Sandpaper and Stainless

[kings1527]

I know for the Wolfhead we use aluminum oxide strips to prevent rust from occurring. But what about using regular sandpaper? Chris Nicholson told me 120 grit is actually really good for putting on a final finish but I didn't ask if there's any kind of sandpaper to stay away from.

Thanks!

[David T]

Any good quality aluminum oxide paper. If you have really deep scratches you can start with 80# but 120# is what you want to go over the whole car with. Finish with the blending pad.

[Rad Dad]

Just a note regarding the 120 grit sandpaper: DO IT! Chris did my entire car with 120 grit, as opposed to the 80 grit original finish, and it is stunning. When I say stunning, I mean it. This was done some 8 or 9 years ago and it still looks extremely nice. And, no, my car is not a garage queen.......not with over 150,000 miles on it. I know some will think I am crazy, but with 120 grit finish, the car stays cleaner. While you may not feel any difference, the scratch marks from 80 grit are microscopically deeper than from 120 grit and you will soon learn that the latter collects less "dust size" dirt and stays shinier longer.

Dick Ryan
The Rad Dad
Vin16867

[kings1527]

Thanks a lot for the info, guys. On the sandpaper packaging itself, I can't find anywhere on it where it describes it as 'aluminum oxide'. I'll try the manufacturer's website and go from there.

Dick,

I spoke with Chris about this and he swears up and down on 120 grit being a great way to go. And if I take a look at a car that hasn't been regrained, I could swear it has a finer finish. As if the factory finish wasn't truly 80 grit but more along the lines of 120. Everyone I talk to says the factory finish was 80, though.

Thanks again.

[Rich_NYS]

Thanks a lot for the info, guys. On the sandpaper packaging itself, I can't find anywhere on it where it describes it as 'aluminum oxide'. I'll try the manufacturer's website and go from there.


Let me know if you have no luck finding what you're looking for, a friend of mine sells sandpaper.....I'll get you what you need.

[kings1527]

Let me know if you have no luck finding what you're looking for, a friend of mine sells sandpaper.....I'll get you what you need.

Thanks, Rich. This is what I went with and it looks like it's spec'd with aluminum oxide so I think I'm good.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-9-in-x-11-in-Pro-Grade-120-Grit-Medium-No-Slip-Grip-Advanced-Sandpaper-20-Pack-26120CP-P-G/203311856

I'll be at work for the next few days with my car so it should give me some time to try it out. I'll let you know how it goes!

[NightFlyer]

Great discussion going here!

When I first bought my car, I went over all the stainless panels with a wetted green scotch brite pad, applying moderate to very liberal pressure. It took about two weeks of going over the stainless this way until I had it to where I was satisfied. This had the effect of producing a very fine finish overlapped upon some of the deeper/coarser factory graining, which has always elicited inquiry and praise from other owners - first time Steve Rice saw my car, the first thing he asked was what I did to get my stainless looking so 'refined' (for lack of a better word). When I went to look at/assess the Muskegon DeLorean for interested parties, the dealer of that car wondered why my stainless appeared so much 'brighter' than the stainless on his car.

To be honest, I really need to go over the whole car again, as bugs and road debris over the miles has a way of messing things up. I was hoping to get to it before DCS, but I just didn't have the time.

Another thing I do with my stainless is clean it with a petroleum based solvent (lacquer thinner, carb cleaner, brake cleaner, etc), and then apply a couple coats of Johnson Diversey Deep Gloss - spay onto paper towel, apply onto stainless in a thick sheet, allow to dry/cure for an hour, then wipe off access. This acts like a spray wax and gives the stainless a somewhat glossy/wet appearance - and the best part is that it makes bugs/road debris/tire sling/bird crap/etc extremely easy to remove - simply wipe off with a paper towel (no need to break out the 'blending pad' or use glass cleaner / other chemicals).

Anyway, just thought I'd offer my experiences :smile:

[Soundkillr]

I have always maintained that 120 grit is REALLY close. I got in an argument with a forum member years ago who swore 80 was the way to go. Doing stainless repair i have had to use both when not using a flap wheel. Finishing off with 120 just looks better, and matches all the panels i have seen...




