Dry versus Wet Sanding

[autobonrun]

As I get into more auto repairs, I find myself needing to sand various materials such as unpainted metal, painted metal, and even leather. From someone that knows nothing of body work, could someone provide me guidelines of when to wet sand versus when to dry sand. Also, what are the advantages of each?

I wet sanded my leather seats as instructed, but when I tried to wet sand my painted targa bar, I noticed that I got a better finish when I dry sanded it. This made me realize I know nothing about when to use a particular method.

Just looking for some information that may help me decide when each is applicable.

[Argeo]

Correct me if I am wrong, but wet is nice because when you dip it in the water, it cleans itself making it usable longer.

[Zeke]

Originally posted by Argeo
Correct me if I am wrong, but wet is nice because when you dip it in the water, it cleans itself making it usable longer.

Correct. A little soap in the water lubricates the sanding as well. One can dry sand anything one chooses. The advantage to wet is as stated, plus dust control and a "feel" for grit that may get under the paper. I usually wet sand when I'm using #400 or finer paper. Otherwise, I'll take the dust over the water mess.

[autobonrun]

Thanks. I am using 600 grit and finer to polish my targa bar. I assume since there's not much surface area and therefore not much dust created, dry sanding is fine.

I did notice that wet sanding created a mess. It sounds like the wet sanding may be applicable for larger painted areas or when I'm using a heavier grit that will produce lots of dust. Also, as Argeo stated, I noticed that I went through the dry sandpaper a lot faster. However, since I have a very small surface area to sand, that shouldn't be a pressing issue in my case.