Hi Guys,

I have a tuxedo black 69, that has some swirl marks on the fenders and by the gas cap. What is a good system\way to remove? They are not scratches but swirl marks. Any products you guys recommend?

 

Try the clay bar system.

 

Clay bar will do nothing for swirl marks. 3M has a product specifically for swirl marks. Apply it with an applicator that is for wax. Buff off with a terry cloth towel. You can also apply with a foam pad on a drill and buff clean with a towel, but hand rubbing is a better way to have better control. Either way, it will remove the swirl marks. Clay bar only gets impurities off the top. Swirl remover is basically a compund that has a very very light abrasive. If the swirls are still not coming off get some 3M 3000 grit buffing compund and rub it in and buff off all by hand.

 

I already tried the clay bar. yes it didnt work.

 

have 2 black cars. 80 z28 and 80 vet.

i use meguires swirl remover (liquid). rub it in and remove b/4 it dries. get a bottle and mix 50% denatured alcohol with 50% water. wipe down area. if you dont you might end up with haze after putting on whathever protection you use.

if you have other imperfections that dont come out i use same mfg. they have a mild rubbing compound. its rated #3. just go back and use the swirl again after compound.

after 28 yrs doing by hand i broke down and got a porter cable orbital finisher. what use to take 6 to 8 hrs now down to 1.

the orbital will not burn thru paint like a regular buffer will. but i always keep pad moist just for my peace of mind.

mine might not be the best way but i dont have ANY swirl in paint.

hopefully you will get a few more people involved and we'll all improve and get new ideas.

 

Back in the 80's we used a product pink in colour from 3M called Swirl Mark remover, it held for a bit but would wash off. We applied it with cotton cloths, actually diapers made the best polishing cloths, the cotton ones I mean.

We were caught in the transistion of acrylic lacquer to acrylic enamal and then to base / clear near the end. It was not easy to adapt to all of these top coats.

We found a product that consisted of carnuba wax, Black Gold I think worked well with good results. The old days of Diamond Coat and the likes were there. A lot of slow speed polisher's were used and 'burn through' was a issue.

A product name 'Frecela' had some good results with the polishing compound. 'pgh red' nailed it with the amount of work.

Meguire's will tackle this job with results. If you do not have equipment to polish out, some good old elbow grease will give you a return.

'81 pilot' spoke to the difference of a clay bar over swirl marks. A clay bar is good for removing 'stuff' that polish/rubbing compound cant touch. Look at Meguire's site and they will have the correct product for you.

Dano,

 

Your right on the money Dano;

It's Farecla G10, for the compound that removes swirl marks formulated specifically for dark colors.

 

3M Finesse-it II. It is the last of the three step buffing system by 3M. It is a white buffing compound that is best used with a black foam pad or a really fine buffing pad.

Unk

 

i use the meguiar products and they work great, the swirl remover comes in a brown container. i use all the meguair products and swear by them....

 

I agree with pgh red's post above....get a Porter Cable random orbital buffer.

The first time I did my black '70 it looked like crap before I started and now it looks great.

A few years ago I bought a DVD called "How to Use the PC for Showcar Results". This guy buffs out a '59 Vette to a very impressive level. I basically follow his systematic approach. The key (besides the PC polisher) is the selection of compounds and pads. I only use Wolfgang pads for the polisher and they are color coded by "cut level" for the stuff you are putting down. I use microfiber cloths to remove the pastes.

I only use Meguiar's products and you always use them in decending numeric product code numbers. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THEIR BOTTLE. Product number selection will depend on your starting paint quality. Your's sounds about like mine did originally, so here's what I used:
1. Speed Glaze #80
2. Swirl Remover #9
3. Show Car Glaze #7
4. Next Generation Tech Wax

Once you do the above process, next time you should be able to start at step 3 or 4. Trust me, it works!


These pics were shot today and it just finished 3 months on the lift and hasn't been waxed since last August.

 

sweet ride!!!!!!! you know you got it right when if reflects like looking into a mirror.

i tried next generation tex and ended up going back to liquid glass. dont know whether i applied it wrong or what. i put it on by hand.


just wondering if people using orbital can get that "mirror look" and what pad and speed they run it at.

 

Thanks for the compliment!

I applied that Tech Wax with the PC on speed 3 with a Wolfgang Blue pad (78-94650DA), removed by hand with microfiber cloth after drying.

 

Terrific thread fellow C3ers,

Would you suggest the same recommendations for a "white" 78 vette?

mk's78 aka mike

 

Thanks Guys all the tips they are appreciated!

 

yes

 

Agree, and it's specifically made for dark colors. The problem is the smallest quantity available costs $35 and you'll only need $2 to do your job.

 

I think there needs to be clarification. There are swirl marks and then there are SWIRL marks. The first being just very light swirls in the very top portion of the paint or clear. The second being heavier swirls caused by machine buffing or even polishing. The first sometimes can be taken care of with the simple over the counter meguirs type swirl remover, the latter will need a more agressive type of swirl remover such as the 3M products. And sometimes even back to a buffing polish followed by a swirl remover or even machine glaze. Heck on a single stage non clear coat application, I will even re wetsand with 2000, buff and polish to get it into optimum shape. But for the average guy, starting with a meguires type swirl remover, then if that didn't work progress to the slightly more aggressive swirl remover compounds is the way to go. And if you are not familiar with machine buffing or polishing just use elbow grease. Clay bar is only for surface contaminants nothing more. It will remove tree sap and other things adhered to the topcoat, but generally swirls are a bit deeper. But the key is to use the least abrasive thing for the issue, don't start with something too harsh and create more work for yourself...