Loading…
22
Sanding a fender with 80 grit then jumping to 320 vs stepping through 180 and 220 first
I used to knock down a fender repair with 80 grit on a DA, then go straight to 320 before primer and call it done. That worked okay on small dings, but on a bigger panel I did last month, a rear quarter on a 2016 Camry, I kept getting pigtails that showed up after sealer. Took me two extra coats to bury them and I still saw one ghost line in the sun. A guy named Reggie at the supply counter in Fort Worth asked what grits I was running and told me to stop skipping the middle steps. Now I hit it with 180 on a soft pad, then 220 by hand on the edges, then 320 before I even mix primer. The whole sanding stage adds maybe 15 minutes per panel but I have not chased a scratch in six jobs since. The finish cuts flatter too, less blocking after. What grit sequence are you all running on big panels, or am I the last guy who thought 80 to 320 was fine?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
zarar758d ago
Reggie at that Fort Worth counter gave you solid advice. I ran 80 straight to 320 for years on a DA and thought I was saving time, but I did a black Silverado bed side last spring and those 80 grit pigtails came back through the sealer like tiny little scratches everywhere. Spent two hours extra blocking it back down and still had one spot near the wheel arch that showed in direct sun. Now I do 180 on the DA with a soft pad, 220 by hand on the body lines and edges, then 320 over everything before primer. Yeah it adds about 10 or 15 minutes a panel but I have not had a scratch pop back up in months. The 320 also cuts way flatter so my blocking after primer is half the work it used to be. You are not the last guy, plenty of us got lazy with the grit jumps and paid for it later.
3