My paint was pretty bad, and a friend had a rotary polisher (think thats the name, similar to an angle grinder)... So I gave it a try on the hood of my truck


The swirl remover wasn't doing much, so went with some #83 and a yellow cutting pad. It worked pretty good. Got about 90% of the swirls out. So I guess my big question, what would you use to finish up with? some #81 or something even less abrasive than that?


And yes, I will still get a DA polisher that will be a little easier to opperate.






On with the pics, and I'll try to get some better ones later today.

 

Before: *this is on the door, but the Hood was just as bad or worse*

 

After:

 

It still needs some work, but its a lot better than how it was before. Now just have to find the time to do the entire truck.

 

PhillipSVT:

Looking good!

No question about it, a rotary buffer will do things that a PC just can't do. At the very least, it will get rid of imperfections much faster than a PC. Of course, you can also get yourself into trouble a lot faster!

Anyhow, I'm a firm believer in multiple "abrasivie" polishing steps in the polishing process. If possible, I would follow up #83 with a less "abrasive" polish... like #80 or Menzerna FPII. Even #9 will have some "abrasiveness" when used with a rotary buffer. Again, stepping down in abrasiveness is the key. Don't forget, the pad and the speed of the rotary also play a part in the level of abrasiveness.

Once you get the hang of a rotary buffer, you can use one polish, with mutlple pads and rotary speeds to get the "step-down" effect. For example, #80 used with a cutting pad on the rotary at higher speeds is probably as abrasive as #83 is with a PC and a polishing pad. Then, if you use the rotary and #80 with a polishing pad or even a finishing pad at slightly slower speeds, it is less abrasive.

Think of it like you were sanding a scratch out of a piece of wood... you would use a heavy grit sandpaper to get most of the scratch out. Then a medium grit to get it smoother. Finally, you would use fine grit to really get it smooth. Working with paint is similar.

The #81 is a glaze, with almost no abrasiveness, and won't do much to remove defects. However, it will help "fill" any remaining swirls... at least for a while.

Go easy, and take your time.

Hope this helps.

 

Whats PC?

I have a Simoniz buffer but I am not sure what cloth to use to get rid of "rings"

Any info would be great

 

PC = Porter Cable Dual-Action Polisher... AKA: DA... AKA: 7424... AKA: 7336... AKA: Dual-Action....AKA: Porter Cable...

 

Looks good...

Like Boss, I tend to stick with a decreasing abrasive procedure as well. While I like #83, I still find that it's a product that I only use with a rotary as you have done.

Another important thing to point out is that a rotary can do a better job at removing problems but, by the same token, is MUCH less forgiving than a PC. In short, the rotary can and will destroy/burn/eat through paint when not used properly. With that in mind, I HIGHLY suggest that you continue to be careful with the machine... you only get one chance.

RP

 

Looks like you're getting good results so far, but like Brad says - be careful. The first clue that you're in trouble will be that you're already in trouble. It's kind of like drilling a hole. If you start with too big of a bit, it's tough to drill a smaller hole in the big one you just drilled.

If I could offer more one bit of advice, it's to be very careful around corners, edges and body lines. Almost every paint removal process (remember, that's what you're doing) takes off more in these areas. When you burn through for the first time, it will almost always be in one of these areas. A bit of blue painters tape can do wonders here. (See other post.) You can go back and get the areas under the tape with a less aggresive method later.