Megane R26
5am isn't an hour of the day I see very often, but my alarm was set for that time this morning to give me plenty of time to drive down to a very chilly Gillingham...
DSC01421 by RussZS, on Flickr
I'm very lucky to be down at Kelly's for a few days, mainly for one-to-one tuition, particularly looking at wet sanding to remove orange peel, which of course he has a rather good reputation for... :argie:
The bulk of today was spent on a test panel (scrap bonnet), talking through various methods of sanding, the differences between hand, block and machine, dry sanding and also how to correctly set up PDG's and properly assess removal rates from a fixed point.
Now unfortunately I don't have very many photos uploaded tonight, as my internet connection is VERY slow, but a LOT more will follow when the tuition is completed. However, I wanted to give a flavour of this enlightening first day.
This is the panel before we started. Note the orange peel/jagged line around the skylight and the cabling across the wall. I've discovered that it's quite difficult to capture just how bad orange peel can be on a camera, which makes some of the threads Kelly has put up all the more impressive for me tbh. This was VERY severe, which hopefully is conveyed to an extent by the pic.
DSC01443 by RussZS, on Flickr
We worked through various methods and processes, and I used a wide variety of discs and papers, but decided to sand the bulk of the portion of the panel I was working on, by hand:
DSC01603 by RussZS, on Flickr
This pic shows the finish after my first set with 1500 Grit by hand, as you can see the orange peel, whilst flatter to an extent, is still present, so more work was needed
DSC01628 by RussZS, on Flickr
This pic was after 2000 Grit by hand, with a block supporting - I preferred flatting by hand, you get a lot more of a feel for what the paper is doing and if you have any defects in the paint, or dirt between the paper/panel (although you can hear this too if working with either method without machine).
DSC01630 by RussZS, on Flickr
You can see that most of the orange peel in the centre is removed at this stage (ignore the edges where it's still present, as I'd not overlapped this area, which would normally be dealt with if working an entire panel)
After 3000 grit, we can begin to see the true finish we have, and the reflective properties of the paint begin to be restored, and the improved clarity becomes very evident:
DSC01650 by RussZS, on Flickr
Then, at this stage, I was shown how you can refine further via paper with 4000, or begin correcting via machine. I tried both Megs MF system via G220 and a Flex Rotary with S3 Gold and a Scholl Wool Pad, with some VERY interesting results (which will be shared in the full thread...)
Now, obviously the lighting is different as it's later in the day, but hopefully the difference in clarity is quite evident in this picture - I was gobsmacked after I finished removing the sanding marks with a machine:
DSC01671 by RussZS, on Flickr
It really was an eye opener for me in quite a few ways. I think the key points I took from today were the differences between hand and machine, a true appreciation for how time consuming orange peel removal done correctly, can be and just how truly impressive this process can be in terms of results. The finish on the panel afterwards was stunning, and nothing like I've ever been able to achieve before. Swirl removal is one thing, but this is really something else.
Tomorrow, we begin on this...
DSC00078 by RussZS, on Flickr
Oh and this...
DSC01525 by RussZS, on Flickr
is nothing short of stunning in the flesh!!
Thank you to Kelly for today, it was a great experience, I've learnt a HUGE amount, and thanks for reading.
Russ.
DSC01421 by RussZS, on Flickr
I'm very lucky to be down at Kelly's for a few days, mainly for one-to-one tuition, particularly looking at wet sanding to remove orange peel, which of course he has a rather good reputation for... :argie:
The bulk of today was spent on a test panel (scrap bonnet), talking through various methods of sanding, the differences between hand, block and machine, dry sanding and also how to correctly set up PDG's and properly assess removal rates from a fixed point.
Now unfortunately I don't have very many photos uploaded tonight, as my internet connection is VERY slow, but a LOT more will follow when the tuition is completed. However, I wanted to give a flavour of this enlightening first day.
This is the panel before we started. Note the orange peel/jagged line around the skylight and the cabling across the wall. I've discovered that it's quite difficult to capture just how bad orange peel can be on a camera, which makes some of the threads Kelly has put up all the more impressive for me tbh. This was VERY severe, which hopefully is conveyed to an extent by the pic.
DSC01443 by RussZS, on Flickr
We worked through various methods and processes, and I used a wide variety of discs and papers, but decided to sand the bulk of the portion of the panel I was working on, by hand:
DSC01603 by RussZS, on Flickr
This pic shows the finish after my first set with 1500 Grit by hand, as you can see the orange peel, whilst flatter to an extent, is still present, so more work was needed
DSC01628 by RussZS, on Flickr
This pic was after 2000 Grit by hand, with a block supporting - I preferred flatting by hand, you get a lot more of a feel for what the paper is doing and if you have any defects in the paint, or dirt between the paper/panel (although you can hear this too if working with either method without machine).
DSC01630 by RussZS, on Flickr
You can see that most of the orange peel in the centre is removed at this stage (ignore the edges where it's still present, as I'd not overlapped this area, which would normally be dealt with if working an entire panel)
After 3000 grit, we can begin to see the true finish we have, and the reflective properties of the paint begin to be restored, and the improved clarity becomes very evident:
DSC01650 by RussZS, on Flickr
Then, at this stage, I was shown how you can refine further via paper with 4000, or begin correcting via machine. I tried both Megs MF system via G220 and a Flex Rotary with S3 Gold and a Scholl Wool Pad, with some VERY interesting results (which will be shared in the full thread...)
Now, obviously the lighting is different as it's later in the day, but hopefully the difference in clarity is quite evident in this picture - I was gobsmacked after I finished removing the sanding marks with a machine:
DSC01671 by RussZS, on Flickr
It really was an eye opener for me in quite a few ways. I think the key points I took from today were the differences between hand and machine, a true appreciation for how time consuming orange peel removal done correctly, can be and just how truly impressive this process can be in terms of results. The finish on the panel afterwards was stunning, and nothing like I've ever been able to achieve before. Swirl removal is one thing, but this is really something else.
Tomorrow, we begin on this...
DSC00078 by RussZS, on Flickr
Oh and this...
DSC01525 by RussZS, on Flickr
is nothing short of stunning in the flesh!!
Thank you to Kelly for today, it was a great experience, I've learnt a HUGE amount, and thanks for reading.
Russ.
