underdog17 said:
Hopefully the paint is in good condition and i can get away with a good glaze and a wax.
Paint is usually in better condition than you think it is. Often all you need is some light polishing compound to get rid of the surface oxidation and the paint will look much better with relatively little work. Getting every little scratch and swirl out takes more work, and can be costly in terms of paint lost.
It is important to keep the polish moist, so I like to have a sprayer of QD near by and give the surface a spray or two to keep it wet.
but if the paint does have swirl marks or oxidation, how deep is too deep? just keep the polish on it until it improves or i see bare metal underneath?
Based on the number of "Did I burn my paint" posts, that seems to be a popular MO around here. :scared:
if any of you guys know a place to read up on detailing single stage paint, that'd be great. ive searched here, but i don't really know the how to ask the question to get the information i want.
I'm going to include a quote from the Malm's wax website which is how I get a sense of the paint's condition before starting up with a machine polisher. If it turns out the paint is cleaning up quickly, then I know I don't have to be agressive with the machine.
Basicly where as in a clearcoat system the pigment is found in a base layer which is covered by a very hard clear layer, in a single stage system the pigment is evenly dispersed throughout the paint.
What happens is that the paint carrier gradually oxidises thus obscuring its entrained pigments. This gives it a chalky look. What polishing single stage paint does is remove this oxidised layer thus exposing "fresh" paint underneath.
What makes this a little complex, is that the oxidised layer can be quite deep, and so you want to budget how much to remove. OTH SS paint systems tend to be quite thick, and the oxidised paint is slightly softer than non-oxidised paint.
One thing to keep in mind is that unlike metal's light actually penetrates car paint (especially SS paint) to some degree before being reflected back out, things like glazes s
eep into the paint helping light flow into the paint thus giving it more sharply defined colors and reflections.
Use a piece of clean cotton towel, small cellulose sponge or the Kolinsky Speed Waxer Tool. Dampen applicator with distilled water. Now make a test application to determine exactly how much time you must rub the polish into a specified area for best results. This will always vary and is dependent on the condition of the paint. Shake the bottle for 30 seconds. Put about 1/2 a teaspoonful of polish on the cloth or sponge. Firmly rub in 6" circles (ignore this, use back and forth motions) for 60 seconds and limit the application area to about 1' by 2'. Now buff off the polish residue with a dry TOWEL. Examine the paint carefully. If it has reached a high gloss, scratches and dirt were removed, feels real smooth and you're happy with the appearance, polish the rest of the car similarly. If not satisfied, repeat the test for another 60 seconds. Continue these tests until you see no further improvement. The total polishing time needed in the test area should be recorded and used as a guide when polishing the rest of the vehicle.
Do the same thing, except using Meg's Ultimate Compound, and SwirlX, and you should be good to go. I'm also a big fan of
KIT scratch out which is very gentle and good for de-hazing paint.
