Good point, Mike........one can sand and polish PU
and AU as long as
enough paint is applied. The auto painters spray on
one medium coat
and one flow coat and never want to touch it again.
Glider shops spray
on four flow coats and sand off some of the last coat
with 600W and
800W (even finer if your a fanatic) then buff it out
with liquid
rubbing compound. The PIK came with sanded PU and the
Genesis came
with sanded AU. One doesn't need to worry about over-spray
or keeping
a the wet-edge, if your going to sand it later. I often
spray one side
of a wing, let it dry, turn it over and spray the other
side after
touching the blend area with 220D. I also have found
a good PE 'white'
primer that goes on smooth and doesn't ball up like
that damned Simtec
2081.
JJ

When I repainted my ship in PU, I found a product at
the paint store from 3M called 'Guide Coat'. It is
a black powder that comes with a foam pad applicator.
You smear this on the painted surface, wet it down
with water and go at it with 600 - 800 sand paper on
a sanding pad. The Guide Coat shows the valleys between
the orange peel. When it is gone, the surface is smooth.
This stuff works so well and is so easy to apply that
I can highly recommend it to anyone who is trying to
finish sand their ship. I went back and reapplied the
guide coat between the 600 and 800 and it showed the
scratches, so it was also a good indicator of when
to stop with the 800 grit.
I was told to put extra paint on all the edges, which
I did. I still sanded through in spots. You really
have to hit any sharp contour with a LOT of paint,
as it is so easy to sand through. Then treat those
edges like a virgin when you sand. I'm very pleased
with the finished product, and would not hesitate to
do it again.
Brian Bange