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Time to cut and polish

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35mastr

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Been gone from here for a while working on a new project. Its time to cut and polish now. Been about 18 years since I cut and buffed a car. Its got some dust in the clear so the whole car is going to need it.

Now my question is what are you guys that do paint work using these days for Compound,Polish and Wax? Also what pads are you using also? Is there a better machine now then the old buffers with adjustable RPM's?
 

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haugy

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H

haugy

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35mastr said:
Now my question is what are you guys that do paint work using these days for Compound,Polish and Wax? Also what pads are you using also? Is there a better machine now then the old buffers with adjustable RPM's?
Click to expand...

And to answer these questions:

Only compound (aka swirl remover) if you have swirl marks, scratches, oxidation, etc. CLAY BAR IT FIRST. I did that on my old Daily driver and it was amazing the night and day difference. And I mean amazing. It was super easy too. Wash, clay bar, then if you're paint is swirl free, go straight to Polish, and then sealant (wax).

Everyone has their own pads they like, but the new foam style pads are way better than any of the cloth things you have probably used in the past. More effective, last longer, easier to clean and re-use, etc.

And the new professional orbitals are great. Adjustable speed and light. I just picked up a Porter Cable polisher, and it's great.
 
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35mastr

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haugy said:
And to answer these questions:

Only compound (aka swirl remover) if you have swirl marks, scratches, oxidation, etc. CLAY BAR IT FIRST. I did that on my old Daily driver and it was amazing the night and day difference. And I mean amazing. It was super easy too. Wash, clay bar, then if you're paint is swirl free, go straight to Polish, and then sealant (wax).

Everyone has their own pads they like, but the new foam style pads are way better than any of the cloth things you have probably used in the past. More effective, last longer, easier to clean and re-use, etc.

And the new professional orbitals are great. Adjustable speed and light. I just picked up a Porter Cable polisher, and it's great.
Click to expand...

Good info,But I will need to wet sand the whole car before it can be compounded. I want this one flat as glass.
 
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Zeke

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Well, 18 years ago we didn't have 2000 grit. I can say that I'm pretty good at color sanding and what we used to use (600) seems like 36 grit now. If you have a lot of orange peel, you might make an initial pass with 600, but watch yourself.

Use what ever you want for a liquid, but make sure it's strained. What comes out of a hose is not clean enough. I will wrap a terry towel around the hose end if I'm doing it that way.

Use a high quality soft window squeegee often to see how much you sanded. After the first sanding, the sanded part will be dull and the bottoms of the orange peel craters will still show as shiny. Go all the way to the bottom of the craters if you want dead flat.

Remember that some areas will flatten out before others, so constant checking with the squeegee is paramount. I don't have to tell you about the edges.
 
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mgilde13

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Kevin54

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If you never used a DA to cut, I wouldn't recommend it right now. Go old school and wet-sand. Start out with 1000, move to 1500, then to 2000 or finer. If you want you can move up to 3000 to eliminate a lot of hard buffing. Your local jobber should be able to hook you up with some Meguiars polish and buffing compounds along with some foam waffle pads. Good luck and post up the finished pics when done.
 
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haugy

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Wetsanding isn't old school, it's just something that requires more patience and skill, but typically can yeild greater results.

What everyone else has said is right on. This is one of those slow and patient jobs. Never to be rushed. Imagine it as your first time with a woman. You have to go very slow, find her spots, and really work to get her going. Same way with a car. You have to learn your movements, the amount of pressure against the paint, what you're body is comfortable with in terms of movment.

Water, water, water. Can't have too much water. Not only for a good smooth glide, but to help rinse away the areas already done.

What condition is the paint in?
 
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countryroad82

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I do the standard 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000 deal depending on how much orange peel and trash I wind up in my clear, on a good clean job I start with 2000. I have in the last year started using a Hutchins Waterbug DA sander and man I wish I had done that years ago!! It is so much faster. I still sand some areas by hand but the bulk of vehicles get the DA treatment. As for compounds, I am a 3M kinda guy, either the Perfect It 2 or 3000 system, depends on the vehicle. I use the 3M waffle pads white compound, grey polish, and blue for the Ultrafine polish. My buffer of choice is a Makita 9227, it has given me years of service and when it dies I'll buy another!!
 
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mad57

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As for compounds, I am a 3M kinda guy, either the Perfect It 2 or 3000 system, depends on the vehicle. I use the 3M waffle pads white compound, grey polish, and blue for the Ultrafine polish. My buffer of choice is a Makita 9227, it has given me years of service and when it dies I'll buy another!![/QUOTE]

I have to agree!!100% I USE I LIKE ARDEX foam pads,blue, green ,yellow black, white. i use 3m perfect it ultra fine machine polish and the super duty no grit rubbing compound, also had the chance to try meguires no swirl and that works great, heres a black door panel after above steps and the mentioned polishes. with a makita 9227c. what clear brand did you use and how many coats cure time? ect?
 

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