# Advice on removing Orange Peel?



## Shyde (Oct 7, 2008)

Guys, Before i attack my front bumper with sand paper  i just wanted to check that i am about to do it ok.

Ive got some 2000 and 3000 grit sandpaper, I was going to use the 3000 grit first to see if i can do the job with that.
I take it that it is just a case of lightly sanding with some water and soap in straight lines untill i can see the orange peel being removed.
Then i was going to polish up using my rotary or DA
I have done a tester on a small part of the bumper and it seems to have improved it alot, but does anyone have any advice?

Thanks In Advance.


----------



## bigsyd (Jul 9, 2008)

Shyde said:


> Guys, Before i attack my front bumper with sand paper  i just wanted to check that i am about to do it ok.
> 
> Ive got some 2000 and 3000 grit sandpaper, I was going to use the 3000 grit first to see if i can do the job with that.
> I take it that it is just a case of lightly sanding with some water and soap in straight lines untill i can see the orange peel being removed.
> ...


1st job m8, as you will be wet sanding you need to know how much clear coat you have to play with,beg borrow steal a paint depth guagethan if all is ok 2000say left to right sanding with the 3000 in opposite direction ie up and down and also use a sanding block as your fingers will give an uneven surface and be harder to polish out the uneven surface

2nd job ....stiff drink and balls of steel  just kidding m8 have done quite a bit of wet sanding to the QS to get her right


----------



## Shyde (Oct 7, 2008)

Thanks big syd.
i Can get :wink: a paint guage from my work, The laquer does look quite thick but i can make sure its ok first.
I never thought i would end up taking sandpaper to my car     
Thanks for your advice mate.


----------



## R2eys (Dec 15, 2009)

Not meaning to teach you to suck eggs, but you will need to get a paint thickness gauge that is able to read composite panels, these are normally very expensive.
A slow approach with light pressure is needed to flatten areas, a flexible sanding block would also be of benefit so the corners of the paper don't dig in neither do your fingers.
I would practise first on some scrap panels, it's not something I would recommend doing unless you have a degree of experience first.
Good luck.


----------



## TTrich (Sep 11, 2009)

You're going to need a rotary polisher to polish the paintwork back up anyway, so would it not be better to do it fully with that rather than risking wet sanding which is pretty drastic work.


----------



## NickP (May 6, 2002)

TTrich said:


> You're going to need a rotary polisher to polish the paintwork back up anyway, so would it not be better to do it fully with that rather than risking wet sanding which is pretty drastic work.


You'll struggle to remove Orange Peel with just a rotary and no wetsanding 

Have a look here for some serious wetsanding  
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=141365


----------



## Sickboy (Oct 13, 2004)

Personally I would try using some rubbing compound on a damp cloth then polish with DA. This is what I do when I've done some painting and want to smooth out orange peel after the lacquer has had chance to harden off properly.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... l_NOEFxUHj


----------



## Charlie (Dec 15, 2006)

Wow what an astonishingly detailed write up, that car looks amazing and I can totally understand an owner "having kittens" if they pop in mid job ;-)

Charlie


----------



## Guest (Dec 21, 2009)

i use a knife


----------



## dooka (Apr 28, 2006)

If you can't get your hands on a PTG that will read plastics / composites, and if you know the history of the car, then the clear coat should be similar to that, that is on the car, but just use caution, the general rule seems to be, 25% primer, 25% colour coat and 50% clear coat. I personally work on 35%, just to be on the safe side, wet sanding will take a fair amount of clear coat off, and if not careful, you will leave it to thin, which can lead to premature failure..


----------



## Shyde (Oct 7, 2008)

Thanks for your advice guys,
Ive managed to get the paint looking 95% there, i wasn't looking to get it 100% smooth as glass, i just wanted to match it in with the rest of the paintwork on the car for the moment, Until summer when i go around the whole car  

Cheers guys. :wink:


----------

