Took me 6 years to stop sanding dry and switch to wet sanding on clears

I used to think wet sanding was just extra steps for no reason. Then I had a run-in with a 2005 Mustang two months ago where my dry sanding left visible scratches under the clear. My coworker Dave showed me how wet sanding with 1500 grit knocked down the orange peel without gumming up the paper. Now I wet sand all my final clears. Has anyone else fought the switch this long?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_west5214h ago

Ugh, that Mustang story hits close to home. Did you notice a difference in how the clear laid down after that first wet sand, or did it still feel weird to you for a while? I'm always curious if people just power through the learning curve or if they see immediate results.

chen.james9h ago

jennifer west you actually wet sanded clear on a FIRST try? bro I did the same thing on an old fender and the clear laid down like glass right after. but the next panel I rushed the sanding and it came out looking like orange peel city. that first wet sand is magic when you hit the grit just right but one wrong pass and its game over.