Snake Mountain Boatworks LCACBS Varnish Buffing Workshop

“Always start with the least abrasive grit that will work, as you don’t want to remove any more of the finish than necessary…” (The Brass Bell, “Buffing Varnish,” p. 42. https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6hzszvd760…)

Industry Standard: 3M Finesse-it II (www.3m.com) will remove up to 1500 grit scratches, but our goal is to remove scratches down to 3000 grit. (Here is where we stopped buffing Voodoo Child, my 1953 22’ Shepherd Model 110-S.)

1. Using a 1,500 RPM pneumatic palm sander, we sand the surface using 600 grit dry paper until it looks like a field of unbroken snow.

2. Wet sand using rubber hand sanding blocks through a progression of papers – 900 1200 1500 2000 2500.

3. Wet sand using the palm sander and a continuation of ever-finer grits – 3000 5000

4. Using a variable speed electric Makita buffer and a foam waffle pad, we first buff with Mequiar’s (www.meguiars.com) Mirror Glaze, first with M105 Ultra Cut Compound, and then with Ultra Polishing Polish 205.

I will allow John and RJ to fill in the rest of the story in this flip