Polishing out scratching

[natas2000]

So I have a mini toolbox that's a no name from Amazon that I got before Kobalt or Harbor Freight came out with theirs.
I had it sitting for a while with a few pens and junk in it. With things being moved around it had quite a few light scratches on the top only. I wanted to try to polish them out. Actually I have a few toolboxes etc with scratches I need to work on so this was the sacrificial item I started with.
I used Scratch X kit with the pad first and it didn't take out any scratches, just shined the top. So I had watched a few videos and they wet sanded first with 3000 grit, I had 3500 grit and did that. The scratches went away really quick. Put the scratch X on and then some turtle wax even, Looks great except for one edge looks a little cloudy and a quarter sized spot looks like orange peel now?
What did do wrong now?

 

[merkyworks]

can you post some pics?

 

[gahrajmahal]

So I have a mini toolbox that's a no name from Amazon that I got before Kobalt or Harbor Freight came out with theirs.
I had it sitting for a while with a few pens and junk in it. With things being moved around it had quite a few light scratches on the top only. I wanted to try to polish them out. Actually I have a few toolboxes etc with scratches I need to work on so this was the sacrificial item I started with.
I used Scratch X kit with the pad first and it didn't take out any scratches, just shined the top. So I had watched a few videos and they wet sanded first with 3000 grit, I had 3500 grit and did that. The scratches went away really quick. Put the scratch X on and then some turtle wax even, Looks great except for one edge looks a little cloudy and a quarter sized spot looks like orange peel now?
What did do wrong now?

You’ve done nothing wrong. You need to polish that with a machine of some sort. It is really difficult to get a deep shine by hand. The paint on a toolbox is going to be very soft and to work the cloudiness out you will need the speed of a buffer.

 

[natas2000]

I'll try to take a picture that will be clear enough.
And yeah the wife said by one of those buffers, so I guess that's next.

 

[Lassen Forge]

And yeah the wife said by one of those buffers, so I guess that's next.

Man, you got OFFICIAL permission to buy a buffer? From the boss? Damn, son, whatcha waiting for!

 

[sqznby]

Sometimes you have to go back before you can move forward.
Meaning go back to a course grit to clean up what you couldn't get out before. It could've been a deeper scratch that wasn't noticed until cleaned up. Go through the specific grits and after use a decent compound.
And while a polisher is nice it can most certainly be done by hand and get the same results.
Since you got the go-ahead from the boss, I'd definitely take advantage of that haha.

 

[natas2000]

This is the best picture I could get.

 

[Shiftless]

With all that sanding, I fear that you might be getting close to burning through the paint layer on that little box. You might want to quit while you’re ahead.

 

[sqznby]

Me thinking this was bare metal haha.
I'm with shiftless

 

[natas2000]

That's just my poor phone picking up the walls and lights. Its not that cloudy its still black.
There is some clouding. Did I cut through the clear coat still, maybe I don't know. But i did very little of anything, That's why I didn't post a picture because it never show well.