Buildin' A Better Beater - Tech

I chose an edge that I knew would have received a bunch of natural wear and began to try and speed up the process using the sandpaper. I started with 180-grit paper, as the primer was thin so a more course grit might have been too aggressive. The trick with any type of wet sanding is to let the paper do the work; you don't need to apply a lot of pressure-just keep the paper wet and let it do its thing.

Here's what I ended up with after just a dozen seconds or so with the 180-grit paper. I went back and gave the area a few more strokes with the 400-grit just to smooth it up a bit, but it sure did the job. It looks like the sill has seen 30 years worth of wear in just a few seconds.

This A-sedan looks as though it received the same treatment. It's a little bit of overkill for my taste, but that's the beauty of the whole deal; there's no right or wrong way to do it-just hit the areas you think will look right in your particular case.

For those who appreciate the beater look, it's a fun and easy way to speed up the aging of any hot rod, but like Josh said, "Patina's not an extremely durable, everlasting, or unchanging finish." Being around some of the oldest and first patina jobs around, I've compared pictures from when they were first done and can see distinct differences over time. From color fading to more wear, they continue to age. Which can be a good thing.