Rotary polishing fresh paint. 3m products. HELP HELP HELP

[bagged00]

hey guys new to the forum. i work at a body shop as a prepper. time and time again we`re buffing out trash. i cant seem to get the buffer to work with me. i use a dewalt buffer. not sure on the part number, ive been there almost 3yrs and its been there since i have so its probably old. using all 3m products heres what im using. all the pads and compounds are color coated.



step 1:

white pad foam pad(i feel this thing is REALLY agressive. i can feel the texture when i rub my hand across it.) white compound.



cant find a bigger picture.



step 2:

black polishing pad, gray polish(paint supplier doesnt have a gray pad.)





step 3:

ligh blue pad with light blue polish.





now anytime i do this, i always always always get machine swirls. i never go over the lowest setting(1000 rpm).

theres also another method i use and its get swirls. its a 3m product with a turquoise green lable and i just put that on with a black polishing bad and sometimes follow up with a light blue polish. im not having problems gettin 3000 scratches out but not putting machine swirls in. please help guys. sorry for such a long thread.

thanks in advance.

Ryan

[Thomas Dekany]

Well, can you use step 2 with the white pad and see if that is aggressive enough? If you can feel the texture of step 1, you may need an additional step with a cutting pad before moving down to step 2

[bagged00]

well i mean its the white pad i can that i can feel the coarseness of. its extremely rough :imo:. maybe i can mix step 1 compound with a step 2 pad?

[Thomas Dekany]

Yes you could.

[bagged00]

just realized i had some samples of 105 and 205. can i put those on that black polishing pad? at what speeds should i run the buffer? i might try to play around with that some.

[gigondaz]

Since you`re in a body shop, I assume (and could be wrong) that you hv to buff out lots of cars that are re-painted and sanded. You hv to buff out those sanding marks first. That`s critical. Then, remove the swirls that you created. Since it`s a body shop and not a detailing shop, you might not need to go all the way to Step 3 to refine the paintwork.



To buff out the sanding marks effectively, most of the time, you need to use a wool pad + compound. Bear in mind that many compounds contain oils that can camouflage sanding marks. Yes, you`ve removed some sanding marks, but the rest are masked by the oils. Once you`ve done this step, you`ll refine the finish further with other products and pads.



Perhaps you can try this:

1. Use your 3M compound with a 3M 2ply wool pad, and then....

2. 3M compound with the white pad...and

3. 3M polish with the black pad.

[bagged00]

thats the kinda response i was looking for thanks gigondaz. when you say i have to buff out lots of cars, what are you assuming. the painter lays down the clear pretty flat to match factory texture. very rarely do i cut and buff a whole hood, door, etc. most of the time its sanding out a piece of trash with 3000 or sanding out a run at most. is a wool pad neccessary for something that small?

[Legacy]

thats the kinda response i was looking for thanks gigondaz. when you say i have to buff out lots of cars, what are you assuming. the painter lays down the clear pretty flat to match factory texture. very rarely do i cut and buff a whole hood, door, etc. most of the time its sanding out a piece of trash with 3000 or sanding out a run at most. is a wool pad neccessary for something that small?

Nice to have a good painter...makes your job much easier.

[gigondaz]

thats the kinda response i was looking for thanks gigondaz. when you say i have to buff out lots of cars, what are you assuming. the painter lays down the clear pretty flat to match factory texture. very rarely do i cut and buff a whole hood, door, etc. most of the time its sanding out a piece of trash with 3000 or sanding out a run at most. is a wool pad neccessary for something that small?

It`s differently done amongst diff body/spray shops.

In many higher-end shops, after the clearcoat is dry, entire body will be sanded.

So, you`ll hv to buff out the entire body.



For your case, you do spot-sanding.

A wool pad will certainly cut away those sanding marks much faster than a foam pad.

Pls remember that if you see the sanding marks are gone, some remnants might still be there...just covered up. Wipe it with alcohol many times, and it might re-appear.

So, take your time with the wool pad:spot

[bagged00]

hmm..maybe ill try that on the next one we buff and see how it works. dont see why any collision shop would cut and buff a whole panel. these are daily driven vehicles not show cars plus looks dumb to me when your fender is flat and the door has all kinds of texture lol.