From my limited experience in painting cars let me offer the following:
I have only sprayed lacquer paint, but I have polished several cars painted with enamel.
Lacquer is a GREAT paint to color sand and polish. It is readily color sanded and then
easily polishes to a terrific shine/mirror finish. Of course a highly polished surface will
readily show off imperfections in the body work or in the paint. (The lacquer paint I used,
although it would polish very well, was not as durable as enamel and would oxidize much
quicker)
My attempts to polish enameled paint have yielded good and not so good results. Enamel
seems to be a harder paint. This means that scratchs in the paint take more effort to
remove, which in turn means that it takes more work to make perfect. On our VW Jetta, I
started with 1200 grit wet/dry (make sure that there is NO dirt or grit on the paper, on the
paint, or in the water) going make and forth in only one direction. After this I went
straight to the buffing machine and this worked very well. It is a white paint and I was
not as fussy. On the Alpine, the cheap re-paint job from about 20 years ago is too far gone
and nothing that I could do would bring back any shine.
If your paint is not shot, the basic principle is not too hard to follow: start with the
highest grit wet-dry paper that will work (maybe 1200). Use your fingers and a back-up pad
and plenty of clean water (start with a very clean car). Your tactile feedback is
important. Then try polishing it. By hand is tougher, but safer than by a machine. If you
still see the linear scratches left by the 1200 grit, repeat step 1 with the next grade
finer paper. Continue until you are satisfied with the results or the sun goes down.
-Roger
Christopher Albers wrote:
>
> anthonyr(at)aqua.civag.unimelb.EDU.AU,Internet writes:
> >I have resprayed my Minx and done a patch on the Alpine and I don't know
> >how to get a finish such as you are describing. I've used buff and shine
snip
>
> >How do I get it mirror smooth?
>
> >Anthony.
>
> >>All,
> >> The body, a beautiful Forest Green (96), was done by a friend for
> >>what I consider to be a very good price. It has been color sanded to
> >>the nth degree and looks incredible, except for the few inevitable
> >>chips and scratches acquired during the project. The paint is so clear
> >>you could use it as a mirror for shaving.
> >>Christopher Albers
> >>'67 SV od BRG
> >>
> >>
>
> >From: Agent 86 <anthonyr(at)aqua.civag.unimelb.EDU.AU>
> >Subject: Re: Chrome
> >Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 10:11:27 +1100
>
> After spraying the car you need to wet sand it. Prep the surface with
> a wax/ grease remover and make sure there are no grit particles on the
> surface by wiping with a tack rag, otherwise you will ruin the paint.
> Using a constant supply of water from a hose or the like begin sanding
> a small area in a circular motion with 1200 grit paper attached to a
> sponge to make sure even pressure is applied. The paper must be soaked
> in water for 20 min or so before starting. As you sand periodocally
> dip the paper in water to keep it clean and to prevent clogging. Do a
> small area at a time until you've completed the car. Repeat the
> process using 1600 and then 2000. Some painters use 1200, 1400,1600
> then 2000; or just do 1200, 1400, and 1600. To achieve the best result
> though you must go to 2000. Hope this helps and if I got any of it
> wrong, someone please correct me.
>
> Christopher Albers
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