** Test - Swirl Removal By Hand **

[Dave KG]

Okay, performed a test recently on a scrap panel to test the ability of a variety of products to remove swilrs by hand for those who dont have access to a machine polisher.

Each product was tested on a small area of a red metallic bonnet, pre-washed with some steelwool. This left light swilrs and deep swirls too, to test the products and techniques to the limits. Each product was allowed five hits (this is why my arm is so sore!! : ) to work on the paint, and was worked until the product was ready to remove each time, detailed description of each process with each product.... All products applied using a Meguiars Foam Applicator (clean one for each product) and removed with Megs Ultimate Wipes.

So, down to business:


Meguiars #9 Swirl Remover 2
First up was Meguiars #9, a filler heavy product which also contains light abbrassives. Sutiable for application by hand or machine, of course it was applied by hand here.

Before:


This product was applied first of all in circular motions with firm pressure, then in horizontal and verical lines, and then back to circular motions... Took about three to four minutes per hit to work the product well. The residue then buffed off very easily...

Results after three hits:


Results after five hits:


In summary, this was an easy product to use and did a very good job of dealing with the light swilrs (all taken out), and an admirable job of the heavier scratches, around 60% removed. Impressive by hand... Also left a very nice wet and glossy finish, so for working by hand this is an excellent product for swirl removal. A good start to the test! :thumb:


Meguiars ScratchX
An OTC product that is designed to deal with swirl marks by hand, and a product that is often recommended if working by hand. Light abbrassive product.

Before:


This product was applied first in circular motions then in straight lines with firm pressure. It dried more quickly than #9, and went quite tacky but was still very easy to remove.

Results after five hits:


This was another good performing product from Meguiars, that did a very good job of dealing with the swilrs by hand, only the deeper scratches remaining... an impressive result for working by hand.

[Dave KG]

Prima Amigo Hand Glaze
A non-abbrassive filling product this time, so without the abbrassive to deal with the swilrs, this product was going to rely on the fillers... This made it very easy to use.

Before:


This product was worked in with circular motions then straight lines with medium pressure, given about two minutes per hit to work.

Results after three hits:


Results after five hits:


This product did an excellent job of dealing with hte light swirls but as expected struggled a little with the deeper scratches. However, for cars with light swilrs, this would be an ideal fast, and easy to use glaze product for masking the swilrs effectively. It also left a very nice glossy finish, I was impressed with this product and can see me ordering some in the near future to use as a finishing glaze.



Menzerna Final Polish II
A different take on swirl removal now... abbrassiv only, no fillers... I was expecting this to really struggle, relying only on abbrassives which by hand are very difficult to get very good results from. But it did prove me wrong...

Before:


As before, the product was worked in circular motion and straight lines, about five minutes pre hit this time though to try to fully break the product down... tough going, but generated results:

Results after three hits:


Results after five hits:


This was tough going and tiring, but it dealt very nicely with light swilrs and did an admirable job by hand on the heavier scratches... If you have arms like Arnie, this could be done on a full car but there are easier products out there. For me, Menzerna is best suited to the machine, but can work by hand.

[Dave KG]

Clearkote Red Moose Machine Glaze
A filler heavy glaze, desinged for masking swirl marks and being packed with fillers, should be pretty easy by hand...

Before:


This was applied in the same way as all products above for about two minues, and wiped off with ease...

Results after three hits:


Results after five hits:


While a couple of deeper scratches remained, RMG was very impressive at hiding light and also heavier swilrs by hand and left a nice glossy finish. An excellent performance, and easy too makes this one of my choice products for dealing with swirls by hand. :thumb:


Zymol HD Cleanse
An odd ball this one here... non-abbrassive, but packed with essential glazing oils that can act to fill slightly, I thought it was worth giving this product a go.

Before:


Applied as Zymol instructs, firm pressue in straight lines and wiped off with ease...

Results after three hits:


Results after five hits:


Light swilrs were masked, but anything heavier remained... super wet glossy shine though, so if you use Zymol, I would ensure all defect rmeoval is carried out before the application of HD cleanse as the oils in this will really only deal with minor swirls. The more I use this though, the more I like the super wet look finish!

[Dave KG]

Autoglym Super Resin Polish
The first of the "all-in-one" productsm contains fillers, leaves an acryllic sealent layer too.

Before:


This was applied in circular motions and straight lines, for about two minutes per hit and the residue removed with ease (a little bit of duist though). Easy to use product...

Results after three hits:


Results after five hits:


Out of all the products tested, this one achieved the best defect removal - even deeper swirls were mostly dealt with... these were mainly filled, but as an option by hand for defect work, SRP is hard ignore. Excellent results from an underrated product, left a nice glossy finish too! :thumb:


Klasse All In One
The second of the all-in-one products, this is a non-abbrassive strong chemical cleanser.

Before:


Applied in circular motions and straight lines for about two minutes per hit, this was another easy to use product which was easy to remove as well.

Results after three hits:


Results after five hits:


Very good results, with many of the swilrs masked and hidden, however for me the finish left by SRP had the edge both interms of glass and defect removal... Still, a good set of results from Klasse.

[Dave KG]

Meguiars NXT Tech Wax
Not really designed for swirl removal, but contains light fillers and claims to elimate light swilrs so I thought it was worth testing...

Before:


Applied in circular motions, finishing in straight lines:

Results after three hits:


Results after five hits:


NXT struggled with the heavier swilrs, but as it says on the bottle, it eliminated the fine swilrs nicely and also left a nice deep glossy finish. Lovely finish, but if there are severe swirls, best usea different product first and then finish off with the NXT.


1Z Wax Polish Soft

A filler heavy product that also leaves a layer of protection behind it as well, from the 1Z stable so a quality product this one...

Before:



This product was then worked into the paint in circular motions, and straight lines for about two minutes per hit until it started to go a little bit tacky... It was then removed with a Megs Ultimate Wipe, the residue coming away with ease.

Results after three hits:


Results after five hits:


The vast mojority of the light swilrs were removed with this product, only the deeper scratches remianing. What really impressed me with the 1Z was the deep glossy shine that it left on the red paint, another excellent product.

And thats it... yes you can remove swirls by hand, and there are many good products out there. As a brief summary of my thoughts and findings, the best defect removal was achieved by Autoglym Super Resin Polish, glossiest finish from Zymol HD Cleanse, easiest to use was Prima Amigo.

[BigLeegr]

Nice review!

[Yzer]

WOW! Great review! I bet your arm is a little tired after that! Very well done!

[Eliot Ness]

Great Job Dave! I saved the link to this thread for those who will ask about swirl removal by hand in the future. I found it very interesting how well some of those fillers actually worked.

[Dave KG]

Originally Posted by Eliot Ness

Great Job Dave! I saved the link to this thread for those who will ask about swirl removal by hand in the future. I found it very interesting how well some of those fillers actually worked.

In honesty, it acutally surprised me how effective some of the products were... De-swirling a full car like this by hand would be a very long task indeed, the products required as described above thorough working but it shows that it is at least possible to tackle swilrs by hand in the event of a machine polisher not being an option.

[Accumulator]

Dave KG- Great test! Your pics and write-up were super.

I too get great results from the AutoGlym SRP and 1Z WPS, though not the correction that you achieved (different paints, different people, etc.). Glad to see you testing some often overlooked products.

Wonder how the stronger 1Z polishes would've dealt with the deeper scratches; I bet the Ultra/Extra would've got 'em all out.

[Grouse]

thanks for the great write up.

[ZaneO]

That's a great write-up! Extremely thorough.

I would be careful about using the term "removal" when speaking about filling, though.