Hi folks,
Trying to return to the hobby after 23 years away from it, so sorry for the noob question.
But what is the advantage or disadvantage of either wet sanding or dry sanding? And is there a situation to use one over the other.
Thank you for your time.
Robert T.
Wet sanding is almost a necessity for really fine grit paper. Otherwise the sanding residue will clog the paper very quickly. Not only will that cut down on the removal of paint, but the residue will ball up and lead to uneven sanding and even scratches. The only downside is that it is a bit messy. You must wipe the residue off the model with a kleenex or paper towel, and if you drip on workbench you must clean up the bench. But for anything finer than about 320 paper it is really a necessity. Most really fine paper is wet-or-dry paper, but you can only use it dry for a very slight touch up of a spot.
Make sure the sandpaper you buy is made for wet sanding or you will have a handful of paper pulp.
General auto supply stores carry wet/dry sandpaper in some pretty fine grits. Also check out Harbor Freight. They sell a variety pack of 9x11 sheets for under $5. I bought 6 packs ( I’m also a woodworker) of this stuff they had marked down to $1.00 because the packages were opened or torn. All the sheets were there.
I bought a 2 in deep plastic serving tray to do my wet/dry sanding in. Keeps the mess off my work table. When I’m done I take it outside and rinse off with the water hose. This also comes in handy when I’m watching TV or a movie with the Mrs. or the grandkids.
I think wet sanding is overrated for most applications. I hardly ever do it. It’s only necessary if you need to polish a surface, like for a natural metal finish, or a show room shine. If I am worried about the residue balling up and leaving scratches, then I’ll wipe down the piece with water or isopropanol, especially in between grits.
Yes, dry sanding will clog the sandpaper faster, but for me the advantages of dry sanding outweigh that. The biggest disadvantage of wet sanding is that the water obscures my work. I have to keep wiping the surface dry to check on my progress, then wet it down again. That’s just too tedious for me.
Chris