It’s the final touch after painting your car and it’s something that can change people’s comments from “nice” to “wow.” Color-sanding doesn’t have to be magic only performed by swamis and genies, though. With some patience and practice you can make your car stand out with the mirror finish you think it deserves.
We caught up with Serafin Patino from Serafinish Custom Auto Detail at Santini’s Auto Body. Pete Santini is known for his outstanding custom paint work and trusts Serafin to color-sand and detail just about every car from the Santini spray booth. He was working on Bob Townsend’s Deuce roadster, so we bellied up for a look-see.
With today’s enviro-sensitive materials, there aren’t many painters who can flow a flawless finish right out of the gun, so to get that mirror finish, color-sanding is essential. Serafin usually waits a full week after a car is shot before he’ll begin the polishing process. This gives the paint ample time to gas off, catalyze, and harden all the way through the finish to its primer base. If it’s cold you might want to wait even longer. Townsend’s roadster was shot with single-stage paint, but this technique can be used with two-stage systems as well. You’ll just be polishing the clear instead of the painted layer.
