3M's pads--buffer scratches ??

C

chip douglas

New member
Hey,



today I was using #83, and #82 with 3M's convoluted polishing pad at 1800 rpm, which created LOTS of buffer scratches--that is very fine scratches going in circles, matching the pad's radius. Then I moved to 3M's 5937 Machine glaze, which is suited to be used with 3M's polishing pad (I wanted to make sure, I used the right combination of products from the same company to ascertain that what was wrong wasn't innapropriate choice of pad and product combo).



End result was : still a LOT of buffer scratches. The pad was primed but still it didn't change anything. I've used higher speed, lower speeds, medium pressure, no pressure at all, etc etc etc... to no avail. Hte paint is a single stage paint and that is a repaint.



What could possibly be wrong ?



I have Meg's pads and products, but thought to myself : what if someone uses 3M's line of products ?? I mean could it be 3M' doesnt have something to remove all cobwebs ?



Best ...
 
I think you've pretty well narrowed it down to the 3M pads. :nixweiss I'd just chock it up to experience and use different pads in the future.



But I seem to remember someone saying that the softest 3M convoluted pads were too soft to do much cutting. You could always try those. But I sure think it *is* odd that the "correct" 3M combo doesn't work for you.
 
Yep, like I said on DC, if there's a change of marring like what you're experiencing, then only LC or Megs pads for me
 
I have always had good luck with 3M pads. I apply the polish to an damp applicator and smear lightly across the area to be buffed. Then spritz a very light coat of water across the surface then buff. IMO 3M makes the best pads for a rotary.
 
ShineMGood said:
IMO 3M makes the best pads for a rotary.
Click to expand...



I agree, I've been using them ever since I started using a rotary buffer, and I've never had a single problem with them.
 
You're not alone with the 3M pads, rotary or orbital, I've had experience with spiral scratches that are difficult to remove with brand new 3M pads...
 
I was pleased w/the 3M pads using Menzerna IP w/a rotary. Didnt notice any maring & if there was it came out w/the PC and Menz. FP.

Could be a bad pad, although I dont know what would make it bad except for some grit in it.
 
I'm going to do both, explain some more and rectified part of what I think was wrong in my previous assessment of 3M's waffle pads.



I started out using a 3M waffle pad with their machine glaze (pn 5937), I did one part of the hood, wiped it up, and thought it looked good, which prompted me to do the rest of it (the hood that is). Then after the whole hood was done, and that I thought i'd just performed a real good job, I poured some car wash into that bucket, and washed the whole hood, to expose the real paint......:eek: you should have seen that thing, it was awful, unsightly as hell. The above combo, left a LOT of buffer scratches, that is a lot of scratches going in circle. At first, I thought it was the pad (the pad was brand new btw), but today Im thinking it would make more sense, that the 5937 machine glaze did that. However, the machine glaze 5937 is supposed to be not that abrasive. Perhaps it has more bite than I thought it did, but I'm really not sure about it being that aggressive. I'd tend to think that on most any clear coated vehicle, it is perfect, but given the girlfriend's paint is single stage, and on top of it, a repaint (red), I'd say it marred the finish bad, because the paint would be softer than an OEM paint.



So in the end Meg's DACP + polishing pad, got rid of those unsightly scratches, buT one thing is for certain, the marring was either from pad, or the 5937 machine glaze....of the two, I'd lean toward the 5937.



I just wanted to be fair and take back some of my assessment, and rather say I'm not sure if it was the waffle pad that did the marring after all......however I'm not yet sure it didn't.



Best...
 
If you'd seen the marring it left.....I mean, that can't be from a pad alone, so that's why I'm retracting a bit about the pad being the cause of the marring. Again tha paint I'm working on is not a BC/CC, and is a repaint...and a bad repaint on top of it, so it doesn't take much to marr it. It's either the compound, or a combination of the pad and PI III machine glaze.



Do 3M have diminishing abrasives ?
 
Hmm..maybe try the most mild stuff ( if not the MG) you have and see what kind of marring you get.
 
Oh well, I've corrected the problem using Meg's DACP, with a polishing pad, and a good amount of pressure on the pad (holding it above the spindle)...I'm happy with the result, but will re-test a very very smal spot with the PI III and waffle polishing pad, just to shed some light on it:D
 
Is the MG the most mild polish you have? I guess you can see if you get the scratches again
 
Humm, I from 3M, I think the mildest one I have is their SMR for dark colors. Something else comes to mind--perhaps I simply didn't work the PI III machine glaze long enough, and the marring it left behing was maybe the result of abrasives not properly broken down.
 
yeah, I recall reading you have to do that with PI III MG. It always worked ok for me using conventional pads
 
Im pretty sure, my case was the pad... Since I used the same product with an LC pad and worked fine... The 3M did the same thing with an RO too... I'm ruling out bad batch since this happened 3-4x over the past 14 months or so.
 
Then in your case it's definately the pad.....as to me, I'll find out which it was, and let you know once I'm positive it's either.
 
If that's the case, sure sounds like it should be called a cutting pad to be followed with maybe something like the softer Megs or LC pads
 
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