Re: [DML] Re graining our car

["A.H. MacIntosh & Co." <dmc12@xxxx>]

Plumbing shops are best place to get a flap wheel... not the "home depot"
kind, but a "real" commercial plumbing shop.

Keep the RPM on your tool low, or you will have a real mess on your hands.

best advice ever...

DON'T
> TRY THIS WITHOUT FIRST PRACTICING ON A SCRAP PIECE OF SHEET METAL.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx>
To: <dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2002 11:08
Subject: Re: [DML] Re graining our car


> To get the correct texture, I have found that anything finer than 80 grit
> sandpaper is a waste of time -- it polishes instead of textures. Once the
> grain is set proper then a coarse Scotch-Bite pad will mellow it to the
OEM
> finish.
>
> >From experience, I have found that long smooth strokes are bad -- very
bad.
> What happens is if you get the slightest bit crooked then you get long
> crooked deep scratches. The secret to an OEM finish is to use very short
> strokes. Another lesson I've learned from experience is to not use a
"touch
> & to" technique. (This is how a pilot lands the plane & takes off again
> without stopping.) If you do this with your sandpaper, then you end up
with
> J-shaped scratches. So... in order to refinish a small area by hand, put
> the 80 grit paper on a sanding block (preferably one used for automotive
> use. They are rubber & conform to the panel's contour unlike a wood
block.)
> Carefully place the pad on the panel without shifting it. Then press hard
> and quickly lift off. This will produce very short scratches which best
> emulate the OEM finish put on using a flapper wheel.
>
> For large areas, I have had great success using a belt sander, BUT --
DON'T
> TRY THIS WITHOUT FIRST PRACTICING ON A SCRAP PIECE OF SHEET METAL. The
> problem with belt sanders is the backing to the paper is hard and
> unforgiving. It will put an uneven deep gouge pattern in the metal.
> Instead place a small sponge behind the platen (the thin piece of sheet
> metal that backs the sandpaper). This will create a raised area on the
belt
> sander's working surface, and this is the only part of it you want
touching
> the car. This works great for broad flat areas but will not get near
curves
> such as the fender flairs. It produces a pattern of short straight
> scratches that looks just like the OEM finish from a flapper wheel.
>
> The last time I was at NAPA, I saw on the shelf a small 80 grit flapper
> wheel made to fit a power drill. This was around 1.5 to 2" diameter. I'm
> tempted to try it in the "hard to reach" areas.
>
> Or you can just spend the bucks and buy a really flapper wheel (if you can
> find one).
>
> Walt Tampa, FL
>
>
>
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