Help from the paintjob nazis!

[Numbski]

Okay, so I have this mdf stick that used to be Shodokan's. He got it from Paik.

I've managed to sand the thing about as smooth as mdf gets, primed, sanded, primed, sanded, painted, sanded, painted, sanded, painted, painted, painted, sanded.

So now I'm on 1000 grit sandpaper, doing small sections as a time, and then buffing it down with paper towel. Almost the entire stick is turning out awesome, except a couple of trouble spots, primarily along the edges and I have one spot that looks like it "rutted" out and I can't get smooth.

Now what? Paint doesn't seem to want to stick to unprimed wood along those edges and that rutted spot can't be buffed out. I've started over once before because of imperfections - I'd prefer not to start over yet again. Is there anything I can do to finish up this thing?

[m1lk]

my secret for paint jobs is after the 2nd layer of paint (I used 4 layers of paint and 1 of primer) is to sand the living bejesus outta the wood with steel wool. it will pretty much undo the first 2 jobs you did, but it will smooth out EVERYTHING and all that will be left is paint that will stay on for good. repeat this step after the 3rd layer so that you'll only need a light layer of paint for the 4th.

in your case you might have to repeat this process even more.. i dunno, i hope that helped

also, try your best to wait as long as possible in between coats (preferably 24 hours)

[Numbski]

This is going to sound silly, but would an sos pad be okay? I don't think I have steel wool around that doesn't have powdered soap in it.

[m1lk]

it sounds like it would be overkill. the whole point of using steel wool is that its like an EXTREMELY fine grit sandpaper, so straight up sos might kill the wood.

In short, unless its a fine sos pad, i'd be hesitant to try that.

(i worked in the food buisiness for a while, so all that comes to mind is the heavy duty sos pads.)

[Kaytrim's Kustoms]

You should be able to get the steel wool at your local paint store or go to your local hardware even the big box stores sell it in their paint section. it is sold in several 'grits' from single 0 to 0000. The more zeros the finer the grit.

TTFN

[m1lk]

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/robognome/DSC04659.jpg
figured i'd just post a picture of the stuff i used. it worked really well, just check out my stick in the <3 custom stick thread (pg89).

also ya still making custom balltops? your links caught my attention

[Green]

Do you have a picture of the "rutted" area? No clue what that means.

[Numbski]

I don't, but I can take one. I'll try hitting up a paint shop for steel wool tomorrow.

I'm still doing them, but I need to fix up my jigs before I can make more. I have about 120 balls sitting here waiting to be drilled in fact.

[chippermonky]

yeah, I use to use sandpaper which is really only good for flat surfaces. Not curved areas. Then I discovered extra fine steel wool. It's a little bit messy and disgusting (make sure you have a dust mask and goggles and gloves) but it so much more gently and versatile than sand paper.

But seriously, screw sanding. Waste of time. I use to be sanding anal and then I realized it totally isn't worth it and stopped.

[Numbski]

How's this for an epic bump? ;)

For those coming after me, the trick to not "rutting" your paint job is pretty simple actually. You need to keep both the paint and the sandpaper somewhat cool while painting. The rutting I was getting was friction between the sandpaper and the already-adhered paint causing enough heat to remove a "rut" of paint. The solution is to pay attention to the "wet" part of wet or dry sandpaper. You don't have to submerge it in water - just sand in a sink, and keep a wet paper towel handy, and keep the surface wet by wiping it down from time to time. That's all you have to do. Mirror finish comes pretty easy then. :D