Advice needed on polishing Imron paint

[Sveta]

I`m convinced Imron paint is very hard stuff and I have only fair success at removing defects.



Does anyone have much experience removing swirls and fine scratches from clear coated Imron paints? I`ve only used a PC a year and have no rotary skills at all. It seems like DACP, IP and SSR2.5 with a Yellow, Orange or SFX-3 pad hardly touch the scratches and swirls on Imron paint. These pads/polishes knock down the bad scratch edges pretty good but the very fine swirls and fine lines and/or scratches hardly budge. It seems like its thick paint also, judging by a small chip along a hood edge. Is this paint something a rotary guy needs to fix? Do I need a stronger product like SSR3? I`ve not encountered paint that didn`t respond

well to DACP or SSR2.5 so I have no "aggressive" polishes.



There is obviously something I don`t understand or I`m not doing right.



Advice greatly appreciated.

[jr weeks]

I`ve buffed Imron clears a couple times, and because it`s so rock hard when cured, you really have to go 1 step more aggresively than you would on an ordinary enamel finish, otherwise it`ll just laugh at you.



My advice is learn to use a rotary and start with a wool pad. Normally I would advise against this and prefer foam for initial cutting (because it`s sufficient on most clears and leads to less work on the next steps) but you need that extra cut on Imron, and often ( depending on what you`re trying to remedy) you`ll need to step up to a coarse- cut compound like 3M Super Duty R/C instead of their regular R/C, as a 1st step. That means you`ll need to then get progressively finer in your next steps, with a fine cut rubbing compound and foam cutting or polishing pad, then some 3M Machine Glaze and a foam finishing pad. This works for me anyway. You can certainly substitute the 3M stuff with Menzerna or Mothers etc. but you`ll need the same equivalent in abrasives.



Hope that helps some.

[imported_Burlyq]

IP is the second most aggresive product in the american market for this co. Try menzerna power gloss and spritz pad with water every section, kiss swirls bye bye. IP is more of a white pad product, but you can use orange of course. I would use wool as last resort if orange+ power gl didn`t work. I think menzerna was trying to get an aggresive polish that you can go straight to waxing or sealing with IP. Works sometimes, especially on lighter colors.



http://autopia.org/forums/showthread...threadid=46868

[jr weeks]

Just so I`m clear on my approach;



I use "one step more aggressive" compounds on a given problem with Imron, in other words;



If you need to get swirls out and would normally use a light cut polish, use a medium cut polish instead, followed by a fine polish. If you need a R/C, use a heavy cut instead of a fine cut, and so on...



You shouldn`t need wool on light swirls, no, but on larger scratches it will bite with better effect. On bad spider webbing I prefer to start with wool and work up to a finishing foam pad, but only on Imron. I really don`t use wool on typical modern car finishes anymore at all, just when I know I have to deal with Imron. Personally, I do wish you luck with an orbital no matter what you use, it won`t be easy on that paint. (that`s not to say it can`t be done though).



That may be they hardest paint ever formulated, at least in the (older) original formulation. Cheers.

[Sveta]

GUITARMAN.



Really appreciate the reply. I thought I`d have to get into rotary work and maybe this is when I`ll get my feet wet.

I have worked this paint many times with a PC and it does improve a tiny bit each time. But....never enough.

I read Imron is some pretty toxic stuff to apply and I`m taking no chances with any "dust" from polishing it either. In fact, I wear a fully filtered mask with everything I PC anymore, just in case.



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Burlyq,



I might try that. I have never used power gloss. Am I correct in assuming you have good results with this on Imron paint?