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When trying to get rid of all those little shiny spots,there are always a few very faint lighter ,almost snow flake looking tiny spots that are almost impossible to completely illiminate.I`ve always tried to completely get rid of them.But is this really neccessary?
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I would buff a small section on them and see, buffing sometimes removes small low spots. I often find areas I don't like after an initial buffing and go back over them with the last grit of paper used.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
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Ya, but the problem is that at some point in tome, someone thought that guitars should have a mirror finish on them and ANY irregularity will show as you change the angle on which you look at the guitar, especially with a high gloss finish. So if those little snowflake spots are there at the last rub out before buffing, they will certainly be there and show up more after buffing to high gloss.

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I do what Fred does. I'll go over the guitar with the buffer and if there are still some small imperfections I'll sand them out with 2000 grit.

Trev

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James, I presume you are using EM6000 as that is what you had posted about in another thread. What are the snowflake like spots you are talking about? Are these recessed areas or are they part of the finish that is level but remains more glossy than the surrounding area? I find it a bit surprising that you would be leveling throughout your finish process, yet still have sunken areas prior to buffing. I have found that if I shoot a coat of EM6000, wait a couple of days, then spray again without scuffing the surface, that the new coats will not 'burn in'. This also happens more often as the finish sits around in a can longer. When this happens, sanding with say 800 grit can expose bits of a layer that will look glossy in comparison to the surrounding surface. If these areas are buffed out, you may get witness lines if viewed under certain lighting conditions. This likely isn't your issue as you said the spots are very tiny, but I thought it worth pointing out just in case it is.

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Yes ken Im using em 6000.The problem I`m having now is that when I sand with the final grade, 2000 ,it seems to leave scratches that show up when I buff it out.I really am clueless as to how to sand before buffing.I tried across the grain and now that sticks out like a sore thumb.I just can`t tell when all the scratches from a previous grit are gone.The eyes are too old.The paper seems to load up right away and this leaves scratches.I tried sanding with mineral spirits.Same doo-doo.Over all it looks nice and shiny ,but if you hold the guitar in the light just right you can see a lot of BS.
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I like sanding with soapy water (dish detergent) to keep the sand paper from loading up, and changing the water between grits. I also wipe down the guitar between grits with a wet paper towel. This helps remove any loose grit from previous sanding. Still I'll miss a few spots which show up when buffing, and will have to go back and resand a few spots.

Hmmm...What grit did you start with, James? Like I noted elsewhere, I start with 800G then go to 1200 or 1500. I have no problems removing that scratching with my buffer. What brand of sandpaper you using? I much prefer the sterated paper used dry than dealing with all the mess of wet sanding. I find I can better see what I am doing with these papers. I use the good Klingspor papers. Perhaps the issue is with your buffing compounds? I use a small pneumatic polisher with foam pads and Menzerna's polishes. I have found if I jump straight from 1500G to something like Menzernas PO-91E, a medium/light cut polish, that I cannot remove the scratching from the sandpaper. I use a pre-polish paste or coarse compound, which removes all scratching but the swirls left by the paste. The PO-91E pretty much cleans up those swirls. If you have pedestal buffer, I can't help out much. I am much more used to car buffing

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

The grading system of the sandpaper is very important as has been mentioned here several times.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Articles/Articles.aspx?articleid=690

I'm amazed that even some automotive jobbers don't seem to know the difference.

It's important to not mix the two grading systems when sanding prior to buffing.
I learned this the hard way.

Nelson

I`m using that stuff stew mac sells.The micro finish papers.I`m also using their buffer and Menzerna Med then fine.There are only a few spots that are bothering me.I think it`s just a matter of eliminating scratches that are very hard for my eyes to see while I`m sanding.On a previous guitar I used Micro mesh on the last couple of sandings and it seemed to help.On the next one I`m gonna try the Klingspor.Thanks guys for sticking with me on this.Finishing seems to be my biggest challenge. Well it`s back to the shop and try and improve a few bad spots.
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Ken....if you dont mind telling? which klingspor paper specifically do you use?
Thanks,
Jeff

These are the papers I use:

Klingspor Paper

I use 600G between coats to level as I build up finish. After the last coat, I use 800 through 1500. These sterates do not cause issues with Em6000 when used between coats, and I really don't have much of a problem with the paper clogging. After 120+ hours of curing, the finish powders with the 800G paper. Very easy to work, and because it is used dry, it is very easy to see if an area is level and how well the scratches are being removed. I can have a whole guitar ready to buff in an hour or two.

I have found these rubber blocks to be ideal when level sanding:

Holy Terror

You can pick one up at a local body paint and supply store. The block is fairly stiff but has some flex and really helps in keeping the surface nice and level. I use this block with every grit and on every surface except the neck.

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Thanks for that link Ken.I`ll definetely try that stuff.What finally worked was using micro mesh after the 2000.This gave me a scratch free finish.The stuff didn`t clog up .I sanded with 3200 then 3600.
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

if that is of any help, i too struggled with some scratches etc left by the sandpaper.
at some point i just decided to invest a bit more in my sandpaper.
i am using "sia air velvet", which cuts great yet leaves a very smooth surface (shallower scratches?).
this has been a major improvement (and time saver) in my buffing process.