: I am wondering about wet sanding. Rob Macks (I think) says that he sands with
: 80 grit and then sands to 120 grit using water and a ros. why wet sand and
: how do I keep my sander from ingesting the wet stuff it will creat? Am I
: on track with this?

Be careful when wet sanding bare epoxy. The water hides when you are sanding into the cloth. I dry sand the epoxy and then wash with ammonia and water and rinse with running water from the garden hose. I only wet sand between the coats of varnish and by hand (it goes quickly). It is the only way to sand varnish or the sandpaper will gum up.

I finish all of the dry sanding then sweep out the garage and then blow out the garage with a leaf blower. After the garage is "clean", I only wet sand outside on the driveway. This is an effort to control the dust during the varnishing. (I also mist the floor, wear fresh washed clothes and wear a hat to keep the dust down.)

When I built my stripper canoe, I got addicted to wet sanding by hand. A bucket of water with a squirt of detergent, a 3M rubber sanding pad (from West Marine) and 220 grit wet-dry paper is all I needed to get high with the canoe glistening in the sun.

The advantages of wet sanding outside are: NO DUST!!!!! A real good thing when varnishing. Sandpaper does not clog with varnish. 220 grit paper wet sands like 80 grit dry. One piece of sandpaper will last through four coats of varnish inside and out with pieces left over. And a complete inspection of the epoxy surface for surface flaws is a natural part of the process.

Make sure your epoxy is cured out before wetting it or it will fog permanently!