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Shop foreman said my block sanding looked like I used a rake, so I changed one thing
About 7 months back I was working a rear quarter on a 2016 Civic that had been hit hard, and I thought my body work was dead straight until the shop foreman walked over and ran his palm across it. He said it felt like I sanded it with a rake, which stung because I had maybe 9 hours in that panel. He told me I was sanding in circles instead of using a guide coat and cross-hatch pattern, and honestly I had never really understood why the old guys cared so much about guide coat. I picked up a can of dry guide coat for $12 and forced myself to do the cross-hatch thing on every panel after that, checking with a block and a bright light at a low angle. Took me about 3 extra passes per panel at the start but my primer coats started coming out way flatter and I quit chasing waves after paint. Last month the same foreman pointed at a fender I finished and said nothing, which from him is basically a trophy. Curious if any of you have a guide coat brand you swear by or if you just use cheap rattle can stuff.
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sean485d ago
Switching to the cross-hatch pattern with a block was the game changer for me too. I just grab whatever cheap dry guide coat is on the shelf, the $10 can from the parts store works fine, no need to get fancy with it. Getting the angle of the light right matters way more than the brand in my experience.
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angelamurphy5d ago
Man, 9 hours on one quarter panel and then getting hit with the rake line would've sent me straight to the break room for a snack. Funny thing, I learned the low angle light trick from a guy who details boats, of all places, and now I walk around the shop holding a flashlight like I'm hunting ghosts. Cheap guide coat all day, the can doesn't know what car it's on.
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