Cost for Professional sand and buff

[My 66 Mustang]

Well my wet sanding and buffing is horrible. I should have left well enough alone. I sprayed single stage omni. I wet sand then buff and all it does is intensify the orange peel which I swear was not there before? So, what can I expect to pay to have it Professionally done? thanks to all P.S. I ordered Len's painting 101, maybe I can get it right by watching the video.

[Robert]

You can pay anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to six or seven hundred.

I think you must be doing something wrong. Describe your colorsanding process and maybe I can tell you what to do differently.

Take Care,
Robert

[Hannibal]

Are you using your bare hands with the sandpaper? I could see that causing problems from un-eveness of pressure. but you should be using very light pressure, and a high grit paper.

Good luck.

[My 66 Mustang]

First of all, thanks and thanks to all. I bought a 3m sanding block and after watching Len's 101 I have made much improvement. Still need to sand again, I guess I don't sand hard enough for I fear I might sand down to far. I now seem to have a problem trying to get shine back. Paint is now 2 weeks. I bought a orbital 10 inch from Advance Auto that suppose to run at 2500 rpm's. Question: Am I suppose to push down on this machine or just let it spin? I use a wool pad, then wipe off? Is this right?

[Len]

An orbital is not the machine to use to remove the sanding scratches. You need a variable speed rotary machine to do the job properly. The orbital will be good for removing buffing swirls after the initial compounding is finished.

Compounding Tools Link

[stealth1]

66 mustang,

First off the 10" polisher you bought is not a buffer, it is only good for applying wax and polish and taking it off. You need a 7" variable speed buffer (1200-2500 rpm) and since this is your first buff I would recommend using only foam pads and just use a more aggressive compound like 3m heavy duty or Perfect it 2.

First use the block you used and a spritz bottle to spray water on the surface as you go, and start with 1000 grit then 1500 grit then 2000 grit and make sure to keep the surface clean and wash down if needed between grits. Then buff it out with some good compound like 3M or Mequirs etc. check for scratches under fluorecent lights ater you "think" your finished buffing then switch pads to a softer foam and glaze or polish to finish. You could even use a milder finish compound to finish out with the 7", then use your 10" buffer with a foam bonnet to glaze or polish as the last step.

For the 7' buffer look for it to have a 5-12 amp motor rating, anything less is just a toy...........

[My 66 Mustang]

I noticed the foam pads come in different colors or grades? What do I want? Please tell me and I'll place a order. thanks again

[Len]

I noticed the foam pads come in different colors or grades? What do I want? Please tell me and I'll place a order. thanks again

If you already have a variable speed rotary machine with the standard 5/8" X 11 thread you should get the 6" backing plate and orange pad. If you have a lot of cutting to do it would also pay to get the electrified sheepskin pad that can be used to quickly cut out the scratches then go to the orange foam to finish the work.

Electrified Sheepskin Pad Link

Link to other Sure Finish Pads and Backing Plates

Link to Sure Finish Polish

[My 66 Mustang]

ok, went to auto paint shop, the guy seemed very knowledgable. He said you can't sand and buff single stage. He said I should sand car down again and respray the car. But, he said this time to mix up the clear coat and mix up the single stage paint and mix the two together then shoot. He said the results will be fantastic?

[Len]

If you noticed, on the video, the demo on polishing is done using single stage. We almost always polish non-metallic single stage.

[stealth1]

I am with Len you can most definately sand and buff single stage paint but need to be careful if it is a metallic, you are usually better off re-doing a metallic unless it is very minor imperfections.

Take a picture and post it for us, maybe the body shop guy thought the paint was too far gone to sand and buff back out and for him (paint booth etc.) it would be easier to just repaint. I've seen some pretty rough paint get salvaged through just a sand and buff............