I am sick and tired of finishing film...

[Serge]

Anyone have a trick to eliminate or reduce the pigtails produced by finishing film? I am polishing a show car now and all I do it seems is running after pigtails...I am going back to wet sanding for high end vehicles...

In an effort to eliminate the dust factor in pigtails, I got finishing film for my dust collection sander (the ones with the holes). Well I'll be darned, it's worse! Because of the suction the vacuum makes and the seal provided by the film's fine texture the vacuum sucks the film down on the surface with too much pressure and pigtails almost instantly...

I wash the pannels with glass cleaner between grits and always tack rag the pannel before sanding to eliminate foreign dust or larger particles...and still I find pigtails when polishing...Just so anoying...

Any tricks?

Robert, do you use finishing film at all?

[Robert]

Serge,

Yes, I use it but the results vary like crazy. One car, the film cuts, not a pigtail in sight, the next, it's pill city and hardly worth the effort.

I've been playing around doing the middle or first cut with the machine and then cross cutting with 2000 and the results are very good. I'm still working on a different paper. I like the eagle stuff but it's almost impossible to get.

Take Care,
Robert

[bad buick]

I don't like them either. My cousin bought a sanding system called quick cut wet sanding system. It got the finish so flat with out scratches or pigtail I could not beleive it. He used 2000 grit one ste and on to buff. I went out and ordered on to use on my Daughters 26 buick roadster. I got it through www.quick cut sanders .com He said he cut his sanding time about 1/3 and uses less paper.

[Mike B]

http://www.quickcutsanders.com/

[bad buick]

I don't like them either. My cousin bought a sanding system called quick cut wet sanding system. It got the finish so flat with out scratches or pigtail I could not beleive it. He used 2000 grit one ste and on to buff. I went out and ordered on to use on my Daughters 26 buick roadster. I got it through www.quick cut sanders .com He said he cut his sanding time about 1/3 and uses less paper.

[bad buick]

thanks for the correction mike. have you checked the site out?

[Len]

It takes so much less time to use Finishing Film to level the surface I would think it would pay you to use it then give it the once over with a little wet paper to remove any pig tails. I use it all the time on high-end vehicles and don't see any problems unless I trap something between the film and the surface.

Power wet sanding (like the site that Mike B posted) has been available from Hutchins for several years but I don't see the advantage. You can't see your progress and it's a lot more hassle than dry plus you still run the risk of pig tails if you have contaminants. We can do an entire car in a couple hours using Finishing Film and an AirVantage, we may get a pig tail here and there but a little wet paper by hand quickly handles them.

[Henry]

Serge,

Yes, I use it but the results vary like crazy. One car, the film cuts, not a pigtail in sight, the next, it's pill city and hardly worth the effort.

I've been playing around doing the middle or first cut with the machine and then cross cutting with 2000 and the results are very good. I'm still working on a different paper. I like the eagle stuff but it's almost impossible to get.

Take Care,
Robert

Maybe Len can take a hint and do some work on Spray Painting 102 after seeing the old fart DA/wetsand on a shorty video!!!!
Robert, you could probably use some slowly running water over the panel I guess. ALSO, can ANYONE post a picture of what you are referring to as pig tail because I never have gotten it. I use 1200 only on my Hutchins. I wipe the paper and change it often. SERGE; what the hell are you doing? I thought you never had problems.
Oh by the way, ANY TRUE FINISH LEFT??? Thanks. Henry

[Serge]

Well, I don't know. Maybe it's the UFC35 that does not like finishing film. Darn, I put the film on the paint, move 2 ft and it starts to pigtail on me...At that rate, it would take 2 boxes to do the car...

This thing is a flow coated, urethane candy apple red 2004 tiburon...a work of darn art that will not finish...it just drags on and on and on and on...This is the last kandy I do on a tuner car...too much plastic on those things...all in kandy...darn it was a bitch to match all those parts...

Bah...tomorrow is another day...I am going to re-sand the doors and hood with 2K tomorrow and stop bitching about it...

[Len]

Using Glasurit paint I can get at least 5 big cars out of a box of Finishing Film.

[bad buick]

I watched the old fart video and found out that I could use one sanding step with 2000 grit and it sands fast. The quick cut system I bought is nothing like the hutch wet system. The interface pads the quick cut uses with sticky back paper is what does the trick. No velcro loops to cause pig tails.

[Warren]

I only used the finish film a few times and this may sound crazy but you have to get the crap off the car constantly. What I did was I ran it only for a few seconds then wiped the DA on my leg.

I work in jogging pants so every time I swiped it on my pant leg it was clean again. The car got wiped with a fluffy microfibre and was kept clean. Yes it took time to do that but the stuff went many times further.

The polisher I know here who came from where you live always wipes with glass cleaner and keeps the car immacualte. The golf I watched get done was done witn the Norton and it went well, not one squiggle on the car. The car is always cleaned before the next step.

Try cleaning off the dust and wipting the thing on your leg, know it sounds strange but it really did go way further,

I do the same on my stroke sander in the shop, if you do not have proper dust collection then you are just regrinding the dust into the belt and the wood. On the planer if the dust collection is not working and shavings are not getting away they can press right into the wood and leave marks from the rollers. Realize it is different stuff but the thought pattern is the same the crap has to be taken away or it gets in the way.


Warren













The Golf that Paul did with

[Serge]

But not this time...I am a very clean guy when I color sand. I use glass cleaner too and use a tack cloth to pick up all the debris. Its got to be the clear coat...Instead of wiping it on my leg, I use the previous paper's loop backing to wipe the paper, the loop side of the paper can pick up quite alot of dust...The funny thing is the ff with the dust collection is worse...the vacuum sucks the film on the surface and makes the pigtailling worse...

Anyway, this one car is getting done by hand on the week end...

[Robert]

Bad Buick,

I think the main feature of the quick cut is the water constantly running. I really like the different density interface pads. I've had to modify things to get that result so I'll probably get those if nothing else.

There's a lot of work going on in this area. Eagle has some good stuff, Norton, Indasa, and everyone else is looking for a better a way to deal with this. I'm going to try just using one of my sponges to provide water and see what happens.

This is a great thread.

Robert

[bad buick]

Robert: When I use my quick cut system I turn down the soap solution with the valve that is installed on the machine. You can adjust the flow so that it is minimal. I have very little excess liquid. The indasa wet paper I use is doing an excellent job and lasts and lasts. It is a psa sticky back paper 2000 grit