Possible to polish with out 3D marks?

wheelin

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2004
Is it posible to use a machine to get the swirls out of your paint but not leave those 3D buffing lines in your paint?


thx mike
 
Mike, I just bought a cyclo polisher for my shop. Look it up on the net. NOT cheap as it was about 350 bucks but I tired it out the other day on a motorcycle tank I painted black and it looked awesome with no swirls at all. A regular buffer can do it but it is a challenge for sure and you have to be using the right pads and compound on it. Do a search on 3M compounds for buffing and you will see a ton of stuff including swirl remover compounds. Daniel Ray
 
yeah those holograms suck....i use Griots Garage random orbit polisher...i also have a porter cable polisher...very similar if not the same....it all comes down to using the right product in the right manner to get the swirls to disappear...my favorite is machine polish 3 from Griots
 
As the above posts mentions, a random orbit polisher and the right products will get those holograms out. Personally, I've had success using Menzerna PO85RD Final Finish polish with a Lake Country white polishing pad. Meguiar's Ultra Cut Compound #105 is another one of my favorites. But there are many other products that will achieve similar results. Just gotta do a little research. No matter what you use to remove those holograms, make sure you follow it up with your preferred wax of choice.
 
any experienced body man should have no problem using a "regular" buffer w/ a foam pad and swirl mark remover, My truck is Black, and is flawless.

Key is to let the buffer do the work, move slow, and overlap..
 
the key is experienced, you're correct....most people are either too afraid or too careless with a rotary to be able to use one with good results
 
any experienced body man should have no problem using a "regular" buffer w/ a foam pad and swirl mark remover, My truck is Black, and is flawless.

Key is to let the buffer do the work, move slow, and overlap..

the key is experienced, you're correct....most people are either too afraid or too careless with a rotary to be able to use one with good results

All true. But if wheelin is not familiar with using a rotary I wouldn't recommended using one just to remove holograms. Rotary's are typically used only when paint correction is needed. Holograms can be removed using a more user friendly orbital with the proper pad and polish, without the risk of burning his paint in the process.
 
All true. But if wheelin is not familiar with using a rotary I wouldn't recommended using one just to remove holograms. Rotary's are typically used only when paint correction is needed. Holograms can be removed using a more user friendly orbital with the proper pad and polish, without the risk of burning his paint in the process.

thats what I explained in post #3...i don't use a rotary for that reason
 
very good advice from all, IF you decide to use a regular buffer practice on a junker first !! They are excellent buffers and do the job well once you get used to them but all it takes is one time in a spot to long or it grabs and BAM you just burned your paint. I learned that the hard way as well lol. The orbits work well but they work a lot slower and will take forever to do any paint repair compaired to a rotary but you will not screw up your paint near as fast either lol. Any buffing job is a learning experiance when you first start but once you figure out the compounds to use, right buffer for the job, etc. The results you will get is well worth it ! Good luck Daniel
 
All good advice said.

Here's my "secrets" for black paint. I've been using the same old rotery buffer for twenty five years. If you need wax to cover up swirls or scratches, then your doing somthing wrong. I detail my GN once a year in my garage, under florescent lights. This will show just about everything. If you can make it look good under frorescents, it should look good anywhere. If you properly polish your paint nice and flat, that polish will last longer then paint with swirl marks.


Products.
#1 Heavy cutting: Whether I'm taking off heavy oxidation or I just got done coler sanding somones paint with 1500 grit Imperial 3M sandpaper, I use Meguiar's #85 diamond cut compound 2.0 with a wool pad. Be VERY CAREFULL on corners and edges with this product. In tight areas, I use this stuff by hand. This compound is activated with heat from the wool pad. The hotter it gets, the faster it cuts. It's not a real gritty compound so it doesn't leave deep swirl marks. If you go over it lightly for the last pass, it should look almost ready to wax.


#2 Swirl remover: I like 3M swirl remover for dark cars part #39009. I use this with a Meguir's (soft) W-9000 foam pad. Note that many swirl removers (including Meguir's) have a slime in them to help cover up swirls, only to have swirls come back a week later. With the 3M stuff, you know when you've got the swirls out. your not just covering them up.


#3 Wax: If you ask 100 different people, you'll get 100 different answers and I'm sure that most of them are good stuff. I've tryed many diffrent waxes and can't say that I've found any one that stands out far above the rest. If you did step #1 and #2 correctly, then your paint shouldn't look any different after you wax it. The wax should only be there for protection, not looks.


Upkeep: I use liquid spray detailers ( Final inspection, Lucas, Quik detailer) and a micro fiber or old terry cloth towel.


Washing: I only wash my car once or twice a year with water. When I do, I use Meguiar's #62 car wash soap (about $25.00 a Gal), and a soft nylon mit. Car is dryed with an old 100% cotton towel.


This acrylic enamel paint is now over ten years old, and still looks as good as the year it was painted. I hadn't buffed or waxed my car in over a year when these pics were taken a few months ago. Hope this info helps. :)

P1010016-2.jpg


P1010019-2.jpg


Happy spooling.
Mike Barnard
 
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