How do you do wet sanding

[jarata]

has oxidation on the boat and want to get it back to a nice shine

[JB]

Hello, Jarata.Welcome to iboats. Wet sanding is done with waterproof paper with a constant stream of water carrying off the "dust".Start with #400 or better and finish with #1800 or better. Then wax.Good luck.

[mattttt25]

sanding block is a must. i'd go with 1500 or 2000 grit paper from the beginning. wet the hull. wrap the block with the paper, dunk into a bucket of water, and start sanding. will be very slippery and should be pretty much effortless. but keep that motion up for a long time and you'll start to see the efforts. keep the hull wet and keep dunking the block and paper.

[flounderman]

I have done a lot of wet sanding on boats. You need to put a couple of drops of soap in your water , mix it in, make it sudsy, this helps the paper cut. Change your soapy water often. Since all you want to do is remove oxidation start with 800 or 1000 and go up. Do not let things get dry and do not stay in one spot very long. Remember you are sanding your baby's bottom, don't make it cry. What I do is get a couple of pencils and scribble all over the area where I will sand,when the marks disappear stop,- - - you have done enough . Wait till it dries and look at it before you do any more. Gel coat is about 25 to 30 mills thick and that aint much.

[imported_Curmudgeon]

Why not use a good medium compound?

[LubeDude]

Originally posted by Old Curmudgeon: Why not use a good medium compound?

You will get a much better finished product by wet sanding first, plus the final polishing will be much faster.You will have to machine buff after the sanding.

[imported_Curmudgeon]

He's dealing with oxidation, not scratches or filler. I've never had to use anything other than a compound to get a surface bright again, and that's what it's made for.