Help needed please

[Quattro-matty]

Hi all I'm just wondering if anyone could help me. I've painted the front end of the girlfriends a3 over the past week I'm not a painter or a detailed but as you could imagine there is quite a bit of the orange peel effect. I've painted a few things for my a4 but nothing like a full front end respray. I know people do the wet sanding going up the grades and then machine polishing but could someone help me like a little step by step if they don't mind the rest of the car body work is like this

And the front end looks like this

As you can see it's like an orange peel haha. I know I'm going to get replies like y don't I leave it to the professionals but I'm one of these people who likes to try things and if it doesn't work out then give it to someone to do the work.
Cheers Matty

 

[esp_mm-270]

It's a tricky one as a lot of the wet sanding and using a rotary buffer is so much a feel thing.

What are you going for? Normal Bodyshop flatting? Factory finish or the £2-3k detail mirror look?

I'll try to help here but explaining the processes properly I might as well write you a book lol.

 

[Bristle Hound]

Hi all I'm just wondering if anyone could help me. I've painted the front end of the girlfriends a3 over the past week I'm not a painter or a detailed but as you could imagine there is quite a bit of the orange peel effect. I've painted a few things for my a4 but nothing like a full front end respray. I know people do the wet sanding going up the grades and then machine polishing but could someone help me like a little step by step if they don't mind the rest of the car body work is like this View attachment 69248 And the front end looks like this
View attachment 69249 As you can see it's like an orange peel haha. I know I'm going to get replies like y don't I leave it to the professionals but I'm one of these people who likes to try things and if it doesn't work out then give it to someone to do the work.
Cheers Matty

@Quattro-matty - I think you may need to get over too http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/ for some more in depth advice buddy

 

[Quattro-matty]

Thanks for the reply @esp_mm-270 all I'm kind of wanting is to get rid of some off the orange peel effect as it stands out like a sore thumb to the rest of the car. Something like a factory flatting not so much a mirror shine. I got my mate to get me some 3m fast cut plus and perfect it finish a think it was called as he works at 3m and it didn't cost me .

Thanks for the reply @Bristle Hound I'll check that out now

 

[esp_mm-270]

Ok. How brave are you? Fresh paint you could start with 800 grit with water and some sort of car wash for extra lube. From what you've said I'd tape up everything that isn't white paintwork, get a sanding block and start with 1000-1200 grit, plenty of water and soap.

Start with the flat surfaces moving the block/paper in streight lines back and forth. Just so you can see the effect the first flat surface you do (make it a smaller area) do five back and forths and dry the wet sanded area. You should be able to see the flatting effect a little in comparison to your untouched new paint. From there you should be able to gauge how far you are away from where you would like the paint so do the rest of the flat surfaces.

So you now have flat 'flat' sections of panels. The hard bit is now to sand the curves that join flat surfaces. This is the feel thing I mentioned earlier and all I can suggest is carefully going across from one flat section to another 'rolling' the block so it's flush with the 1st flat section rolling across so you finish off flush with the 2nd flat section.

So that's the basic idea for flatting and how far you go is up to you, the flatter you want it the more possible it is to go through the clear coat.

So, you are happy with the sanding, get ya buffer out and buff out the sanding marks being aware that the bumper is plastic and does not disperse heat like the steel panels there for burning is more likely. Use a da if you are not comfortable with rotarys. Again, do five passes and see how it looks. I'm assuming you have a cutting pad and appropriate compound? Nothing too harsh as non factory paint is quite soft.

Like I said, need to write a book to get the whole point across but this is the basics of it.

 

[Quattro-matty]

Thanks @esp_mm-270 that's great. I did put about 4-5 coats of each (primer then base then clear). So the paint should be thick enough? That's a massive help. I don't want to go right the way back maybe just a little to get rid of a bit of the orange effect. If a do burn through hopefully I won't ill just have to spend another night or 2 repainting haha. The polisher I have is a grinder with adjustable speed so is that a rotary? Sorry if I sound dumb my trade is a welder / sheet metal worker. I just like trying new things. Give me some metal and I can do anything you want with it haha. But thanks for your time and your reply hopefully all goes well. Cheers

 

[esp_mm-270]

Yep, give me the make and model and I'll work out the speed setting. Anything rotary is hard to make safe even if you do a lot it. On plastic too........ It's about keeping even contact/pressure across even sweeps throughout the surface watching out for creases in the plastic bumper which is one of the hazards that can burn the paint off, touching the edge of the disk on an adjacent panel and so on. Double layer of tape on taping up maybe too?

Spose find out if you can borrow a da for a tryout?

If you can get a Dual Action (DA) the pad head oscillating spreads the cutting heat on the paint. Will take much longer but as you can paint maybe learn with a chance of you having to repaint is not the end of the world. Another idea is having a little practice on a scrappy panel (pref black, show all imperfections) with an area of good paint on it?

 

[esp_mm-270]

Also, tape up so you don't machine the outline of the bumper. Find the edge and tape just a fraction inside that line. Do that by hand.