getting scratches out of freshley painted hood-HELP!

I just painted a hood for a farmall 560, fixed some dents, sanded,primed,and sanded the primer down before paint. Put 3 coats of 2150 on with hardner. It looked beautiful until the paint cured,now i can see some scratches under the paint, from sanding the primer...my fault...didnt use a real fine grit paper,got in a hurry,looked and felt smooth so i shot the paint on it.. Can a good rubbing compound hide most of the scratches,or is that a waste of time? how long should i wait to rub out? Is there any other way other than sanding the whole thing down again? the paint layed on almost perfect otherwise! Any suggestions appreciated!!

I really doubt if you can rub the scratches out. After you let it dry a couple more weeks you might try wet sanding it out with 1200 grit or finer paper but don't be surprised if you sand to the primer before you level the finish. If you can sand the finish level then rubbing compound will bring the sheen back. Another option would be to use an auto glazing filler on the scratches now and put another coat of paint on.

If it is under the primer the only way is to do it over. If you think it is in the paint, since you used hardener, after a few days. Use 400 grit on the primer if you strip it and do it again.

I beleive you have a condition where the scratches were not noticable until the topcoat was applied . This may be due to the top coat reducer opening up the sanding marks in the primer. This is caused by finish sanding with too heavy of a paper. The bad news is the only way to get rid of it is almost a complete do over paying attention to the recommended sanding grits.

Here is what it says in my book. [ because I am not a body guy I use books to get the info I need plus read the tech sheets]. Sand scratch swelling appears as exaggerated scratches and occurs mostly after spot reoairs are done over sanded original finishes. The condition is most apparent on dark colors. Prevention; When sanding with coarse sandpaper is required , finish sanding with # 500 or 600 sandpaper. Other options remove scratches by compounding. Remedy Remove minor sand scratches with rubbing and polishing. In certain instances water sanding with 500 or 600 sandpaper may be necessary before rubbing and polishing. Worst case senario ; you sand through and have to shoot more color. The last part I added the rest is from the book.. So there is a chance it may rub out. The main thing is to learn by the mistake. Even if the scratches don't look severe to the eye once the new coats reducers loosen the scratches they appear larger than before. This is why you go by the proper finish as advised not what you think looks ready to shoot paint on. There are a multitude of things that can go wrong and the more knowledge you can get of these methods the easier the work and the best results.

I'm not a body guy either and have been reading so many posts, books, and articles I have a headache. Just curious what book do you use for a reference. I am going to be painting soon, and need to decide on my primer/primers and when to add filler or body putty on minor flaws. Some say before primer some saw after. If someone made a book that has step by step, I would be in heaven.

55, This is a simple version and the only one I have ever used. I use PPG products, but the manufacturer does not matter as long as it is a quality product. That excludes farm store paint. Sand to bare metal, put body filler in every dent or depression after straighting them as much as possible. Sanding the filler can begin with 80 grit and finished with 150 grit. Apply two coats of epoxy primer with 5-10 minutes between coats. I will not disagree with those who apply it over epoxy, but this method has never failed me. Apply sandable surfacer or high build primer over the epoxy, 3 coats at a time (10 minutes between coats), then sand with 400 grit, repeat if necessary. Then apply three coats of urethane, about 10 minutes between coats. Before you use any of these do as Dr. Sportster says and read the tech sheets and do EXACTLY as they say. You do not need to experiment. The dealer will have them or the mfg website will have them. This is for sheet metal, surfacer is not necessary or desireable for cast iron or small parts. As to the scratches as in the original post, they can be filled with the surfacer. However do NOT use lacquer surfacer, urethane surfacer is preferred. Lacquer surfacers can shrink after the topcoat is applied and reveal the original scratches. Even with urethane surfacer some scratches can be seen through the paint, due to incomplete sanding but I have to look close.

The Complete Guide to Automotive Refinishing by Harry T. Chudy .. There were many of these as it is a trade school book. I got mine from Albris books.The Principles of Auto Body Repairing and Repainting by DeRoche and Hildebrand . Both these books cost 1 dollar each and shipping was 3.99. The tech sheets are on line at each paint makers site. Sometimes may be called Application Guide or Application Manual.

Use a soft rubber pad and 1000 wet 3m paper. Finish with high speed buffer and medium grit polish, then Machine glaze. It will outshine any tractor at the show. No one will see the scratches unless they get within 6 inches of the panel. Experiment on a low vertical surface, High horizontal surfaces after you get the process down. Big horizontal surfaces have to be perfect because they grab the light.
Don't put any wax on it. That will just attract dust and magnify any blemishes,

Thanks for all the info. I found a step by step in a post below http://rodnh.byethost12.com/acb/painting/painting2.htm . All this info gets things pretty straight in my head now. In the link the fellow used Picklex 20.