Wet sanding paint is a major part of the process that can easily make or break the end result. One of the areas that is additionally challenging to wet sand, is up to body lines. Here are a few really important tips that can help, and a video at the bottom:
- Never sand in a straight line. Not only will it sand groves into the paint, there is a much high chance of sanding through the paint where those groves are.
- Always sand at an angle. Notice how in the video below, I am always sanding at an angle just up to the body line.
- Be careful of the other edge of the block. It is very easy to be paying so much attention to the body line, that you can not notice the other side of the block is sanding a lot of paint away. It's very easy to end up sanding through about 2" away from body lines for this reason. You might want to hold that side of the block very slightly off the paint. In the very least, be aware of it.
- Try as best as you can to not sand the body line. Using guide coat helps let you see if you're sanding the paint on the body line.
- When it's time to sand the body line, tape off this surface right up to the corner. It is much harder to keep the sandpaper off this main surface when sanding the body line. If it makes you more comfortable, you can also tape the body line to ensure you don't sand it too much.
- Use a hard block (True Blox) with almost sharp corners, and the sandpaper wrapped tightly around the block.
- Be patient, go slow, pay very close attention.