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I left off with the freshly coated filler on the Kubota Hood at the end of Part l and decided it would be a good place to start Part ll. With out a person to assist me with the photography I'm afraid I'll be stuck explaining what's taking place between each attached picture. I hope it makes sense as it's certainly more complicated to explain in the written word then to actually show someone how to do it....but I'll try 
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Part ll Shaping & Guide-Coating
If you recall the last picture, it was of a fresh re-coat of filler on the hood. I did this to fill the low spots and blemishes and to finalize the sanding in various stages of course, medium and fine grits...all to bring it to the point of final priming.
As you can see in the following picture, I've used two or three layers of masking tape to (1) keep the filler out of the pinch weld seam and (2) prevent the coarse 40 grit paper from scaring and making deep sand scratches in the areas that aren't damaged. Starting with the board sander and 40 grit, I work from the edges of the filled area inwards using cross strokes usually referred to as "X" sanding. When you block sand in this X pattern you can see the material remove quickly. Each stroke reveals more of the area to be worked and less *guide coat as it falls away from the surface.
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The attached picture shows the results of sanding and shaping with 40 grit paper. The next step, and one I hope you will become familiar with, is *Guide Coating. Whoever introduced guide coating in the process of body and paint repair was an absolute genius. It's so simple and so effective the guy should have received the auto-body Nobel Prize. Did I mention It's simple? You use and apply a different color sandable primer to contrast the base material your working on. Doesn't matter if it's body filler, lead, primer or paint...as long as it's a darker (or lighter) shade of what you're sanding.
You can actually buy professional grade guide coat from your local paint jobber. Why you would, I'm not sure because you can buy and use a rattle can of primer from your local hardware store for about a third the price. As long as it's lacquer base fast drying primer...it's all good. Do NOT use enamel primers as they don't dry fast enough, remain sticky and gum up your very expensive abrasive paper. If the can says quick drying, automotive primer and Sand-able then that's the stuff you want.
This next picture shows a gentle fogging of the guide coat. I'm using 80 grit and sand in the X pattern. If you look closely you can actually see the X's in the area that's being worked:
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This last few pictures are the results of more guide coat and I'm switching to 180 grit. 180 will finalize the sanding process before you final prime the damaged area:
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And finally, the hood is final primed and put outside for a close inspection. Since there's always one more thing to do, I'm sure I'll find a stray pin hole or blemish that needs a little attention:
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Thanks for looking and there's more to come. If anyone has any questions then please ask away? I want to jump form here and these somewhat boring repairs to preparing and painting this hood and the other sheet metal components. I just don't want to do it too soon.
Mark
. Part ll Shaping & Guide-Coating
If you recall the last picture, it was of a fresh re-coat of filler on the hood. I did this to fill the low spots and blemishes and to finalize the sanding in various stages of course, medium and fine grits...all to bring it to the point of final priming.
As you can see in the following picture, I've used two or three layers of masking tape to (1) keep the filler out of the pinch weld seam and (2) prevent the coarse 40 grit paper from scaring and making deep sand scratches in the areas that aren't damaged. Starting with the board sander and 40 grit, I work from the edges of the filled area inwards using cross strokes usually referred to as "X" sanding. When you block sand in this X pattern you can see the material remove quickly. Each stroke reveals more of the area to be worked and less *guide coat as it falls away from the surface.
The attached picture shows the results of sanding and shaping with 40 grit paper. The next step, and one I hope you will become familiar with, is *Guide Coating. Whoever introduced guide coating in the process of body and paint repair was an absolute genius. It's so simple and so effective the guy should have received the auto-body Nobel Prize. Did I mention It's simple? You use and apply a different color sandable primer to contrast the base material your working on. Doesn't matter if it's body filler, lead, primer or paint...as long as it's a darker (or lighter) shade of what you're sanding.
You can actually buy professional grade guide coat from your local paint jobber. Why you would, I'm not sure because you can buy and use a rattle can of primer from your local hardware store for about a third the price. As long as it's lacquer base fast drying primer...it's all good. Do NOT use enamel primers as they don't dry fast enough, remain sticky and gum up your very expensive abrasive paper. If the can says quick drying, automotive primer and Sand-able then that's the stuff you want.
This next picture shows a gentle fogging of the guide coat. I'm using 80 grit and sand in the X pattern. If you look closely you can actually see the X's in the area that's being worked:
This last few pictures are the results of more guide coat and I'm switching to 180 grit. 180 will finalize the sanding process before you final prime the damaged area:
And finally, the hood is final primed and put outside for a close inspection. Since there's always one more thing to do, I'm sure I'll find a stray pin hole or blemish that needs a little attention
:
Thanks for looking and there's more to come. If anyone has any questions then please ask away? I want to jump form here and these somewhat boring repairs to preparing and painting this hood and the other sheet metal components. I just don't want to do it too soon.
Mark
