Whew, been polishing and buffing all day

[regularman]

I started out wet sanding the trunk and did that and then used some stuff called Mcguires scratch x on a foam pad and that stuff works great to polish it back to a shine. Orange peel spot removed from the trunk and the luggage rack mounted. I used the scratch x and pad on the sides and then the hood. That all went great until I decided to use the wool pad to buff it out and that was horror. I finished with the pad and also some more wetsanding on the hood and inside of the fenders and then polished that out. I did pretty good except for 4 spots that the buffer ruined. I touched those up and got them decent. All but one any ways that I still need to finish and will hopefully do tomorrow. man, does it shine now and you can really see the sparkle in the mettalic yellow now. I installed the door light switches and some tenax fasteners and now I am so very close.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Good deal!

wait... didn't I tell you to throw the wool pad away? :wink:

 

[regularman]

Good deal!

wait... didn't I tell you to throw the wool pad away? :wink:

Yes you did and truer words were never spoken :wink: Here is what I learned for dos and don'ts. The wool pad builds up too much heat in the speed buffer and I don't know why it exists (maybe for polishing metals). I got mine from harbor freight and it came with bot the wool and the foam pad. The foam pad is the ticket. If I do another car, this is how I will go about it to remove orange peel. Use 1500 grit for wet sanding only(unless the OP is really rough). Its a fine grit and might take a while to get it down but there is less chance of a major screw up. I asked around and found out that the mcguires scratch x is about the same as some pro compunds on the market. It seemed to work perfect with the 1500 grit and bring it right back to a shine. It has grit that breaks down as its used and I like that. Stay the heck away from any inside corners. Do them by hand with the scratch x, The side of that buffer wheel can screw up an area in a microsecond. I need to get some more pads. That soft pad was great but it started to come apart when it touched the trunk handle and places like that. I used the foam for the scratch x and then I applied regular wax and used the steering wheel buffer to buff that out. I will never use anything but a foam pad to bring wetsanding scratches back out.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

With experience and the proper compound a quality wool pad can be used to quickly cut paint, but the cheap ones can wreck paint especially if it is your first time using one.

 

[dklawson]

I've had good luck with the coarser compounds and wool bonnets... but I typically do that roughing work at lower speeds also. I finish with the foam pads for the fine compounds and glazing.

Sorry about the spots you had to touch up. It sounds like it's all cleaned up and you're ready for that trip to MO. My hat's off to you for driving that distance.

 

[regularman]

I've had good luck with the coarser compounds and wool bonnets... but I typically do that roughing work at lower speeds also. I finish with the foam pads for the fine compounds and glazing.

Sorry about the spots you had to touch up. It sounds like it's all cleaned up and you're ready for that trip to MO. My hat's off to you for driving that distance.

Well, I haven't done it yet. I am still nt 100% sure the wife will go along with it. The longest trip we ever took in it was 300 miles and we were 10 years younger. I may yet end up trailering it. I got to get it on the road and see how it does on some shorter trips at highway speeds and all.

 

[PC]

At the same speed with the same compound, pressure and paint a wool pad will typically run cooler than a foam pad. Foam has more surface contact and more friction. Plus it tends to be more of an insulator.

With either wool or foam you need to keep the machine moving to avoid excessive heat buildup. If you’re not getting enough cut and feel you need to dwell longer, to the point where you getting too much heat, you need a more aggressive compound.

Wool will cut quicker but not finish down as well as foam. A typical sequence would be to cut the sanding scratch with wool then polish out buffer swirls with foam.

The quality of the wool (or foam) itself is also a big factor. If you find yourself annoyed with a generic pad you may be surprised how much better a pad from a name-brand outfit like Meguiar’s, Lake County, Edge, etc works.

ScratchX is not formulated for high speed rotary buffing. The earlier formula wasn’t even meant for use with an orbital buffer. It was for hand only and would gum up when used with a machine. The current version is designed for hand, orbital or dual-action use. A formula that’s designed for rotary buffing should be more effective.

ScratchX is also a very mild product. Since you’re getting a lot of heat when buffing to the shine you want you’ll probably get better results with a more aggressive product. There are products available ranging from very mild to very heavy cut. Almost all of Meg’s cutting products use diminishing abrasives, giving progressively finer polishing as they’re used.

