Tips For A Great Buff / Wax (Long)

[minaret]

Originally Posted by MJWEENZ

MS,
Thanks for all the info you have given us! I have tried your method on a section of my 1982 LN41 and am astounded at the results. But I have a question, how do you deal with the areas that you can't get a buffer into? ie: between cleats or winches, behind shrouds and chainplates and between the caprail and deck?

MJ
Sailing in Ohio for now.....

I use a Roloc disc on a pneumatic angle grinder, with an in-line regulator to dial down to the necessary speeds. You can get a 2" wool buffer pad on the Roloc fitting, or even a 1 1/2" foam pad. since it's on a right angle it will generally get anything your full size can't reach. Works much better than hand buffing.
I know these posts are ancient, but for anyone else who's looking, there it is...

[hellosailor]

Minerat, what do you mean by a guide coat here?

I'm used to a guide coat being an undercoat, i.e. applied before the rest of coatings, so that when or if you see the guide coat showing through you know you've gone down too far. But if you're just polishing, not painting...you can't be applying a guide coat under the polish, can you? I'm obviously missing something from this picture.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Minerat, what do you mean by a guide coat here?

I'm used to a guide coat being an undercoat, i.e. applied before the rest of coatings, so that when or if you see the guide coat showing through you know you've gone down too far. But if you're just polishing, not painting...you can't be applying a guide coat under the polish, can you? I'm obviously missing something from this picture.

Guide coat is a standard method used by painters everywhere for paint prep. It is essentially day glow orange chalk in a solvent base that comes in a spray can. You lightly spray the whole surface you are going to sand with it, just dusting it so it looks like it has overspray all over it. It dries instantly and sands right off with no gumming. It is a "guide"coat because it shows very clearly where you have sanded and where you have not. This keeps you from missing any little hand sanding spots around the edges, it prevents "holidays", and it will show up every little crack, divot, chip, or needed repair that may have been missed. It also prevents over sanding, because you can see exactly when enough material has been removed. It's difficult to explain and often looks unnecessary to the uninitiated, but it only takes minutes with a few dollars worth of materials and it really does save time and effort while increasing quality of finish. The first time you use it you will never go back. I am religious about guide coat at many stages of sanding, it really can simplify fairing as well. No masking is needed, it wipes right off with a damp alchohol rag. If you are going to dry sand a hull with DA film discs I feel it is really necessary to prevent over sanding. I usually sart with 800 film discs, I feel anything coarser leaves swirly scratches that are hard to get out, especially if done by hand. 800 on a DA sands much faster than 600 by hand, and leaves a much nicer finish. This helps you get to the desired level of perfection much faster and with much less sweat.

[hellosailor]

Huh. Makes perfect sense to me, I'd just never met the product. If it doesn't gum or clog the pads...it must be magic fufu dust! But it does make sense. Speaking of whic, where can you order 800 wet sanding discs from? I was trying to resurface a bathtub (not on the boat!) and working my way through grades. 1000 just won't tickle it, 800 seems to be something too fine for the hardware stores, too esoteric for the body supplies....Too subtle for Amazon. Especially if you don't want a box of a hundred discs.<G>

[minaret]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Huh. Makes perfect sense to me, I'd just never met the product. If it doesn't gum or clog the pads...it must be magic fufu dust! But it does make sense. Speaking of whic, where can you order 800 wet sanding discs from? I was trying to resurface a bathtub (not on the boat!) and working my way through grades. 1000 just won't tickle it, 800 seems to be something too fine for the hardware stores, too esoteric for the body supplies....Too subtle for Amazon. Especially if you don't want a box of a hundred discs.<G>

Dust is exactly what it is. I like the dayglow for white hulls but on dark colors you step back to a white guide coat, etc. etc. Many people use quick dry automotive lacquer primer for guide coats when sanding coarser grits for prep or for fairing (shows the lows clearly as well as any imperfections), but it will gum when finishing fine. Use only actual guide coat sold as such, can be hard to find. Look at high end auto body supply shops. It's cheap, usually less than $5 a can for the tall cans. You only spray on a little so a can goes a long way. When we sand for prep we use blue steel die in acetone wiped on with rags, it's more thorough than the scatter pattern of guide coat and will show up the most microscopic imperfection, but that is pro stuff and overkill for most users. I get my film discs from Fisheries Supply. I think the smallest box is at least 100 discs and quite expensive. If you've ever wet sanded an entire hull by hand you'll see that it's worth every penny. It goes amazingly quickly by DA, usually takes me longer to hand sand the edges and corners than to DA.

[sailsunfurled]

Bringing back a great thread with a few questions. I am headed to the boat yard in a few weeks to renew the bottom paint and had saved this thread for that day. I want to spend the time performing the Buff, polish and wax job outlined by Maine Sail, thanks for the write-up.

I am on Amazon looking at the selections of wool pads. Reading Maine Sail's descriptions of the wool pads I can understand, but the vendors on Amazon are not as descriptive. Plus I am seeing several wool pads as 'compound' but with different 3M part numbers?

Can anyone help a noob out on the 'correct' wool pads per Maine Sail's descriptions of the 3 grades needed, at least 3M part numbers or Amazon links?

Thanks,