Expert: Gary - 8/30/2008

Question
Someone keyed the side of my car so I sanded down the lip with 340 grit sand paper, used putty to fill in the cracks, sanded with 340, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 then 2000 for a smooth finish (whew that was a lot of work).  I purchased the manufacturer touch up paint, hardener and reducer and mixed accordingly for my airbrush.  I sprayed the area about 8-10" away applying several coats and it looks pretty good so far.  The question is with a light silver metallic paint finish (single stage) how should I finish the job?  This is my first attempt with doing this and i'm not seeing any lines and it's very smooth but I'm not sure if I should sand (if so with 2000 grit?) then use a buffer with 3M finess or something similar and how long should I let the paint dry prior to finishing it?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Denise,

If you can't see the overspray line that's great. I wouldn't sand on the metallic if you can help it because it typically will make it streak and look funny. If you have no dirt or orange peel try polishing only. 3M Finesse-It should do a good job for you. Good luck with it.