How to buff/ polish

[93 stang burden]

Ok i not completely dumb to buff/ polishing but need some help and really dont want to just mess up my paint.

The paint is ok not the best not the worst. Its black and it has the light scratches when the sun hits it just right. I bought a 7" rotary buffer/ polisher.

Now which pad do i need to start with and i already have some turtle wax polishing and some turtle wax rubbing compounds?
Where do I start and go with this?

[Bizarro]

There's ALOT of personal opinions on this subject but i'll give you mine an take it for what its worth. " just trying to help"

If your starting out id go with a foam buffing pad "Fine"

practice on something you don't mind if you F. it up first!!!
I would NOT use your car as a guinea pig!

You've got a zillion different types of polished,waxes,buffing compounds,sealers,cleaners,ect.ect.ect!!!

The BEST thing for you to do is probably experiment with what you've got...then maybe buy something of "good" quality an go from there.

I personally like McGuire's but there's alot of other product out there that ive worked with that's nice too.... that's just one of those "IMO" things.

The best advise i was giving years ago was " PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE!!!"...

Pay close attention to how much heat your putting into the panel your working on, too much an you could possibly warp it or burn the paint.
starting off, stay AWAY from corners!!!... you'll burn the paint in a flat sec. if not VERY careful.

hope this gets you in the right direction. :patriot:

[93 stang burden]

The big thing that I want to try to take care of is the fine little scratches I call them. When the suns out and you look just right you can spot them but they seem to be under the paint or something? I 've got some Meguiars 105 and 205 polishing compounds. I almost think that I need to wet sand the car. And as far as a polishing compund which type of foam pad do I need to use?

[Silver Sleeper]

what polish/buffer do you have? what type of polishes do you plan on using?

i use a porter cable 7224 and a makita rotary. i use Meguiars SOLO wool pads and lake country foam pads.

i can certainly point you in the right direction with a little more info and im not too far from you :thumbsup1:

[Silver Sleeper]

The big thing that I want to try to take care of is the fine little scratches I call them. When the suns out and you look just right you can spot them but they seem to be under the paint or something? I 've got some Meguiars 105 and 205 polishing compounds. I almost think that I need to wet sand the car. And as far as a polishing compund which type of foam pad do I need to use?

can you take some pictures of the paint close up in direct sun for me?

sounds like standard RIDS and hologram swirls i see in many of my clients cars but i want to make sure in order to give you the best advice possible.

Trevor

[slow90coupe]

Don't even think about wetsanding a black car without a ton of experience!!! I did a little bit of wetsanding on my black 97 GT, and let me tell you, it was a PAIN to get all of the scratches out. I had to use my Porter Cable 7424 with a very rough cutting pad to get them out. I wouldn't say that i'm a great detailer, but I have been doing it as a side job for about 2 years now so i'm starting to get the hang of things. A black car is my worst nightmare. If your car was mine, I would definately look into buying a Porter Cable. If you don't want to, your buffer will work ok. I used a little orbital buffer for a long time and it did fine if the car wasn't in too bad of shape. I reccomend using your rubbing compound you already have, followed by Turtle Wax Black Box. It is a 2 step wax that really does wonders for black paint. Good luck! Post pics of your progress too!

[331stroker]

Mcguiers swirl remover is the best

[93 stang burden]

you can see the scratches only in sun with just right light it was hard to take the photo

[Silver Sleeper]

you can see the scratches only in sun with just right light it was hard to take the photo

here is the best process for your situation since the defects dont appear to be bad at all.

1. was the car with dawn dish soap to remove any/all waxes glaze etc off the paint. attempting to cut/buff paint with old protection on it makes things harder.

2. claybar the entire car. this will remove contaminants off the top of the paint that the soap could not and allows the buffing pads a smooth surface to work

3. at this point your paint should be prepped for correction. remember to use the least aggressive polish or compound first with a light cutting pad. i reccomend a meguiars 83 or 205 for this with a yellow light cutting pad and medium pressure.

tape off half of an area you are polishing when doing a test spot polish on only one side of the tape..when doe remove the tape and check results against the un polished paint. i always do this with all my clients cars..

here is an example of one of my jobs:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b311/jaidedeye/PB140002.jpg

keep in mind that after the initial passes to correct the defects you need to make more to achieve your desired gloss and correction. also, its very important to remember you may need to you a fine polish and sealer or wax after the buffing in order to finish the job and give the paint correct protection.

[93 stang burden]

cool that looks **** good. i think that i might have to tackle it this weekend after the hurricane passes though.

[Stealth91]

I use the 3M 3 step system...white foam pad, the black foam pad then a blue foam pad. Always buff off of the edge no onto the edge!!!!!!!

[dkhall2009]

i agree with the guy above. the 3 step. i would go with a dewalt buffer and 3m compound. but start out with the heavy coat and then polish and wax to keep in the shine. most people hand wax but i bought a wax pad for my dewalt and it works great and saves time