On current clearcoat finishes, #1500 sanding scratch is considered coarse and requires a pretty heavy cutting compound to remove completely. A production body shop will often sand with #1200 or #1500 and go to a heavy compound. A custom painter, working for a show car finish will step to #2500 or finer before buffing.


PC.

 

[10musketeer]

can someone post a site/link that has a good A-Z "how to" for a novice wanting to learn how do this well? I find many sites, but I'm not sure if they are any good as they all seem to have a product they want to sell.

 

[JPSmit]

and, if possible whether it can be done without a buffing machine - partly because I don't have one - mostly because they scare **** out of me

 

[Trevor Jessie]

There are many different "systems". I learned on my cars when I was a teenager. Then I've picked up knowledge and skills as different needs arose. I'm not a professional, and I don't always do it the best or the easiest way, but I enjoy the results. I go to my local detailing shop (they are a mirror glaze dist) and they give me advice and even will demonstrate products. I know they are selling a product, but they make their money off of happy return customers not just overpriced products. I've also used many of the 3M products over the years, but as mentioned above don't skimp on the buffing pads.

If you bought a cheap buffer that came with buffing pads... throw them (the pads) away now!

 

[PC]

and, if possible whether it can be done without a buffing machine ...

While doing a sand, cut and buff by hand is <span style="font-style: italic">theoretically</span> possible, I don’t think it’s a realistic goal with modern urethane paints. They’re generally a lot tougher than earlier paint systems.

Most guys I’ve seen start out trying to correct significant paint defects by hand decide very quickly that a machine is a good idea. Even with a machine it’s a huge amount of work to buff out a whole car. Some top class pro machines like the Makita 9227 can be found at fairly reasonable prices. But even a cheap machine is better than no machine.

... mostly because they scare **** out of me

It’s always a good idea to practice rotary buffing on beaters, rentals, etc before touching a car you care about. An orbital or dual-action buffer is easy and safe enough to learn and use straight away (but isn’t a good choice for heavy correction like sanding scratch).


PC.

 

[mccalebr]

can someone post a site/link that has a good A-Z "how to" for a novice wanting to learn how do this well? I find many sites, but I'm not sure if they are any good as they all seem to have a product they want to sell.

Can't say that my little expose has a "good A-Z"...BUT...I can assure you I don't have anything to sell.

My TR3 that had been sitting in the corner of a working shop for 10 years with no upkeep when I bought it and I was sure a respray would be in the near future. I did the clay/polish/wax routine and documented the process and results here:

https://www.raysmg.com/rays_mg_midget_small_projects_polishing.htm

Ray

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

[zimmy]

mcguires 3 step made a huge difference
in my old paint......z

 

[JPSmit]

I (and Kim) both have new paint - does that make a difference?

 

[PC]

Great job, <span style="font-weight: bold">mccalebr</span>. An excellent example of an overall detailing process.

Keep in mind that even though <span style="font-weight: bold">mccalebr</span>’s results are great, the Griot’s polisher is a dual-action machine and wouldn’t be very effective on heavy defects like sanding scratch.

can someone post a site/link that has a good A-Z "how to" for a novice wanting to learn how do this well? I find many sites, but I'm not sure if they are any good as they all seem to have a product they want to sell.

I haven’t seen anything that comes close to an “A to Z.” It’s a very hands-on sort of thing anyway. Obviously, the best way to learn is with personal instruction from someone with experience. But if that’s not practical you need to play with it and practice, practice, practice.

Here’s a set of YouTube vids that do an excellent job touching on key points.

Yes, the instructor works for a particular manufacturer and is using their products. But it’s not just a commercial pitch. The process is the same no mater whose products you use.

Wetsanding part 1 of 5

Wetsanding part 2 of 5

Wetsanding part 3 of 5

Wetsanding part 4 of 5

Wetsanding part 5 of 5

I (and Kim) both have new paint - does that make a difference?

The process is the same. But new paint is <span style="font-style: italic">usually</span> softer than factory paint and you might find using less aggressive products or working for shorter periods will do the job.


PC.

 

[regularman]

The scratch X might be less aggressive but it worked great for me with the foam pad. It removed the 1500 scratches totally and in a short amount of time. I have done all of that I am going to do to the midget. Got all of the major orange peel gone and went ofver the whole car with the scratch X and buffer after I cleaned up the sanded areas. I am satified with the result. The harbor freight buffer worked fine and the foam pad they sent with it worked great until I caught it on a few things and it started coming apart. Beware the side edges of the buffer!