A Question...

Masa91

Masa91

New member
I have my little side detail businesses when I'm not in school and I do a pretty good job and try my best to get better as I'm learning new things from this site and my own mistakes. But when I see the Detailer's showcase and I see how you guys just remove the swirl marks from the paint and leave it better than new I'm amazed ha! I bought some Meguairs Swirl Remover and it did remove some swirls but didn't leave my paint looking as clean as yours and I still can see some swirls when I park in parking lots at night.

So my question is How Do I Remove Swirl Marks? I have a 10" orbital buffer and use OTC stuff, But I'm willing to do what I need to do so I can get more customers and just leave cars looking fresh from Factory!
 
Masa91 said:
I have my little side detail businesses when I'm not in school and I do a pretty good job and try my best to get better as I'm learning new things from this site and my own mistakes. But when I see the Detailer's showcase and I see how you guys just remove the swirl marks from the paint and leave it better than new I'm amazed ha! I bought some Meguairs Swirl Remover and it did remove some swirls but didn't leave my paint looking as clean as yours and I still can see some swirls when I park in parking lots at night.

So my question is How Do I Remove Swirl Marks? I have a 10" orbital buffer and use OTC stuff, But I'm willing to do what I need to do so I can get more customers and just leave cars looking fresh from Factory!
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When you are looking at the Showcase, pay attention to what the detailer is using. Many detailers give a very good description of what product and what tool they use. Research the cost of the equipment they use and see if it's within your budget.

Look at product reviews, they usually describe the ease of use.
 
Clean pads throughout and proper pad polish combinations is key with rotary work. Rotary will also remove defects faster. You didn't say what pad/speed you were using. How you work the polish and overlap can affect results.
If I may, a rotary is a last resort for heavy defects a PC is much safer on OEM finishes. Your number of corrections are limited with heavy rotary work. I prefer the progressive approach on regular drivers.
 
Ditch the wax spreader and go for a PC or Griots polisher. Get some good pads such as Lake Country, and as stated above study what the pros are using. I personally use a lot of Poorboy stuff and will always suggest it to noobs and pros alike. Its hard to beat their polishes.
 
Masa91 -

Welcome and hope you enjoy your stay here !

Agree with above - to get the kind of correction you see here, it will require a more dedicated machine like a Random Orbital or a Rotary.
I have several of both and like the Rotary best for my needs. The Random Orbitals are numerous - Meguiars, Porter Cable, Flex, Griot, and Shurhold are some that come to mind. There are new microfiber pads, compounds, backing plates, and polishes for Random Orbitals that are giving them the ability to correct much faster and better than before, so that is another whole new world to explore for you too.
The Random Orbitals are also much easier to learn on and use than a Rotary for most people.
The level of correction you are seeking is obtainable through getting the right tool/s, backing plates, pads, compounds, etc., and lots of practice. It may look and sound intimidating, but dont worry, thousands of people are using them all the time and the learning curve is not that big.
This is an awesome site for obtaining information on this - use it all you can, look around here, there may be some really great people not far from where you live that might be willing to help you out too.
Good Luck with your plans !
Dan F
 
Concours.John said:
Clean pads throughout and proper pad polish combinations is key with rotary work. Rotary will also remove defects faster. You didn't say what pad/speed you were using. How you work the polish and overlap can affect results.
If I may, a rotary is a last resort for heavy defects a PC is much safer on OEM finishes. Your number of corrections are limited with heavy rotary work. I prefer the progressive approach on regular drivers.
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That's the thing my Dad just got me a buffer from Craftsman, that says its a buffer. It came with a white and black pad, and some bonnets for it and it just has an on and off no speed set buttons. So I don't know if I can even achieve that kind of finish with what buffer I have.
 
kbmag1 said:
mrclean81, what poorboy's polish(s) would you recommend then as a basic inventory to have?
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SSR2 is my fav, but their Pro Polish, Polish with Sealant, and Polish with Carnuba are great too. PwS is one of the best AIOs you can buy.

Edit - polish with carnuba..not polish with carnival lmao
 
Masa91 said:
That's the thing my Dad just got me a buffer from Craftsman, that says its a buffer. It came with a white and black pad, and some bonnets for it and it just has an on and off no speed set buttons. So I don't know if I can even achieve that kind of finish with what buffer I have.
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That's an easy answer: nope, you can't. What you're describing is underpowered to do any actual correction work.

What I would suggest is that you either save up for, or put on your Christmas list, a Porter Cable 7424XP, Meguiar's G110v2, or Griot's Garage 6" DA polisher. That, along with a few pads and some polishes will be a good starting point for you to learn with.
 
Masa91 said:
That's the thing my Dad just got me a buffer from Craftsman, that says its a buffer. It came with a white and black pad, and some bonnets for it and it just has an on and off no speed set buttons. So I don't know if I can even achieve that kind of finish with what buffer I have.
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More than likely it is a 'wax spreader' style orbital polisher. Removing paint defects requires something with enough power to actually level the paint surface (like sanding with an ULTRA fine sandpaper).

This article may help: What are paint defects.

As Charlie said, there just isn't enough power with a wax master style orbital to create a smoother paint surface. They are good for spreading glazes (products that make the paint look better temporarily) and waxes or sealants (sealants are synthetic waxes) but that's about it.
 
As others have noted, it is highly unlikely you will remove swirl marks with the machine you have. If we understand the machine you have, you can use it to some advantage by using a glaze to temporarily diminish the appearance of the defects followed by some protection (wax or sealant). This can be an effective interim option until you can upgrade your equipment. Also if you are willing to put in the effort, some defects can be removed by hand. This is certainly more time consuming and demands much more physical effort, but it can be done.
 
i agree with the others, those traditional orbital buffers aka wax spreaders are good to apply wax or very light oxidation, trust me i did a few experiments using some heavy cutting compound on the traditional orbital and only removed slight oxidation. if i would have used say a light cutting compound on a porter cable or a rotary that oxidation would have been a breeze to remove,they can remove very very light swirl marks but that's it. i would just upgrade to a porter cable 7424xp or a griots polisher. the otc products with the right tools can remove some good defects just depends on the product. you could order a pc7424 kit with some pads then buy the poorboys sampler kit that contains everything poorboys makes. if autopia dont sell the big kit i think poorboys themselves make it.
 
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