Buffing your newly-finished paint

Many car owners don't consider the total value of a good wetsand job. It's only when they start buffing the paint that they discover it's back to the drawing board (usually, they did not do enough wetsanding). So let me instruct you guys and gals how to proceed in the process of wet sanding. THIS is the way to get a SHOW FINISH instead of a "grandstand" paint job.

This method requires the vehicle panels to be straight and solid to begin with, and the paint to have been applied correctly. Start with a fender, side and flat parts and inspect them to see how much you must flatten. Cover all sharp corners with 1/2" masking tape and use 1000 grit wet/dry paper to begin. This is considering everything is in very good shape: clear is flat, color is right, etc. Use a 5 gal. bucket with one shot of dish soap, then blend it with lukewarm water. The dish soap will act as a wetting agent, allowing the water to flow out on the panel instead of beading up. Use a good-quality rubber sanding block, and sand until the surface is completely flat. Use a 3M squeegee to clean the area, then stand back a little to inspect the sanded surface, and determine if any shine is present. The area must be kept clean and wet, so squeegee it off frequently and dip your sanding block into the bucket often. If it's flat, go to the next area. If the surface is still unsanded, continue re-sanding the area until a semi-gloss, flat surface is achieved. The finer the paper, the more semi-gloss it will be. Continue doing this until the entire car is done with 1000. You must repeat this routine with every grit-level of paper you use!!! Now you will do the whole car in 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000 grit. It will take anywhere from one week to 2 1/2 weeks to get it right. Then you can buff it out with ease using light pressure because the surface is pre-polished and it only takes a bit of buffing to do the rest. So go for it.