I know it's not a chevy truck, but I need some help. I'm painting a golf cart. I used PPG Omni black base and urethane clear. After wet sanding with 2000 grit paper I buffed the clear first with Perfect it II buffing compound. After that I went over it with Perfect it II Polishing compound and then finally I buffed one more time with Meguiars(sp?) swirl remover. Problem is, although it's as slick as glass if you get the light at the right angle you can see the scratches from the sand paper. I've wet sanded and buffed 3 times now and you can still see it. I'm wondering if maybe the clear is too soft. I used the reccommended ratio. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I'm out of ideas. Thanks in advance,
Mike

Try 2500 or 3000 grit paper before polishing.

:wop:

what did you prime it with and how fine did you finish the primer??

:wop:
I tried to take some pics but the scratches are so fine you can't see them in the pics. I'll post a few pics when I get home, some before and afters.
what did you prime it with and how fine did you finish the primer??

I used PPG 2k over the areas I repaired and then PPG epoxy over the whole thing. Then wet sanded with 1500 and a block.

Here are some pics. Not really before and after as I haven't finished yet. I guess youmight call them progress pics.

What was the final grit before you started applying base? You should have been at 600 or 800. Black will show EVERY flaw all the way down to the bottom. You may be looking at sanding scatches in the primer.

Mike

you spend the time on the body, you used the best materials (26334 tape) you even epoxied the whole thing to go the extra mile. all that work to put omni on it? if you park it in the garage and never wash it it might look ok in a few years, unless the primer is omni too then any sand scratches you had will start showing through. i would love to blame it on the crappy paint, bt seriously, it doesnt sound like the problem is in the sand scratches before the paint because those arent usually described as swirls. 3m teaches us to use 1500, 3000, extra cut, swirl remover, then glaze. sounds like you have the process down, maybe you are using the wrong pads? we need some more info

you spend the time on the body, you used the best materials (26334 tape) you even epoxied the whole thing to go the extra mile. all that work to put omni on it? if you park it in the garage and never wash it it might look ok in a few years, unless the primer is omni too then any sand scratches you had will start showing through. i would love to blame it on the crappy paint, bt seriously, it doesnt sound like the problem is in the sand scratches before the paint because those arent usually described as swirls. 3m teaches us to use 1500, 3000, extra cut, swirl remover, then glaze. sounds like you have the process down, maybe you are using the wrong pads? we need some more info

Thanks for all of the help everyone. This thing was built strictly for hauling BBQ at cook offs. It probably spends 98.5% of it's life under a cover in the corner of my uncle's garage. He wanted the cheapest bc/cc he could get so I chose the Omni. I know it's not the best, but it turned out good. Apparently my problem was that I was being too careful when I was buffing. This is my first black paint job and I was worried about getting marks from the buffer:rolleyes: . Last night I spun the buffer a little faster and used a little more pressure and it cleaned up well. It's not perfect, but like you said, it's Omni. All in all I'm happy with the way it turned out and I'm glad I'm finished:metal: ! I'll try and post some pics of it all put back together and cleaned up this evening. Wow, sorry for the long post. Thanks Again!

Reads like you learned a little something.
Depending on several things with the clear,It looks like you just needed more cure time. Color sanding the clear early will "open" it back up and start to gas out again causing the scratchs to come back. Once the clear cured better,it buffed out, Especally in winter with temps being low and spraying multiple coats,it can take a few days to harden up. I usually will give it a day after sanding and that seems to help a lot.

Reads like you learned a little something.
Depending on several things with the clear,It looks like you just needed more cure time. Color sanding the clear early will "open" it back up and start to gas out again causing the scratchs to come back. Once the clear cured better,it buffed out, Especally in winter with temps being low and spraying multiple coats,it can take a few days to harden up. I usually will give it a day after sanding and that seems to help a lot.

This makes sense, I never would have thought of that. I'll remember it the next time though!

Here's some finished pics! I think it turned out well.

That cart looks great. Now all you need is a set of flames on it if you are hauling BBQ items.

Kevin

sweet cart. in the future try using single stage anytime you are doing an allover in black it'll look deeper and better for longer.