DansYellow66

I painted my Cobra replica with PPG single stage black and sanded it down to 2500 in 3 steps (tried 3000 but didn't find any improvement with it) and polished it with the Norton Liquid Ice system. It looks great from a couple feet away but up very close I could still see a number of very fine sanding scratches and swirl marks even with the white pad. I picked up a bottle of Meguires machine glaze and tried it tonight with the white pad - both a 3 inch and a 8 inch. It looks a lot better overall and is probably going to give me a nice finish. Putting my eye right down on the surface I have to look pretty hard to find a faint sign of a sanding scratch anywhere. Although a glaze it is removing a little bit of paint as the pad does turn black slowly.

I also have tried both a rotary and an orbital polisher and I think the rotary polisher is working better. I can't explain it but my Groits orbital polisher almost appears to create an orange peel effect on what was a smooth surface before I tried it. Looks like I will stick with my electric and air rotary polishers.

Is this a good plan for trying to finish my polish work up on a dark color - the Meguires machine glaze polish? The Liquid Ice system was suppose to allow you to compound and polish the finish with one product but I had some doubts about that and it looks like they are being borne out - at least with a single stage dark color. I also have a finessing pad that is suppose to be a softer pad yet, than the current Norton white pad I'm using. I haven't tried it so it may offer some additional improvement. Any other suggestions or products I should try. The paint is well cured.



Thanks

Dan

markids77

I like Meguiar's Ultimate Polish by hand using an all cotton facecloth as an applicator followed by Meguiar's Ultimate Paste Wax. Do only a few square inches at a time... you'll know it's right when the cloth starts to "squeak" on the glass smooth surface. BUT don't make that effort until the car is completely together, running and all bugs have been ironed out. It's close enough right now not to sweat the finest details until you're certain the next polishing is for keeps. There is much assembly/fitting/sweat/detailing yet to be accomplished... don't perfect the paint now only to swear at yourself shortly due to an accident or required modification.

DansYellow66

I got some earlier responses from Len over on the AutoBody forum and ordered a product called Mystic Wizard Cut which is a product he has started using and is very satisfied with. I'm primarily trying to finish polish the underside of the trunk, hood, inside of doors, jambs, etc so I can get on with assembly. I'm holding off on the major body exterior until I get the engine and transmission in.

Thanks

Dan

porchdog

you need to monitor your heat when buffing. you can do a lot of damage with a buffer.

DansYellow66

Will do. I tend to use slower buffer speeds than most people I suspect. That's for the same reason I use all hand tools in sanding and blocking down the body for painting. Fast moving power tools scare me and can cause a lot of unintended consequences if you lose concentration for a few moments. A buffer is about the only power tool I use on the body - no choice with urethane if you can't lay down paint like glass. Slower buffer speeds may be part of the problem I've had with getting the last of the sanding scratches out with the Liquid Ice system.

DansYellow66

I received the Mystic Wizard polish and a recommended orange buffing pad from the AutoBodyStore forum and tried it out a little over the weekend. It works great - far superior to the Norton Liquid Ice system. It leaves a nice scratch free surface on black with little effort. The orange buffing pad they recommended is pretty stiff and I suspect the whole system is fairly aggressive. But, it smooths the surface fast so I could move on. And it doesn't seem to swirl to badly - seems to degrade readily and not leave swirl marks. I'm very happy with it.

porchdog

this is a good site to look into. i use most everything from them. i use the hexlogic pads. i use presta compound on some jobs.keeping pads clean is also real important. i rinse out the dry compound each time. the art is in the pads. most any compound will work with good pads. many new wonder products are fillers . as soon as you wash it the swirls are back.

alonzomerrill

I have read your given information and it is a right that clean pads are very important. I also use clean pads and i want to know that what other equipments do you use. Can you give me the name of which product do you prefer for this work.

porchdog

i forgot the link . i use a lot of compounds from these guys. i also use presta compound from time to time. the pads are the biggest difference in systems. i use the hexlogic pads . most problems in buffing come from skipping grits in sandpaper then trying to polish out the scratches left behind. this is when the surface is overheated and damaged. you can tell when this happens by the surface taking on the texture of fine leather. this is burnt . yes you can burn paint without going through.

http://www.chemicalguys.com/Heavy_Du..._p/com_101.htm

just be sure to get a compound that is not a filler. easy check is to wash a polished area with wax and grease remover. if you see the swirls again it is a filler compound and will never give you a good surface. and most of the new compounds being hyped today are fillers .