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Steves S-20 Build Site.
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Date: 2-4-2019
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Number of Hours: 8.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Sand and Buff the Cowl.
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After getting orange peel in the clear coat on the cowl I had decided that "it is what it is" and was going to live with it, but then I couldn't get it off my mind, so I decided to fix it - If only for mental health reasons -- Ha Ha...
It always makes me a little anxious to grab a sheet of sand paper and apply it to a shiny, albeit flawed, brand new paint job, but it turned out to be the right thing to do. I started the process by taping off the edges to prevent breaking through the clear to the paint. I started with 1500 grit on a medium firm foam block, sanding in straight lines. After going over the cowl once, I dried it off with rags and an air hose. At this point the low spots in the clear are still shiny which really brings out the level of work that is needed. I continued to sand with 1500 until the surface was uniformly grey. I followed this with two rounds each of 2000, and then 3000 grit paper. After the 3000, the gloss is just barely starting to come back.
After the 3000 I switched to the polisher. I used an Eastwood automotive system based on "Liquid Ice". It uses a single compound, but three different polishing wheels followed up by a glazing spray to bring back the full shine. The first polishing wheel is wool, and the difference this step makes is astonishing. Two foam pads are used after the wool, and with each step the shine gets better, and the final glazing polish which is applied by hand tops everything off.
In addition to fixing the orange peel flaws, it is remarkable how much better sanding and buffing makes a paint job. Having the clear coat nice and flat just adds a certain level of professionalism in the way it looks. I am glad I took the time to do it.
Getting the cowl done is an exciting milestone for me. It was the largest single part of the project I had left, so now it is lots of little projects, and after lots of life and living changes during the past 2 years, it represents things finally being on track!! Woot!
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Sanding the lower cowl.
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Orange peel is showing now!
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Excitedly satisfying!!
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