Wet sanding uses the black "wet/dry" paper and water to act as a "lubricant" when sanding with very fine grits or surfaces that "gum" up easily.

Typically you would wet sand between coats of clear finish or sometimes after a final coat of epoxy before the clear finish. You are basically trying to remove tiny imperfections in the surface finish itself, not the actual wood surface.

Use a rubber sanding block or wrap the sand paper around a paint stir stick. I usually start with "used" 220 grit and finish with 360 grit. Dip it into a bucket of water,wet down the hull and start sanding. As the paper starts clog up with sanding residue swish it out in the bucket and keep going. Dry the hull and use a light to look for any shiny spots. These represent low spots in the surface and will show up to varing degrees in the final finish.

My former crew and I have sanded every inch (acre?) of 3 - 31' trimarans and the hulls of a 45' cat with the paint stick technique. It's a painful experience but the finished product looks great!

Lance

: Can someone explain to me the process of "wet sanding"? What does
: wet sanding do that dry sanding doesn't? TIA Rookie Sander Don