First polishing experiece

L

LQ9SS

New member
Overall I enjoyed every bit of it, but wasn't impressed with the results. It seemed to take out most of the swirls/marring but the polish seemed to leave some fine scratches. Here was my method:



Flex

Optimum polish



-polished with orange pad

-finished with white pad



I am not sure if I was using too little polish and if the polish was being broken down properly, or if I was rushing things. I had a hard time telling if the polish was being broken down. Also, how long should I be spending on a 2' x 2' area?



Thanks.
 
[quote name='LQ9SS']Overall I enjoyed every bit of it, but wasn't impressed with the results. It seemed to take out most of the swirls/marring but the polish seemed to leave some fine scratches. Here was my method:



Flex

Optimum polish



-polished with orange pad

-finished with white pad



I am not sure if I was using too little polish and if the polish was being broken down properly, or if I was rushing things. I had a hard time telling if the polish was being broken down. Also, how long should I be spending on a 2' x 2' area?



Depends on the condition of the paint and what machine you are using. If you are using a pc then between 3 and 5 min. and move very slowly, but dont leave it in one spot. Sounds like you have some miro marring, try doing a few more passes with the white or even a grey/black pad. Next time start with the least aggressive pad.
 
Legacy99 said:
[quote name='LQ9SS']Overall I enjoyed every bit of it, but wasn't impressed with the results. It seemed to take out most of the swirls/marring but the polish seemed to leave some fine scratches. Here was my method:



Flex

Optimum polish



-polished with orange pad

-finished with white pad



I am not sure if I was using too little polish and if the polish was being broken down properly, or if I was rushing things. I had a hard time telling if the polish was being broken down. Also, how long should I be spending on a 2' x 2' area?



Depends on the condition of the paint and what machine you are using. If you are using a pc then between 3 and 5 min. and move very slowly, but dont leave it in one spot. Sounds like you have some miro marring, try doing a few more passes with the white or even a grey/black pad. Next time start with the least aggressive pad.
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As stated in my post, I am using the Flex....
 
I have the UDM and polished with OC and OP....



was virtually impossible to break down. Even on speed six and barely moving the pad, with multiple passes....vritually no correction.



To me - optimum polishes just do not work well with PC/UDM. I've read countless posts with people saying the same thing. However, there are several people who post great results with PC/UDM and OP/OC...so YMMV. FWIW - it did work great on a Porsche 964, although I assume it's because the 964 had a single stage paint.



I ended up getting the autopia yellow 4" spot pad with SFX-1 and that worked very well in removing a lot, including some deep RIDS. I also bought a small bottle of Chemical Guys Swirl-B-Gone after reading some reviews on another site. I'll be trying that out with my new 4" LC orange and 4" LC white CCS pads.
 
Anyone else have an opinion?



Concidering my truck is in the garage, clean and ready to be (finished) polishing. What should I do?



How about some 3M polishes? (something) that I can find locally.
 
I've actually had great success with OC and OP via PC. How much polish were you using for a 2x2 section? You need very little with optimum products, like just a few pea sized drops on the pad. I say try it again with a white pad and work it longer. Can't say exactly how long to work it but I bet it takes at least 2 minutes to break OP down via DA.



You might be able to get Megs #80 locally.
 
LQ9SS said:
Anyone else have an opinion?



Concidering my truck is in the garage, clean and ready to be (finished) polishing. What should I do?



How about some 3M polishes? (something) that I can find locally.
Click to expand...



I like the old 3M PI-III stuff but I haven't used their post-VOC products :nixweiss



I'd check the yellow pages and find a local autobody/paint supply place, they'll have a scad of good products to choose from.



3M, Meguiar's (maybe their #80 would do it), Presta, ProWax...the shop will probably have a few of these.
 
Frito Bandito said:
I've actually had great success with OC and OP via PC. How much polish were you using for a 2x2 section? You need very little with optimum products, like just a few pea sized drops on the pad. I say try it again with a white pad and work it longer. Can't say exactly how long to work it but I bet it takes at least 2 minutes to break OP down via DA.



You might be able to get Megs #80 locally.
Click to expand...



Well, I went back out and worked it with the white pad, and it's no better. Is it because GM's clearcote is so hard? I am thinking about try some 3M finesse.



Frustration is setting in, haha.
 
LQ9SS said:
Flex

Optimum polish



-polished with orange pad

-finished with white pad
Click to expand...



i'm not familiar w/ the optimum line, but usually one would use two different polishes - more aggressive followed by less aggressive. for example i used menzerna SIP w/ orange followed by 106FF w/ white. for your second polish stage it appears you tried using the same polish w/ a less aggressive pad - i'm not sure if that was the right way to go about it.



there is a chance that your second stage polish /pad combination isn't less aggressive as needed compared to your first stage polish / pad combination.



LQ9SS said:
I am not sure if I was using too little polish and if the polish was being broken down properly, or if I was rushing things. I had a hard time telling if the polish was being broken down. Also, how long should I be spending on a 2' x 2' area?
Click to expand...



a little polish will go a long way and too much will gunk up the pad. during my first machine polish i had a problem telling when the polish had broken down too, i learned you have to wait until the polish becomes translucent - as if its not there.



you should be moving about 1 inch per second and in total a 12x12 section should take about 3 - 6 mins - temp, humidity, etc are the variables.
 
Could the scratches being caused becaue I didn't clay my truck before I polished? But I did wash it real good.
 
LQ9SS said:
..Frustration is setting in, haha.
Click to expand...



Which is why my OCP usually just sits on the shelf ;)



FWIW, I *really* like the 1Z Intensive Paste/High Gloss twins on my (carbon metallic) Denali XL, they instantly became my new fave polishes after I did that beast with 'em.
 
Well, I figured it out. I was definatly using WAY to much product. I now have been using a couple small drops with a black pad, and my finish turned out perfect.



Thanks for your guys' help.
 
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