: "... was applying 4 coats then sanding with 400 grit wet. I

: Hello,

: I once saw the Mad Veterinarian on Discovery Channel do a complete restore on
: a Jaguar E-type. The last thing he did for a "perfect finish"
: was to wet-sand that new super-glossy racing red varnish down with
: something like a 800 grit. That kinda horrified me, but afterwards, he
: buffed the vanish to an even shinier finish with some wax and a polisher.

: Ever try that ? I have been hand-washing my kayak with Turtle-wax when i have
: had to impress family & friends, and it does add gloss plus water
: repels really fast off the deck, when sailing. Truth be told, i didnt dare
: do the 800-grit sand first.

: Jesper
: Copenhagen, DK

The process is called color sanding, yeah even with colorless varnish

Sanding starts usually with 600 grit paper then thru each finer grade of paper all the way to 4000 or finer. Then polished with progressivly finer compounds and a polishing bonet. Can make for a perfect finish if you're patient enough.

Downside is the finish has to be perfectly dry before you start and with conventional single part finishes that drying process takes awile, perhaps a month or more. This process is normally done with catalized finishes ie: two part paints/varnishes, that dry by a chemical reaction rather than a drying process.

Bill H.