clear coat run?

[kedi]

Well I dealt with the run successfully. Have applied a few more coats of clear (about 6 -7 very light coats) and it is looking pretty good.

SO ... as I understand it, the finishing / leveling / sanding procedure is a multi-step process. ie: wet sand with 800 grit - 1000 grit - 1200 grit - 1500 grit and finally 2000 grit. All by hand in small sections using spray bottle with water.
I'm a bit curious if there are other procedures or methods that may be better. So, therefore, any and all input would be appreciated.

Also, what period of time is needed for the clear coat to properly dry / cure / harden etc. before starting the final leveling steps. Oh ya, final polishing or rub out with rubbing compound, right? Thanks again for you guys helping with my first attempt at this. My Grandson is getting pretty excited.
Ken

[B. Howard]

You may use water as a sanding lube if you like, many do. I do not like getting finished guitars wet personally. Some use naptha or mineral spirits as a lube I prefer a little olive oil myself as it seems to speed up the cut, but it must be removed with spirits on a regular basis to see what you are doing. No matter what lube you use you must be careful not to burn through the clear coat. You must also make sure each successive grit removes all the scratches from the previous grit. I recommend changing directions of sanding at each grit to make it easier to see when all the previous scratches are removed. When finished level sanding the finish should be even and dull. Do not sand all the way to flat with the first grit, you will see as you sand off the high spots a spotted appearance. Sand until the shiny spots ( low spots) are slightly less than the dull surface and then move up a grit. With each grit the shiny spots will get smaller, the goal is to have them completely disappear with your final grit. Then you must buff or rub out. If you do not have a buffer I would recommend a felt block or two to rub it out by hand. I would wait at least 2-3 weeks before sanding and buffing.

[Ben-Had]

Brian's method sounds good. I do mine a little different but as you will find out there is more than one way to get acceptable results and that's a good thing because some I've tried have definitely not worked for me.

I have been using WB lacquer (EM6000). Once I have my number of coats I level sand with 3M Gold Fre-Cut 800 grit staying away from the edges (mostly anyway). There will be a few shiny low spots left as Brian said but not many. Then I use Micro-Mesh 3 x 4 Soft Touch Pads starting with the second grit and going through the remaining grits (8 pads in all). Finally, I buff it out using Menzerna Medium and Fine Buffing compounds. I just started using the Menzerna, it far exceeds the other stuff I was using in regards to shine. You probably don't have a buffer but can get some other type buffing pad and compounds that would yield an acceptable finish.

[kedi]

Well I am ready to start the finishing. I like to know what buffer is good to use as mentioned earlier in this thread. Also, could I use rubbing compound as a lubricant rather than water or oil. My plan at this point (using what I have) is to start with a 3M 800 grit 3" round pad that fits in a drill (cordless). This 3" foam pad adapter is from a headlight lens polishing kit (3M). I would need to get finer grit hook and loop disc's as I progress but just looking for opinions on whether or not my method is acceptable. Thanks for any suggestions and or input anyone cares to share.
Ken

[B. Howard]

No you may not use rubbing compound as a lubricant for sanding. You may use it to polish the finish to a shine after wet sanding. I would recommend sanding the finish by hand. You wont need to worry about finding little discs of the proper grit, you'll just need wet/dry paper. Also it is really easy to burn through the finish at the edges with a machine.