What i need to know is should i wet sand or dry sand with these cloths they give in the kit. I have never worked with grits this fine or even used this polishing kit before so i am a bit lost on what to do and how to go about cleaning the polishing cloth hand wash it or machine wash?

T.I.A.

Rocky,

I can't answer this question, but like you, I am really looking forward to the answer! I've seen this in the LHS and have thought about picking a set up. "Finish" work (or wet-work) is something I "understand" the concept, but just don't know "how to go about it." Hopefully, one or more of the seasoned vets in the auto model world will enlighten us.

Mike

Well i have found out that wet or dry sanding will work just as good it is just simply user choice. But it seems wet sanding will clog up the cloth faster and it will need to be washed out during use to keep it working right and dry allows you to see your progress as to wet having to wipe it down to see where your at. And i just washed the cotton cloth with some liquid soap and warm water and it fluffed back up after drying and worked great. I have tried this set out and it makes a difference i did a hood and only did the left side and it is as smooth as glass and the right you can see the ruffness even though it fells smooth to the touch. I used mequiars cleaner wax as mu buffing and wax agent.

Definitely wet sand....the water helps not only to keep the dust down, but also to help keep the paint and plastic cool, and helps prevent you from sanding through your color coat.

I have very little experience with polishing kit's. Bought some polishing pads, not long ago. I have only tried them once. I dry sanded but will definitely wet sand next time. When dry sanding the polishing pads cloged and ended up scratching the paint.

Wet sanding is THE way to go with a polishing kit. As Jesper pointed out, dry sanding will often clog the papers (or pads) and scratch the finish.

When I'm sanding, I place the sanding sheets in a Tupperware bowl filled with warm water, to keep them wet. Also, be sure to rinse the sanded part under running water, carefully dry it off with a soft rag or towel and check your progress often. It gets tedious after a while - sand, rinse, dry, inspect - but the alternative of sanding through your top or color coats is much more annoying. Nothing can make your session go sour quicker than a beautifully polished paint job...with a ridge or corner burned through because you weren't paying attention.

HTH.

-YL

I can attest to what Yoni says, as I have a '69 Mustang that I painted, polished, down to the last part...the hood, and then I notice that I have burned through 4 coats of gloss, 3 coats of paint, and a coat of primer, down to the bare plastic on one edge of the hood scoop.

The kit has now sat unfinished for 2 years since that fateful day!!!