Wet Buffing Technique

**Mike Phillips** · 05-23-2011, 08:51 AM

Wet Buffing Technique

The Wet Buffing Technique
Most compounds and polishes should be used so that there is enough product on the surface to maintain a wet film while the product is being worked. The wetness of the product is lubricating the paint as the abrasives abrade the paint and cushion or buffer the abrading action so the abrasives don’t simply scour the finish leaving behind what we call micro-marring or hazing the paint.

Micro-marring, Hazing or Tick Marks

Tip: Wet film behind your path-of-travel
Everyone new to buffing wants to be told some easily identifiable sign that they can use to tell when it`s time to stop buffing and it`s not that simple, so here`s an indicator I`ve always used and share in our detailing classes.

As you`re making a single pass with the polisher, the paint behind the path-of-travel should have a visible wet film on it. If the paint behind the pad is dry and shiny, you`ve run out of lubrication and you`re dry buffing.

Turn the polisher off. Wipe the residue off and inspect using a Swirl Finder Light to make sure you didn`t dull or micro-mar the paint, you usually won`t cause any harm, but pay attention when your running the polisher and don`t buff to a dry buff. If you do, you can quickly re-polish that section by cleaning your pad and adding a little fresh product and making a few new section passes.

Wet film behind your path-of-travel