Freshly applied polish.

[mjpowers728]

I have a possibly dumb question for you guys.



When you first apply the polish, before it even starts to break down, what should the polish look like on the paint. Some pictures show a sorta white residue while others show a very clear, almost transparent, film. A lot of times while practicing, it seems that to get the white residue, I need to apply a lot of polish. Can someone clear this up for me?

[MikeWinLDS]

This video may help you. I don`t think putting more polish is what you need.



YouTube - Car polishing featuring Porter Cable 7424 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89323lmQ2LI)

[mjpowers728]

Thanks for the link. When he first applied it (machine on at speed 3) and the polish looked like a white film, is that I should expect for all, or at least most, polishes and compounds?



Also, it didn`t look as though he primed his pad...or is the ring of product on the pad all that is needed?

[cjv998]

Okay, one question about the video: He seems to be moving the PC awfully fast over the paint. Is that closer to the speed I should be moving the machine over the paint at, or am I better off moving it over the paint much slower, as I currently am doing?

[imported_DJ Mayo]

the ring is all that is needed, it is not necessary to condition the pad

[SpeedEuphoria]

tell you what I`m a noob, 1st attempt was my daily driver, its purple, you could see the polish very good. You need to work it for quite some time, it will spread at 1st and be more of a color, then it breaks down and its more clear, just like a haze on the car. You can keep going whe its like this but you should use light pressure and slow it down some.



I think that noobs like myself use too much product, I started using a ring every section(too much). Basically prime and do a good ring on the 1st use w/ a dry pad, them use a thing ring there after or couple pea sized dots.

[Accumulator]

Some polishes are more/less opaque than others, hard to generalize. But yeah, most people use way too much.

[mjpowers728]

Well, say for example I`m using OP. Mist the pad with QD (just one shot or a couple?), ring around the pad and that should take care of the first section? Then a couple pea drops per section afterwards?



Sorry guys, I have trouble understanding the simplest things sometimes.

[Accumulator]

mjpowers728- I`m no expert on OP, better get another member`s input but you don`t need much with that product.



FWIW I don`t prime the PC`s pad with QD, only do that with the rotary.

[SuperBee364]

Optimum polish has a really long working time. Don`t worry about over-working it. As long as you aren`t dry polishing, you`re not going to hurt anything by giving it a good long work with a PC.



It`s also a very mild polish. As long as your aren`t using a 4" pad, pressing down really hard, and polishing in one spot without moving, you`re not going to hurt your finish by working it a long time. It`s a great polish to learn with, but it really doesn`t have alot of correcting ability with a PC, so don`t be surprised if you don`t get the results you want after just one application. Just wipe the old polish off the panel, and have another go at it. Repeat until you get the results you want.

[mjpowers728]

Um, I think the video link may have been misleading. I was referring to polishing with a rotary. But the info`s been helpful nonetheless.