It is faster and your sanding scratches are more consistent. But it will sling crap everywhere as opposed to sanding by hand it just runs everywhere.

I just got a cheapie Harbor Freight orbital polisher which worked fine. For discs, look into Eagle. For diameter, 6". The key is to not overlubricate otherwise the paper won't cut. I'd probably start with 1200 and see if that cuts it fast enough. If it's too slow for your liking then you have to go lower. Also stay away from any section that will be difficult to buff, so don't try to remove the peel from every square inch of the car, just the main areas of the panels. And stay away from edges as well.

1967 Mustang Restoration: Cutting and buffing: Part 1. Cutting

1967 Mustang Restoration: Cutting and buffing part II: Buffing
 
#7 ·
Thanks Jeff and Josh,
Great (detailed) info from Josh.
I used to hang out at a body shop when I was a kid and as I recall, they always wet sanded. I wanted to dry sand with a DA sander simply because of the mess. If I do it outside it'll either blow away or soak into the gravel driveway. I tried out a small area under the front license plate and used 2000 and 3000 wet followed by rubbing compound. It worked well but was a pain.
The easiest places (hood, roof, trunk) would be a snap if dry and a mess wet. I'm going to order 1500, 2000, and 3000 6" discs and try a lower quarter panel first.
Jeff
 
#8 ·
You can definitely do it dry........wet actually allows it to cut a little faster (because it keeps the paper a little cleaner)....as an fyi...

if you are going to do it dry, rub the sandpaper together just for a couple of swipes...this will knock down any high spots that will typically create an "extra deep scratch"...if using water, add just a drop of dish soap to the mix....this will provide extra initial lubrication which helps reduce the above as well.
 
#9 ·
The problem you'll encounter if you try to use those discs dry is you'll go through real quickly, and they're pretty expensive as you'll find out. They'll get loaded up with dust which makes the cut ineffective and will also make scratches in your finish. I'd just bite the bullet and use the lube...
 
#10 ·
I got the 2000 grit for my DA sander and they can be used wet or dry. I haven't tried the dry yet because I'm waiting for the 3000. What I'm gleaning here though is that wet and by hand gives more control and the paper lasts longer. I tried some wet of 2000 followed by wet 3000 followed by rubbing compound in a small area and the finish is awesome. I'll follow up on how the dry goes when I get it.
 
#11 ·
For your 3000 I'd recommend trizact. It will be a lot faster and give a better result. 2000 to 3000 is a big jump if you're skipping 2500, so you'll want to spend more time with the 3000 otherwise you'll see 2000 scratches at the right angle. And I promise you I can find them for you :)


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#16 ·
Here's where I'm at right now; After experimenting with my DA sander I found that the best way (for me) was wet sanding by hand. Hand sanding gives me so much control that I think it's impossible to screw up. I sand for awhile then take my jelly blade to the panel to check my progress. It's going great. At the suggestion of Josh, I added 2500 to the range of papers. I found that I need a ratio of about 5 sheets of 2000 for every 1 of the 2500 and 3000. During my experimentation (of a small area) , I used my buffer and applied Meguiare's #83 compound followed by their # 3 cleaner wax which I hand applied. After that I used Mother's synthetic wax and it was awesome. I wanted to check back with all of you before I finished the sanding just to see if anyone had any ideas regarding rubbing compound. BTW, it's always either time or money. I have more time than money. It's taking about 8-12 hours per panel. Lots of work but it's turning out to be well worth it.
 
#19 ·
My suggestion would be to order the sampler kit from Chemical Guys of their V32, 34, 36, and 38 compounds and polishes. The latter two are compounds, former two are polishes. I was initially working through all four, then eventually just went with the 32 and polished with 38. Used an orange Hexalogic cutting foam pad for the V32 compound and a black Hexalogic foam polishing pad for the polishing. I also used their pad lubricant and their pad cleaner.

By the way, all their chemicals smell incredible. I really wanted to eat them.
 
#17 ·
I'm glad to see that you are getting the results that you wanted. In my experience, I've seen way too many people end up having to start all over because they burned through everything by being in a hurry. I have always preferred Mother's Professional Rubbing compound as it seems to work the best for me. Keep taking your time, and from what I can tell, you'll be alright. When you get a chance, post the pictures of your progress so we can see how you're doing.
 
#20 ·
I'm finally finished and couldn't be happier. In response to my own "What do I do now" question, here's what I've gleaned: wet sand by hand with 2000 to 2500 to 3000 grit paper. Take your time and keep checking with a squeegee to see how much material you've removed. You will use about 3-5 more sheets with the initial 2000 than with the others. After the sanded area is even with the 2000, all you'll be doing with the 2500 and 3000 is removing the minor scratches you've made with the previous paper. After all sanding is done, wash and thoroughly dry the car. Use a machine buffer with a wool pad and work the sanded area down with Meguiare's # 83. You can get a pretty good finish just with that but follow up with Meguiare's # 3 machine glaze and a clean wool pad. I followed all of that up with Mother's Synthetic wax and it was easy to see the areas that I missed with the # 3 machine glaze because the wax will make the finish cloudy. Just get out the # 3 pad and clean it up then re-wax the area. Be sure to cover and mask most of the car so you don't get it dirty with the (overspray) compounds. It's a lot of work and it took me about 100 hours to do but now that I've trained myself, I could probably do it in less than 40.
 
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