Having issues with pitting

[Guitarist302008]

I`m working on some old Ford paint... I guess this was before everything was water based.. either way... I have made several passes with some different pad/polish combos. I have gone as low as using Power Gloss with a Meg`s red cutting pad and they still are not coming out, as well as a few scratches... which aren`t all the way through the paint. Honestly i`m a little worried about doing anymore to those areas. Many of which are on the bumper which is plastic by the way.



Anyway... I feel like I might be better if I quit while i`m ahead. I`m using a Flex DA polisher by the way.

[Dan]

One of the biggest things experience teaches you, is to know when to stop. If you feel you are getting close, time to quit while you are ahead. Short of getting an expensive paint gauge for plastic, I don`t think there is anything we can tell you.

[imported_RZJZA80]

I would say to trust your gut and quit while you`re ahead

[Thomas Dekany]

I agree with Dan. Do you have any pictures of the defect?

[Guitarist302008]

I agree with Dan. Do you have any pictures of the defect?



I do not have any pics... but I can tell you it`s a 93 so I know it has to been just pitting from sand and rocks. I`ve been doing this a while and each time I swear I can get it out, now... I usually don`t bother. I`m just going to continue on the rest of the car and then just use a blue pad with some micro finish to bring the highest shine out and that will have to be enough.

[Guitarist302008]

Also... even the red pad and the power gloss is VERY slowly taking the scratches out... would the M105 perhaps cut better?

[Thomas Dekany]

Some paints are just extra hard



Like the red camaro I did. If product a doesn`t cut it, try product b

[Guitarist302008]

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/Methodical4u/IMG_5048.jpg



http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/Methodical4u/IMG_5045.jpg



http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/Methodical4u/IMG_5043.jpg



Ok guys... here is the 50/50 shot of the hood... it has taken me 4 hours to do just this half (save 30 minutes for running to the store). The PG wasn`t cutting it (pun intended) so I go some Meg`s #1 I think it`s fine cut cleaner? Also #4 which is heavy cut cleaner... there are still scratches that the only way they will come out is simply by polishing more and more.



Thus far I have done 2 passes with the heavy cut with red pad

2 passes with the #1 on a meg`s red pad

A final longer pass with SIP on Meg`s yellow softer pad.



You can see the pitting in the paint... it`s quite severe.



I don`t believe I can do much better on this... very dissapointing, as I like my work to come out at least near perfect.

[Guitarist302008]

Some paints are just extra hard



Like the red camaro I did. If product a doesn`t cut it, try product b



Man, I did a 95 Camaro years ago and that paint was JUST like this... I wound up using the 105 on it as well... it came out nice... it didn`t quite have the pitting this one did, but it took IIRC 30-35 hours for just the exterior.

[Ron Ketcham]

I assume, by your post, that you are attempting to remove, to polish or cut out imperfections on an older/more cured/harder/denser paint finish?

I realize that everyone or most, around this forum are " dual action buffer" people, that is the type of polisher/buffer they all talk about using, and only them.

Sorry, but dealing with an older, cured out, more "dense" paint requires a rotary buffer to get thing done without spending hours and such to get the paint film evened out.

DA`s are fine for what they are meant to do, on newer, softer, etc paint films.

The DA is great for removing the small buffer "trails", etc after one has used a rotary and the right pad to get the finish to that point.

With experience and time with a rotary, it`s not hard to correct, in reasonable time, the imperfections you had to deal with.

Grumpy

[Guitarist302008]

I assume, by your post, that you are attempting to remove, to polish or cut out imperfections on an older/more cured/harder/denser paint finish?

I realize that everyone or most, around this forum are " dual action buffer" people, that is the type of polisher/buffer they all talk about using, and only them.

Sorry, but dealing with an older, cured out, more "dense" paint requires a rotary buffer to get thing done without spending hours and such to get the paint film evened out.

DA`s are fine for what they are meant to do, on newer, softer, etc paint films.

The DA is great for removing the small buffer "trails", etc after one has used a rotary and the right pad to get the finish to that point.

With experience and time with a rotary, it`s not hard to correct, in reasonable time, the imperfections you had to deal with.

Grumpy



I use the Flex because it is... or was maybe now... the strongest DA out there that didn`t bog down under pressure. I would like to think that with what I have to work with it came out at least ok.

[Guitarist302008]

Update: The car is coming along slowly... i`ve gotten some M105 and used it on the Meg`s burgundy red pad, which is a cutting pad. For some reason, the softer yellow pad seems to work better. The process is very slow, however the results are very good with the almost 20 year old paint almost looking liquid.



Not putting a permanent coating on the car... so for yellow paint what do you all suggest? I have the following waxes/sealants



BFWD

Collinite 915

FK1000P

Duragloss (one of my personal favorites)



I think I have some others, but I can`t remember them right off hand lol.

[tssdetailing]

since when did polishing alone remove pitting? sand it. I`m aware of the Megs pads you are talking about but never used. I would suggest a purple foam wool pad with 105

[SVR]

Actually I disagree with Ron on his points. I respect the man but rotary is not as strong as a DA such as Flex XC3401 or a Dynabrade 61385 in forced rotation or random orbital mode on a rotary



rotary is strong yes but OMG these two DA tools are so much stronger and do it faster

I love doing Jewelling with a rotary because of the shearing action and the way that gives a different look to a DA but that and peel reduction is all I use my rotarys for.



If tried rotary and any pad vs dynabrade or flex with the same pad wool, both DA`s would beat it and give a better finish

Now I truly say that I do not know everything and others here probably know more but my best advice is this



Sand out the pitting as buffing it will probably never work and two - move away from foam for correction

Try wool, microfibre, surbuf pads or Rayon pads from Griots garage

Stopped correcting with foam two years ago and barely ever use wool. once in a blue moon



I use rayon alot which are rated as 1000 grit sanding mark removers and glass scratch removers

that or a surbuf on a flex with very slow hand movement, high speed, some pressure if you wish, a hard thin backing plate and plenty of time spent fully cycling the polish as in 4 to 7 mins whilst slowing the opm down pass by pass should definately give you better results



Microfibre is my default pad, the first I pick up ( a flexipads or optimum polishing pad that is, not a cutting MF)

if that doesn`t work, I step up to a flexipads cutting microfibre)

Still no good (which is a rarity), out comes the surbuf and if I need any more power - for say rock hard lamborghini paint or old cured paint, then its rayon time.



good luck.