I finally tried wet sanding clear coat by hand instead of using a DA sander

Everyone told me I was crazy for ditching the DA sander on a custom clear coat job. I was working on a 2018 Mustang last week in my shop near Dallas, and the orange peel was brutal. I grabbed some 2000 grit paper and a spray bottle of water, and just started sanding by hand. Took me about 3 hours total for the whole hood, but the finish came out way smoother than I expected. No swirl marks or burn through spots like I get with the DA sometimes. I think people sleep on hand sanding because it takes longer, but for smaller panels it's honestly worth it. Has anyone else had good luck with this over a machine?

2 comments

2 Comments

claireg812d ago

Ngl that sounds like a lot of work for one hood, but I guess if you got the patience for it then go off. Honestly though, are we really acting like 3 hours of hand sanding is better than 30 minutes with a DA? I mean sure, you avoided some swirls, but that's more of a technique issue than a tool issue. A good DA with the right pad and a steady hand can give you a glass-like finish without killing your arm for an afternoon. Tbh I think people hype up hand sanding like it's some kind of secret art form when really it's just slower and more exhausting.

reed.eva1d ago

My right arm is basically 3 inches longer than my left from one summer of hand sanding a Jetta hood, so I feel qualified to say yeah it's kinda dumb lol. But hey, at least I got a good forearm workout out of it.

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