Marring, and Micromarring...

[Kriminal]

Okay, dumb question time - I`m having a blonde moment



I (presumably) understand marring to be a term used for swirls / scratches in the lacquer/paintwork.



I believe micromarring, which I presume to be "light" swirls / scratches, can be caused by using an abrasive polish/compound with something such as a PC or Rotary.



Feel free to correct me on any off the above.



How do you determine the difference between marring, and micromarring when PC`ing a car which had scratches/swirls to begin with ?, ie. how can I tell when the PC has caused micromarring, or if they were already there before ?



If the micromarring was caused by machine, and probably using an abrasive compound, do you simply step to a less abrasive polish and pad combo ?



Sorry to ask soooo many questions, but I just need to get it clear in my head what`s what

[Nica]

No such thing as a dumb question Kriminal,



The term micromarring and marring (well to me that is) are the same thing. You are correct, micromarring is caused by an abrasive polish/compund and abrasive cutting pads. To remove micromarring, you simple step down to a finishing pad with a light polish and that gives you a flawless looking paint.



Well this is just from my experiance as for the micromarring and marring I have always used the terms but to me they mean the same thing.

[Accumulator]

Yep, the "micro" part of it just means that it`s very minor/shallow/not easily seen with the naked eye.



The marring left by polishing is usually different looking from the "usual" stuff that comes from a wash. But it`s generally all the same thing and is dealt with in the same way...by the use of the appropriate abrasive on the appropriate pad.



Sometimes it can take a bit of experimentation to get just the right final finish (if you care about that last little % ), but generally two-three steps oughta do it: the first step replaces the existing marring (scratches, washing marks, etc.) with some reasonably uniform micromarring (little flaws you can barely see) from the pad and product; the next step removes that and leaves the finish basically "perfect"; a final, *very* fine pad/product combo then brings up an even nicer gloss, providing an improvement that you didn`t even know it needed.

[blucpe]

the only dumb question is the one not asked.:spot

[Kriminal]

Thanks for the replies guy`s - that`s definitely made it ALOT clearer in my head now



I think I was getting kinda confused with all the terminology going around.



Accumulator : just to pick up on the last part of your reply about the experimentation. I`ve recently bought a couple of Menzerna Pads (1 compound, and 1 finishing) as the flaws in the lacquer on the Audi are not shifting as quick as I`d like them too.

Apparently the compound pad can be fairly abrasive - I`ll be using it with PO85RD3.01



So if I use this combination to cut back the swirls, and scratches first, and THEN follow up with the PO106FF on the finishing pad, does this sound good to you ?



PS : I will off course be following with the Sonus paint cleanser, and then Mother`s Wax.



Any other recommendations will be welcome.

[imported_Denzil]

Sounds ok to me.

[David Fermani]

I like to think of marring, micromarring and cobwebbing as a condition of the paint not caused by the buffing/polishing. Swirls, wheelmarks and haziness is something that an abrasive pad or polish creates. Each on is independent of one another. Please help me through this one.....

[klnyc]

Isnt micromarring can cuased by MF too?

[Accumulator]

Accumulator : just to pick up on the last part of your reply about the experimentation. I`ve recently bought a couple of Menzerna Pads (1 compound, and 1 finishing) as the flaws in the lacquer on the Audi are not shifting as quick as I`d like them too.

Apparently the compound pad can be fairly abrasive - I`ll be using it with PO85RD3.01



So if I use this combination to cut back the swirls, and scratches first, and THEN follow up with the PO106FF on the finishing pad, does this sound good to you ?.

Heh heh, not surprised that the correction of that Audi clear is proving to be a challenge



Though I haven`t used either the pads or the abrasives in question, I agree with Denzil that it sounds like a good plan.



klnyc- Yeah, it could be. Though IME when a MF isn`t soft enough the marring it leaves isn`t always so "micro"

I like to think of marring, micromarring and cobwebbing as a condition of the paint not caused by the buffing/polishing. Swirls, wheelmarks and haziness is something that an abrasive pad or polish creates. Each on is independent of one another. Please help me through this one.....

I sorta spearheaded the use of "marring" as a catch-all/umbrella term for "gouges in the paint"...everything from scratches to the finest haze or hologram. Yeah, a lot of the stuff that thus falls under the heading "marring" can be independent of *other* forms of marring, but it *can* be caused by products/procedures. IMO almost *all* "micromarring" comes from working on it; anything from normal use/wear-and-tear/etc. is gonna be more noticeable than that.



Heh heh, I don`t mean to beat anybody over the head with *my* definitions of this stuff (gee, who put me in charge of the English language :chuckle: )...my intention is just to bring a bit of uniformity to how we refer to the kind of stuff that gets discussed over and over (and over). I`ve been using "marring" to describe surface defects on various things since I was a kid, and I learned that term from guys who were doing it since before cars were all that common (e.g., "there`s some marring on that watch crystal, better polish it up some").

[Kriminal]

[quote name=`Accumulator`]Heh heh, not surprised that the correction of that Audi clear is proving to be a challenge



Though I haven`t used either the pads or the abrasives in question, I agree with Denzil that it sounds like a good plan.



Thanks again bud.....although, since I`ve got the Menzerna compound pads the sun`s gone in and it`s hammering down with rain :sosad ....sometimes I just think somebody`s trying to tell me something



I just managed to slot the car in this morning for a swift wash and dry - the Mother`s Wax I used last week is REALLY holding it`s own ! Good stuff in case anybody was thinking what to buy :up



So maybe next week I`ll get a chance to attack that Audi.....<repeating to self> I will not be beaten...I will not be beaten... :lol