# Wet Sanding too far



## Snails (Feb 25, 2011)

I'm a long time lurker, but I hope someone can assist. I recently touched up a couple of stone chips I had on my bonnet and then a couple of weeks later, wet sanded with a small spot of 2000 grit on the end of a pencil to remove the excess touch up paint so that it was 'flat' with the rest of the paint.

I then used the DA and Menzerna S400 to get rid of the wet sanding marks, however upon completion it appears I didn't wet sand it flat, but instead wet sanded the excess touch up and some of the surrounding lacquer in comparison to the rest of the paint and effectively I have a couple of dimples, divots or low spots in the lacquer. 

These spots are about only 1cm across, but noticeable in the black paint as the light hits them differently as they are very slight concave. Fortunately, I have not gone through the lacquer. 

Before I go any further in attempts to remove these divots or minimize their appearance, does anyone have any suggestions?

I was thinking of using a a sanding block and some 2500 grit over a larger area and then repolishing, as i think part of the issue is that as I only wet sanded a very small area immediately around the stone chip and that spot is noticeable

If it makes any difference to the approach i should use, the car is a 10 year old BMW, which i believe has quite hard paint.


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

Ideally you should have used a festool or a mirka paint shaving block to trim the touched up paint before sanding. 

All you can really do now is flat it again with a flat rubber block and risk breaking through the lacquer, or leave it as is. 

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## Snails (Feb 25, 2011)

In hindsight, yes. I had read several different guides in various different places about dealing with stone chips and, wrongly, opted for the above. If I go through the lacquer it will need to be repainted, but the divots are really unsightly in sunlight, which will bother me every time I see them.


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## Slammedorion (Apr 13, 2014)

You could always get a good panel beater/ PDR tech out to lift them...


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

Slammedorion said:


> You could always get a good panel beater/ PDR tech out to lift them...


But the panel isn't bent/dented.

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## Snails (Feb 25, 2011)

I'm going to try very carefully wet sanding with 2500 a slightly larger area with a block and hope the 'divots' blend. I will take some before and after and report back. I am resigned to repainting as i don't think I will be able to just leave it as it is...


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## dholdi (Oct 1, 2008)

Could you fill the divot with clear lacquer, then wet sand that back to level ?


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## Snails (Feb 25, 2011)

I say 'divot' but only for want of a better word. Given I haven't broken through the lacquer (yet), the difference between the high and low must be around ~1mm. There Iin't a clear 'lip' and the difference between high and low cannot be felt, would filling work?


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## dholdi (Oct 1, 2008)

If you are not through the lacquer then its no way 1mm, total paint thickness is usually around 150 microns which is .15 of a mm. The lacquer will be around a third of that so .05 mm. Without seeing your defect its hard to assess, however imho its always better to get the repair above the surrounding surface and bring that down rather than trying to take the surrounding surface down to hide the defect.


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

I know exactly what your defects look like! 

Imagine an island with a moat around it, or a reverse doughnut. 

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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

my suggestion..walk away from it before you make it worse


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