Panel re-graining

[opethmike]

I have an old, damaged right hand fender lying around. For the heck of it, I want to give a shot at regraining the panel (regrain, NOT blend) to see what sort of result I can get.

Since I am doing this for fun and for the heck of it, I do not plan on spending money on a flapper wheel. I would like to hear some input on how to go about accomplishing this.

[Delorean Industries]

I choose to do almost everything by hand. Flap wheels are nice but not really required in my opinion unless you are defining the initial flow of the grain. The best grain jobs out there that I have seen were completed by hand.

[kajcienski]

I choose to do almost everything by hand. Flap wheels are nice but not really required in my opinion unless you are defining the initial flow of the grain. The best grain jobs out there that I have seen were completed by hand.

This might be on a slight tangent/OCD, but have a question on this subject (probably belongs in the blending thread - but already here). I find blending pads yield great results and control - but can only get about 5-7 minutes of blending out of a single 6X9 pad before a drastic loss in its effectiveness. I usually dry blend (aiming to straighten the grain and remove minor scratches) - then I use a product called Twinkle to wipe down once in a while. I buy the pads in bulk and went through 5 pads on just one door. Am I not giving the pad enough credit or being super impatient? Is there a better use of the pads? How long (or amount of surface area) should a pad last from your experience? As a side - the Wolfhead is great for the major stuff.

[opethmike]

I choose to do almost everything by hand. Flap wheels are nice but not really required in my opinion unless you are defining the initial flow of the grain. The best grain jobs out there that I have seen were completed by hand.

What grain and type of sandpaper do you use, Josh?

[opethmike]

Anyone have more information?

[smallclone]

i used to own a flap wheel, when i owned a delorean lol.

it takes skill to use correctly. its hard to use them unless the panels are on the car.

ive found you can do it by hand but the wheels returns it to stock and looks best that way when done properly.

[opethmike]

Yeah, I'll be doing it by hand on the spare panel I have. My last question is that I'm wondering what grits of sandpaper are the best to use?

[tgraham]

Try 60 or 80 grit aluminum oxide sandpaper.

Travis

[opethmike]

Cool, thanks!

[JMLaux]

I use the 3M Sandblaster (http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Sandblaster_US/Home/)line of sanding pads in 80 grit to get scratches out then go over it with the blending pad match the rest of the area. Might cost a little more than normal paper, but I am getting great results with them, and they last a lot longer.

Not only that but they have different size holders that really distribute the sanding well and are super easy on the hands. I picked mine up at Lowes.