Thanks a lot for the info, guys. On the sandpaper packaging itself, I can't find anywhere on it where it describes it as 'aluminum oxide'. I'll try the manufacturer's website and go from there.

Dick,

I spoke with Chris about this and he swears up and down on 120 grit being a great way to go. And if I take a look at a car that hasn't been regrained, I could swear it has a finer finish. As if the factory finish wasn't truly 80 grit but more along the lines of 120. Everyone I talk to says the factory finish was 80, though.

Thanks again.

[David T]

I have always maintained that 120 grit is REALLY close. I got in an argument with a forum member years ago who swore 80 was the way to go. Doing stainless repair i have had to use both when not using a flap wheel. Finishing off with 120 just looks better, and matches all the panels i have seen...

When the 80# flapwheel gets worn it will resemble a finer grit, maybe 120. They did not replace the flaps every time they did a car. The pressure and speed also will affect the pattern. Although they used a pneumatic tool it was done by hand and that leads to inconsistent results. I have also noticed when you first do a car it seems bright. After a while it dulls down, probably because of oxides and dust. That is why when you do a panel the ones next to it look "undone". Makes you do the whole car! When I prepared my car for Concours I would spend a week on each panel. Once you get the panels grained you do not need to redo them unless you have scratches. Just a wash with a mild soap and for stubborn spots like bugs and road tar I like 3M adhesive remover. It doesn't leave a residue. In between for fingerprints Windex is OK.

[kings1527]

Thanks for all of the input, everybody. It's nice to know I'm not crazy thinking that 120 looks closer to OEM than 80. I'll hopefully get a chance to do some work on it tomorrow. I put new inner door seals on my car today and after putting them on, I had my car sitting in the sun and trying to get them to break in a bit. Dave S told me to do that and it's actually helping a lot. I'm dealing with that notorious grab point on the A pillar that eventually tears the seal after contacting the door but that's another story for another post.

I might have to let things sit out in the sun for another day but I want to do some work on my hood with the 120 and see how it goes. I'm excited to try this out!

Thanks again!

[D Knight]

I was told years ago by gp machine that when they sold the tooling to DMCL years ago that it is actually 60 grit. So that's what I bought. I've gone over my car and it does seem to match the one panel I've never touched.


-D Knight-

[NightFlyer]

I was told years ago by gp machine that when they sold the tooling to DMCL years ago that it is actually 60 grit. So that's what I bought. I've gone over my car and it does seem to match the one panel I've never touched.


-D Knight-

Are you certain that you just weren't raving at the time and misunderstood that? :tongue2:

[kings1527]

Now I have no idea what to think. 60, 80, 120....:headscratch:

Guess I'll just have to try it out and see how it ends up.

[RammJaeger]

What is the procedure for doing this? Do you do it by hand, do you use a special tool? Do you start with one grit and finish with another?

[kings1527]

I'm going to do all of it by hand, basically with one of those rubber sanding blocks. You could buy strips of 120 for the Wolfhead but I still think the best way to finish off a car is by hand. The wheel is great for taking out the major stuff.

[David T]

The main reason to use a pneumatic tool is time. You can do a car a lot faster with the tool than by hand. The factory couldn't afford to spend more time on the car then they had to. Regraining CAN be done by hand, it just takes a lot more time. You can do the whole car once with one grit just like the factory did and they used 80#. How you want the finish to look is a personal choice. If you want to duplicate the factory finish then use the rougher grit. If you want a smoother, more refined look go to 120. If you want an even smoother look go over again with a blending pad. Graining is nothing more than scratches done in a consistent pattern. Next time you look at kitchen equipment or escalators or elevators pay attention to the finish of the S/S. There are all kinds of patterns and levels of graining. They are done mainly to trick the eye so you don't see minor dings, scratches or dirt. If the S/S is polished to a mirror finish you see EVERYTHING.