Just got PC/Frustration with swirl removal

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ndtechie05

New member
hey guys i just went out to try my pc using an orange lc pad with z-pc. needless to say it didn't really do anything. i didnt notice anything different. i also tried it with the yellow lc pad, no luck. I do have SSR2.5 and #9 out there to use. I have never used them. What is your recommendation? is there any otc swirl remover i can use that i can go out and get tonight? thanks



-Brett
 
My guess is the ZPC is too mild to take of the swirls, I would try the SSR2.5 on a polishing pad if you have one and then if that doesnt work step it up to the orange pad. Then after doing that step you will have to follow with ZPC on a polishing pad. Where are you located Brett?
 
Located in Pa, near Philly. No polishing pad. I was thinking for ordering one or 2 from Danase with the sale that is done tonight. SSR2.5. What are the instructions for this? I bought from a fellow Autopian in a bottle, no directions. Thanks



I have the blue LC pad too





-Brett
 
I would definately pick up a Polishing Pad or 2 from Danase. When you use the SSR2.5 I would just put 3 dime sized drops of polish on the pad, then with the PC off spread it around a 2x2 area, start the polisher at 3 to work it in, then at 6 to break it down. Wipe off the residue before the product drys up..Ive never used the SSR's before but you should stop buffing when the polish is clear. I wouldnt use the Yellow Pad anymore today, especially with ZPC it's probably too aggressive of a pad for a finishing polish and you'll probably induce some micromarring.
 
ndtechie05 said:
Located in Pa, near Philly. No polishing pad. I was thinking for ordering one or 2 from Danase with the sale that is done tonight. SSR2.5. What are the instructions for this? I bought from a fellow Autopian in a bottle, no directions. Thanks



I have the blue LC pad too





-Brett
Click to expand...



first put an x on the pad to prime it. After that just add a little polish. Work it until it almost starts dusting. Wipe off the rest. creates a beautiful finish.
 
pull out a scale, and find out what 10-15lbs of pressure feels like. you should apply that much pressure to the pc when buffing in a product. slow arm movement, correct pressure, and a speed of 5 is all you need. it also helps if you mark your pad with a permanent marker so you can see when the pad stops spinning. once you apply too much pressure, the pad stops spinning, but it may look like its still moving. you shouldnt need to use speed 6 with the correct technique.



try putting a ring of product around the outer edge of the pad, and dabbing around the area your working (max 2x2)...3 or 4 rings of product on the paint should be fine. lay the pad on the first amount you dabbed on the paint, and start on speed 5. spread it out not using much pressure, move the pc over to the other blobs and lean the pc on its edge and "catch" the product, it really seems to minimize splatter. work the product in for a few minutes until it goes clear-ish. the wipe with a microfiber, and inspect.



that should do it for you. correct me if i missed anything...but i find that this method works pretty well.
 
I'll re-state the importance of not using too much pressure. My lack of patience almost cost me a 3.5" backing plate. I used SSR 2.5 on a 4" LC yellow on scratches that should've had SSR 3 being used. I used way too much pressure and melted the velcro on the backing plate about the size of a quarter. I pretty much screwed up the pad too. I gathered another pad and used the knowledge learned from this site and let the pad and product do the work. I got the same results on the paint without using any pressure at all. I knew exactly how to do it and let my inpatience take over and almost screwed up bad.



My advice is take your time, and know how much pressure it takes to do the job. God knows I've learned my lesson.
 
Well I'm going to be placing an order with Danse tonight. I'm thinking of getting 2 polishing pads and maybe SSR3 or a similar swirl remover. I think I may not have put enough pressure on it. What else do you think I should put on it? Maybe I'm not removing enough of my Zaino layers so could that be why it isn't breaking down?
 
