Wet Sanding - Single Stage?

[d0tnet]

Happy Holidays!

 

Does anyone know the safety of wet sanding single stage paint?   The M20J in question has JetGlo paint from about 15 years ago.

 

Overall, the paint is in decent shape so I would like to bring it back to life and hold off a year or two before doing a new, more modern, paint job.

 

My plan is to wash with diluted dawn dish soap, clay bar, polish, and wax.

 

I have experience with wet/color sanding boats but wanted to get feedback on the experiences of others on the board related to treating lightly oxidizing/dull aircraft paint.

 

Thanks!

[pirate]

If you have experience with wet sanding boats you will have no problem with your plane. I have wet sanded and polished Jet Glo and others many times with long lasting results. Watch the rivets if not careful you may need to touch up a few, no big deal.

[marky_24]

If your goal is just to shine the paint, not remove orange peel or runs, then color sanding is way overkill. You would be better off with series of waffle pads and rubbing compound and polish. If you have never done it before, seek some local help before trying it because you can burn your paint or polish the paint off of high spots.

http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-waffle-pro-pads.html

http://www.autogeek.net/mothers-rubbing-compound.html

[Releew]

Use 3M 1500 Ultra-fine paper with a soap solution.  Be very careful to stay away from rivet heads and flush rivets too.  I recommend you find a mill gauge to determine how much remaining paint is on the surface.  If you are less than 2 mills you should not attempt to sand and buff.... just buff.  If there is enough paint lightly sand until you achieve a flat sheen.  I use 3M super duty rubbing compound to do a final cut and restore luster.  After buffing, it is just as important to reseal the surface with a good hard finish wax.  Do not use an orbital buffer. It will only create more swirls. Either remove by hand or use a dual action buffer.

 

Rick

[d0tnet]

Thanks for the input. Glad to hear it will be acceptable to wet sand/polish. I had read some various things related to jetglo on Beech forums. In short, it seemed like people were saying jetglo express was acceptable to be polished whereas the standard jetglo it was ill advised due to color shift.

Rick - I will take your advice and will borrow a mill gauge prior to doing anything.

My game plan is to wash with diluted dawn, clay bar, 3M 1500 wet sand, 3M finesse it ii, klasse aio, klasse sg, p21s carnauba x2. Will use a random orbital for the Polish and klasse stages.

Any tips to protect rivets? Is electrical tape sufficient?

[d0tnet]

Also, the prior owner had his nickname painted just under pilot window. Any thoughts on how to remove? Or will I need to paint over it in white?

[aviatoreb]

Also, the prior owner had his nickname painted just under pilot window. Any thoughts on how to remove? Or will I need to paint over it in white?

 

You could change your own name to match the nickname.  That would probably be the least work.

[ArtVandelay]

Also, the prior owner had his nickname painted just under pilot window. Any thoughts on how to remove? Or will I need to paint over it in white?

There are gentle citrus based paint strippers that might work, you could get piece of junk plexiglass to try it on to see if clouds it up, even then, I would use a brush to only apply it to the paint surface and use a plastic scraper, going very slowly and carefully.

[Andy95W]

For chalked paint and minor imperfections, the safest and easiest solution is probably Maguiar's Ultimate Compound. Wipe on, wipe off, then finish with their Cleaner wax.

Might be worth a try before going whole-hog on wet sanding.

[Steve65E-NC]

   For a temporary/permenant fix of the Nickname problem, I suggest the following.  First note the strange looking rear window on my E.  I have used black plastic sign film there, and it is going on ten years old, with no problems.  I just like the way the extended window looks.

 

   Now, go to your local sign shop that cuts plastic film (most do).  Pick a color that most closely matches the base color (or some other color that you (or your wife) like).  Either just cut a patch piece to cover and stick it on; or, have the sign shop cut a logo or name that you perfer in a contrasting color (probably black) and put it on the patch before sticking it over the old name.   

[Tahoerebel]

Start with 2500 grit. Jet glo is very hard & 1500 scratches will be hard to rub out.

3m makes a 3step buffing compound series. Use #1 with a wool pad then #2 with a gray foam pad

2500 means more time sanding & a lot less time buffing

Mill guage only works on steel.

Watch the rivets & the edges

As far as removing painted lettering, if it is sign paint. Use 1500 sandpaper with laquer thinner as lube.

40 years in the automotive paint industry

Good luck!

[rbridges]

You could change your own name to match the nickname.  That would probably be the least work.

 

what if it says "cupcake"? 

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard Tahoe Rebel,

Your shared experience will be greatly appreciated...

Best regards,

-a-

[M20F]

Depending on how bad the paint is just a very aggressive wash, clay bar, and then some wax may bring it back as well.

Some pictures in my gallery of the after on mine and I ended up not needing to use a cleaner wax, claying an airplane I have to say really sucks. Dawn works great to strip off old wax and mineral spirits for everything else.

[Releew]

Thanks for the input. Glad to hear it will be acceptable to wet sand/polish. I had read some various things related to jetglo on Beech forums. In short, it seemed like people were saying jetglo express was acceptable to be polished whereas the standard jetglo it was ill advised due to color shift.

Rick - I will take your advice and will borrow a mill gauge prior to doing anything.

My game plan is to wash with diluted dawn, clay bar, 3M 1500 wet sand, 3M finesse it ii, klasse aio, klasse sg, p21s carnauba x2. Will use a random orbital for the Polish and klasse stages.

Any tips to protect rivets? Is electrical tape sufficient?

Tape works fine to protect the rivets but is time consuming.  I have never had a problem buffing lightly around the rivets.  Just do not keep the buffer spinning on them...... Your biggest concern is how much paint is left to work with.  A mill gauge will work....I've used one before on aircraft paint projects.  It is easy to sand and buff right through to the primer.  If you can not determine how much paint is on the airplane I suggest you buff first to see if you can get the result you want.    

 

Rick