whats up guys. i have been practicing painting for the last 2 years now and i have painted about 9 times. only 1 full car and a the rest have been random body parts for friends of mine. i am finally getting my technique down and starting to really feel comfortable. the main issue i use to have was not applying my clear coat even and heavy enough, causing orange peel and a lot of wet sanding. well this past weekend i was painting some stock sideskirts for my friends eclipse and i ended up applying my clear coat a little too heavy. for the most part they came out great, but i have 2 noticeable runs. nothing that cant be fixed but it leads me to my question, whats the courses grit sandpaper i should start with to work the run down? also, if you have any tips or pointers to help me out i would appreciate it.
thanks

 

we use these little files you nib runs down. Its a little 1'' x 1'' block with a file on the bottom. You can get them at any paint supply stores. Greatly helps to quickly get rid of runs. Be careful to not gouge the paint, then after filing I hit it with 1500, then 3000 then buff.

i prefer to stay with 1500, it takes a little longer but then again its very rare for me to get a run anymore and when I do they are typically small. You can use 1000 but me personally have never tried a more coarse grit.


Another tip, if you see a run come up wait for it to get a little tacky then take the sticky part of a piece of tape and dab it in. It will get rid of that nipple and make sanding 10x's easier.

 

thank a lot. i do have one of those little files but i wasn't really sure what it was for. my buddy that helped me do my first paint job told me to get one because they come in handy.

 

You can also shave it down with a fresh razor blade. Some people tape the corner of a razor blade and cut the run, it works you just have to be careful. I prefer shaving the run. You pretty much go over the run with a razor blade like you were shaving your face with a straight razor...kinda hard to explain by typing, but it also works well.

 

you can also bend the razor blade so that its slightly C-shaped to prevent the edges from touching the paint.

 

take your razor and sand down the corners so they are round, it will help

 

Razors work awesome. Also I little trick I learned from a wise old painter (think he might be an ex-hitman ). if you get a run wait a minute for the clear to tack up a bit (but still wet) and take a piece of tape and put it on the run and just pull it off. It will leave it alittle thin and textured so apply another coat of clear over it. You still have to wet sand it but it's much easier to sand out then a run.

 

thanks for all the info guys. i ended up using the little file and wet sanding with 1500,2000, and 2500 before buffing. i have to give my cousin some props on the buffing, he is a detailer at a dealership and did a great job for me. the clear coat ended up coming out as smooth as glass and bye far my best work so far.