Can I buff without sanding?

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adamrobertt
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Can I buff without sanding?

Post by adamrobertt » Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:28 am

I'm in the process of finishing a neck (with nitro) and I'm debating skipping sanding and just going straight to buffing (I have access to a pro grade wheel).

Can this be a thing or am I stupid?

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Re: Can I buff without sanding?

Post by JSett » Sat Oct 16, 2021 3:13 pm

Assuming it's a thin nitro coat then I don't see why not. I've blown over necks with, like, 3 light coats of nitro then just polished with some old denim for a half hour and got on and played it. Depends if you're aiming for a shine or not...I like a satin feel.

Body finishes are a different ballgame. Skipping sanding there is not a great idea
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

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Re: Can I buff without sanding?

Post by adamrobertt » Sat Oct 16, 2021 3:53 pm

johnnysomersett wrote:
Sat Oct 16, 2021 3:13 pm
Assuming it's a thin nitro coat then I don't see why not. I've blown over necks with, like, 3 light coats of nitro then just polished with some old denim for a half hour and got on and played it. Depends if you're aiming for a shine or not...I like a satin feel.

Body finishes are a different ballgame. Skipping sanding there is not a great idea
Yeah I've done some bodies and I can see how it'd be a bad idea. But this is my first neck and I think just going right to buffing might be the way to go unless I end up with a ton of runs or something. I want it to be like, semi-gloss but I don't need it to be the shiniest thing ever. It's going on a fairly beat up body anyway.

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Re: Can I buff without sanding?

Post by MrJagsquire » Sun Oct 17, 2021 12:31 am

adamrobertt wrote:
Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:28 am
I'm in the process of finishing a neck (with nitro) and I'm debating skipping sanding and just going straight to buffing (I have access to a pro grade wheel).

Can this be a thing or am I stupid?
If you get a good finish from the gun then you don't need to sand before buffing. I sprayed this body last summer and just went straight to the buffing stage about a week after I sprayed it and it still looks great:

Image

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Lost In Autumn
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Re: Can I buff without sanding?

Post by Lost In Autumn » Sun Oct 17, 2021 6:07 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Sat Oct 16, 2021 3:13 pm
Assuming it's a thin nitro coat then I don't see why not. I've blown over necks with, like, 3 light coats of nitro then just polished with some old denim for a half hour and got on and played it. Depends if you're aiming for a shine or not...I like a satin feel.

Body finishes are a different ballgame. Skipping sanding there is not a great idea
I came here to post exactly this.

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Re: Can I buff without sanding?

Post by snarf » Mon Oct 18, 2021 4:21 am

If you notice an imperfection that needs correction you can go back over it later with fine sand paper or micro mesh. I always go back over projects weeks later because the nitro shrinks a bit.

Short answer is yes if you have the skills! It’s tough though, you need the perfect pressure and material viscosity. I usually notice a speck of dust here and there that needs to be sanded out.

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Re: Can I buff without sanding?

Post by Snake Hips » Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:05 am

snarf wrote:
Mon Oct 18, 2021 4:21 am
If you notice an imperfection that needs correction you can go back over it later with fine sand paper or micro mesh. I always go back over projects weeks later because the nitro shrinks a bit.

Short answer is yes if you have the skills! It’s tough though, you need the perfect pressure and material viscosity. I usually notice a speck of dust here and there that needs to be sanded out.
I second this. It all depends on how you, the coverage you get, and how particular you are.

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Re: Can I buff without sanding?

Post by adamrobertt » Sun Oct 24, 2021 9:43 am

Finished spraying the neck today. It came out nice and even, with just some light orange peel. However, there are a fair amount of spots where dust got in. My plan is to spot sand those areas with something quite fine (1500? finer?) and then buff it out. Should come out good I think.

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Re: Can I buff without sanding?

Post by epizootics » Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:08 am

Why not just sand the whole thing down if you're going to sand anyway? Necks are really quick to sand, it rarely takes me more than 30 minutes to sand & polish one. You don't necessarily NEED to but in that case, the spots you sanded might stand out as being flatter.

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Re: Can I buff without sanding?

Post by adamrobertt » Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:30 pm

epizootics wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:08 am
Why not just sand the whole thing down if you're going to sand anyway? Necks are really quick to sand, it rarely takes me more than 30 minutes to sand & polish one. You don't necessarily NEED to but in that case, the spots you sanded might stand out as being flatter.
Mostly because I lack patience and I hate sanding and I just want this shit to be done. But who knows, maybe I will sand the whole thing. Idk.

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