A body guy in Fresno told me to stop sanding primer with 80 grit and my paint jobs quit shrinking
Was at a shop swap meet in Fresno last month and got talking to an old body guy who has been spraying for 30 years. He watched me block a door and told me 80 grit on primer is why my jobs kept showing sand scratches after 6 months. He said step up to 180 then 320 before sealer and let the primer dry a full 24 hours, not the 2 hours I was doing. I tried it on a silver Camry bumper last week and the finish came out flat with zero shrink back. Now I'm wondering if my old shortcut was costing me rework on every job. What grit are you guys running on your primer before sealer?
The "let the primer dry a full 24 hours" part is what got me. Had a guy at a car show tell me something similar years back, said he used to rush primer and blamed the paint when it was really solvent still gassing out under the sealer. He said he learned it after a hood he did wrinkled up in the sun two weeks later and he had to strip it to bare metal. I still catch myself spraying sealer too soon when I'm trying to get a car out the door.