Any certain direction for wet sanding?

[snake91876]

I am working on wet sanding my boat. Any certain direction to sand horizontally the length of the boat or up and down or maybe round and round. Is one preferred over the other. I had to go to 400 to get off the marks and the gel coat is looking a dull red. is this what its supposed to look like , kinda hazy. Will it brighten up once i compound and go to wax. Also do i have to go and sand with 800, 1000, 1200 or can i go straight to buffing with compound then wax. Also for future ref. how do i strip the wax prior to sanding the boat.

 

[Islandbrah]

Re: Any certain direction for wet sanding?

I just did this whole process. prepare to sand! I went from 320 to 600 to 1000 and 1200 (when i ran out of 1000) bought a cheap pneumatic D/A and jitterbug sander at Northern tool for throwaways (but they are still rockin strong). and got to it. Trick is to put a little dish detergent in a spray bottle and fill with water. Just to be slimy to expel all the old sanding grit while sanding (sander in one hand and spray in the other). I suggest horizontal directions. from 1000 or 1200 you can go to a polishing/med to light rubbing compound. 3M works great. angle buffer with a cutting sponge (looks like egg crate foam) and some clean water in a spray bottle. Put the buffer at low speed 1-2 and get busy. then follow with the wax on a standard buffing pad. I always mist with cool water to bring the killer shine out (used to work great on my jump boots) If you want to know what it will look like before you are done or know when to stop, spray with a hose, it's a pretty good indication of what the finished product will look like. And yes it is supposed to be hazy at this stage. but spray with water to check you mas still have oxidation to remove. Go slow and don't cut too much with the sandpaper... you can always go back a step for a second but if you go too far we will be discussing how to neatly paint a boat. Good Luck and happy sanding I don't envy you

 

[snake91876]

Re: Any certain direction for wet sanding?

when i wet it to wash down it looks great so maybe im on the right track, its just hazy right now. will it be shiny after i sand with the 1200 grit or still be hazy till i put the compound on it.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Any certain direction for wet sanding?

It will still be hazy until you use polish. Just take your time and keep your paper clean and you'll be fine...

 

[Islandbrah]

Re: Any certain direction for wet sanding?

You are on the right track. Haze is the un-polished surface now not oxidation anymore. you will start to see shine at the rubbing compound stage. then with the polish you get the real shine. just be careful with the buffer speed and move in sections. too fast/hard and you'll burn the gel coat. slow and methodical wins this race.