TOPIC:

2000 is OK but not smooth enough for a motorcycle tank.
I sand wet right up to P3000 and then use white paint polish... not swirl remover. Use that stuff later.
I used a very fine/soft grade of microfiber cloth I found at an auto parts store.
Normally not used wet but I do moisten it a little bit so it is not dead dry.
You have to polish in a small area at a time using the polishing compound and a hand rag (called a tampon) (I know) .... unless you have a hand held buffing wheel with a super soft bonnet.... then move around faster so you don't burn the clear with friction.
If you use a buffing wheel, roll off an edge.... not into an edge.

www.autozone.com/sandpaper-and-body-repa...r?filters=4294856681

2000 grit paper is fine. You need some "fine cutting compound" to bring out the shine. The polish is the second step.

A small DA polisher with cotton bonnet really works a treat to polish out the surface. Working by hand is pure suffrage.

Ok. The situation now is,Ive been working on the front mudguard and the tailpiece.Both of which Ive burned through the clearcoat with the wet and dry. Started with 1200 then 2000 then 2500 (highest I could find). There is still some slight orange peel but Im afraid to go any further and rub through more of the paint.
I bought some polishing pads ( soft foam and a fleece ) for the rotex and have attacked everything with that. It seems to come up ok (using the Maguires polish that I mentioned) I reckon the next stage to be some sort or waxing to bring out a glossier shine and give a bit more protection.
Ive touched up the 'burn throughs' with a model paint brush. Tomorrow Ill have a look and see how it is.
A big problem is seeing what Im doing as Its dark when I go to work in the morning and dark when I get home so I cant get the stuff outside to have a good look in the little daylight there is at this time of the year.Another problem is that a lot of the products that you boys are mentioning are not always possible to find (rubbing compound?? for paintwork!??Sorry sir we dont have it and no idea where you could try.What about some car shampoo? That should work and itll smell nice!!!!!!!) Plus Ive spent enough on this already,Im tired of forking out money.
Anyway,thats where things are at the minute.Ill go on with it and post some photos when Im done. (Wanting to be finished and have petrol in the tank by the weekend.)

OK... you can not polish with even 3000 wet paper. It will be smooth as a baby's butt, reflect light and be satin like but totally dull.
It is the polishing steps the turns it back to glossy.
It takes time and you have to be careful to not overheat the clear with friction or it just burns right through.
It's not like bare metal polishing!!
Keep your polishing tampon or pad very very slightly damp.
Use enough polishing material to do the work but don't stay on one spot too long.

After applying the clear I had some slight orange peel too. IIRC, I used 1500 then 2000 wet in one direction, just to knock down the peel a bit, cleaned it off with a wet sponge then used Maguires polish on a small polisher.

Some "compund" polishes are too harsh, look for a clear coat safe polish.

This was after 2000 wetsand


polish and finally wax.

Meguiar's makes a litany of different compounds, from aggressive to glaze (no grit). It's customary to use a fine cut compound right after color sanding to bring up the sheen, and then move to a "polishing" compound after that. Needless to say, it's critical to not cut through the clear. When in question just leave a little more orange peel.

www.meguiars.com/content/global/catalog/MeguiarsProCatalog.pdf

Edit: this product seems like it might work okay as a single stage. Claims to remove 1200 grit sanding scratches and polish as well. Worth a try... www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Mirror-Glaze-Ult...mpound/dp/B003LMGDHI

I'll have to try that stuff next time....
What i used to get the gloss in my avatar was inexpensive white polish from Turtle wax called Premium Polishing Compound... LOL

This is what I used on mine, it came in a 3pc set: cleaner, polish & wax.

www.meguiarsdirect.com/product/clear-coa...e-polishing-compound

OK,done and dusted. Sorry I let the thread go.I was carried away with the rest of the build. Anyway,heres how it turned out;

Not a perfect finish by far but Im happy with it. It fits with the 'homemadeness' of the rest of the build.Thanks for all the help and advice.(That 'Spraymax' was very nice to work with.)
Not bad for a first attempt!

Nicely done.

That turned out really nice. Well done.

Spraymax 2k is really a good product but pretty toxic, so wear a good respirator.