How fast are you moving the polisher? You should move it around 1/2 inch per second. Apply some pressure, and overlap your passes by 50% This should yield some results, but probably leave you with micromarring to clean up with the ZPC
 
Approx how many minutes is that? 2-3? Should I apply the Z-PC after with the PC or by hand? Which pad? I also have Z5 I'm planning on hand applying. I'm going to try again tomorrow.
 
if you melted the velcro, you werent using too much pressure, the speed was set too high. im just guessing here, because when you apply too much pressure, the machine stops moving. like i said, you want 10-15lbs of pressure when using the pc, pull out a scale and see how much it is. i want to say that the pc stops rotating at 20lbs of pressure, but i might be off by a bit. there is no such thing as applying too much pressure with the pc. try making a black mark on the top side of your pad, setting it at speed 5, wetting your pad with some qd, and set it on your car. keep adding pressure, at a certain point, the black mark will just be moving back and forth, not even an inch.



you want to let the pad and product do the work, but in order for the product to do the work, it needs to be broken down. pull out a scale, and find out how much pressure 10-15lbs is. i tend to watch the black mark i made, and i can remember how fast it needs to move in order to have at least 10lbs of pressure on it. if youre applying less than that, several things could happen. for one, you could up the speed past 5, which in many cases can cause pad/backing plate failure. you could think that you need a more aggressive compound/pad because a light cutting/polishing pad isnt working. if you use a abrasive cut, with a cutting pad on the pc, you could cause micro marring/hazing due to the fact that it doesnt have the speed to break down the product correctly.



correct technique is everything. if you would like ill post a picture of my buddies saab 900t that ive done recently with my pc. i started off with a rotary, but realized that it wasnt neccessary...so i stepped it down a bit. still need to finish up the front driverside door when he comes back on wednesday since he needed the car for work. it was marred slightly by a medium cut. but for the most part, he was happy.



oh. and the amount of time that you need to work in a compound/polish differs from product to product. you basically need to find a sweet spot between when it goes clear, and when it starts to dry.
 
Speed was set on six. Five seems to be the right speed though. The pad was much cooler as well. Certainly a well learned mistake. Patience is needed to do it right as I've learned today.
 
as long as you keep the speed at 5, and apply the right amount of pressure, youll be just fine. i know megs really stresses never to set the speed above 5, as do many other companies. but when people arent applying the right technique, they assume they must jack the speed up to get the results they want. however, by doing that, they are just doing unnessessary damage to the pad/backing plate. glad you learned from your mistake, and try that black marker trick, it works wonders.
 
jeen said:
as long as you keep the speed at 5, and apply the right amount of pressure, youll be just fine. i know megs really stresses never to set the speed above 5, as do many other companies. but when people arent applying the right technique, they assume they must jack the speed up to get the results they want. however, by doing that, they are just doing unnessessary damage to the pad/backing plate. glad you learned from your mistake, and try that black marker trick, it works wonders.
Click to expand...



I got the marker out as soon as I read your post.
 
I'm going to try the marker technique tomorow. I orderd some white polishing pads and a green VC pad tonight. So if the SSR2.5 does not work tomorrow with the orange pad, I will wait to try it on the white pad. I'm trying to stay away from the yellow pad but if it works I'll gladly give it a try.



-Brett
 
i was unfamiliar with ssr2.5, but just did a search and it appears alot like megs DACP. i say try a test spot with the orange pad/ssr, if the car has decent swirling, it will take two passes to remove the swirls. personally, i wouldnt use the yellow pad, just as i wouldnt use megs red pad on the pc. the pc doesnt spin fast enough, and those cutting pads have a tendency to leave micromarring behind, that would require an additional step. not only that, but theres also the possibility to haze the paint believe it or not. a pass or two with the orange pad with the 2.5, using the correct pressure, arm speed, and making sure the product is completely broken down(but not dried), should be enough to remove most swirls, if not all of them. if you still have heavy scratches, your best bet may be to invest in a rotary buffer.
 
ok it looks better now. i was applying pressure with the orange cutting pad at speed 5. im going to do the hood and then apply some z5 to it right away.



-Brett
 
ok now im getting frustrated again. here was my procedure for tonight:



ssr2.5 on orange pad speed 5

ssr2.5 on white polishing pad speed 5

klasse on white polishing pad speed 5



i even tryed the yellow pad, nothing. should i try a stronger product like DACP? the Z-PC wasn't doing it at all. I wish I had pics but my friend has my camera. i was applying pressure. i overlapped every pass and went in 2 diff directions. i want to say i didnt waste any money on this.
 
So, the pad should spin the whole time? I thought I read that the pad really didn't spin much at all once it was applied to a surface. I will try the marker idea when I get my PC (soon!).
 
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