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Mopping/polishing/rotary help lol


-Bradders-

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So i've had a rotary polisher for yonks now, only ever really used it to get a minor scratch off the car, tend to just wack it to 3000rpm and slap a blob of G6 on there and thats it, but my Kuro zed is covered in light scratches, what would be the best product to use? i want to try get the paintwork looking good for the upcoming events without having to pay someone £3/400 to do it lol specially when i got the time and tools to do it myself!

 

cheers.

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Proper rotary, or dual action?

 

Quickest way to wreck paint is to attack it with a rotary with no idea of what you're doing. Not saying you don't as you've used it before, but you do need to be very careful.

 

I'm personally using the Scholl range right now, with Lake Country pads for my correction work. Something like a 17 followed by a 30+ is giving me great results across multiple paint types.

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Proper rotary, then.

 

 

You can get the Scholl polishes I mentioned from somewhere like CleanYourCar, as well as the Lake Country pads too. I tend to flit between the orange and red ones, depending on the paint (for swirl correction, the blue is usually too firm). You'd need to use the 17 first, and then the 30+ to remove holograms and swirl marks.

 

 

HOWEVER

 

 

That sounds very easy in practice, but there's a reason people do charge a whack for this kind of stuff ;) It's easy to go wrong, to burn through the compound and wreck a panel, or to simply not touch the swirls and end up with holograms every where. Tbh if you just want to make it look pretty before an event then I'd be tempted to try a glaze, Poorboys do the Black Hole for dark cars and a lighter one too (the name escapes me now!), they're perfectly decent as a quick fix and will save you a day of improving swirls or three days if you want to remove them, and with no risk.

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Rotary polishing isn't near as safe as Dual Action. Make sure you read up correct technique before using it or you could do damage.

 

Keep it simple if you're a beginner because it's easy to end up with holograms with a rotary. I'd go with the below, I found it a great combo for a beginner and left a good hologram free finish:

 

SONAX Perfect Finish Polish

Orange Hex Pad

White Hex Pad

Edited by delz0r
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I got plenty of time before the first show i go lol so im not too fussed, its really only the doors and bonnet, back bumper will be resprayed soon as i blew the paint off with the jetwash lmao.

 

IMG-20150305-WA0022_zpsrikym3aq.jpg

 

:scare::surrender::scare::surrender:

 

It was already cracked from previous owner, probably bumping something and folding the bumper!

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For pads I'll second Dan's suggestion of the tangerine & crimson Lake Country Hydro Techs. My current compound preference is Scholl, although I opted for S20 rather than S17 - S20 has slightly less cut, as a rotary is going to offer faster correction (and beyond that, damage), might be a better choice for a novice*... but you should be aware that we're talking about the difference between the Mercedes W05 and the Red Bull RB10; in the hands of an expert there's a big difference, in the hands of a mere mortal, average Joe they're both going to cause a lot of damage when it goes wrong!

*Usual caveat of start with the least aggressive combination and only step it up if you need to.

 

As you're using a rotary, your biggest obstacle is going to be heat build up. Normally I'd suggest practicing on the panel that's ultimately going to get repainted anyway (that way it doesn't matter so much if you strike through and/or have trouble finishing down), however as that would be the rear bumper I would actually advise against that - being plastic, if you don't manage the heat build up you're going to cause a lot more damage than just to the paint. So instead I'll recommend a scrap panel to practice on and/or doing a whole lot of reading up before you let loose on the car. Slow and steady is the way to go.

 

Whilst it's not something I'd usually recommend for a novice on soft paint, you can still get good results with a rotary; you just need to know where dangers lie and how to avoid them. Also be prepared for just how expensive any mistakes could get... that'll help focus the mind when you're doing it. :lol:

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Never fails to amaze and bamboozle me the plethora of combinations, be it pads and compounds when it comes to this detailing malarkey.

 

I have the resources and time to get right into it, but I'm often left dazed and confused by the 'detail'.

 

There should be a night class for this type of thing.

 

I've only just discovered and become competent in the ways of snow foaming!!

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For simplicity, after using lots of combinations over time, the Menzerna's, the old Meguiars, the 3M's etc, I really can't say enough good things about Meguiars Ultimate Compound. It is a consumer version of their 105 compound polish, so it is easier to use and more forgiving, can be worked a long time and finishes down very well on a wide range of paints. It really is a one stop shop. Keep the speed down, keep the pressure low and you should be fine.

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Compunds;

Scholl S17+

Scholl S20

Scholl S30

 

Menz Power Finish (203S)

Menz Super Finish (85RE)

 

Megs Ultimate Compound.

Megs 105.

 

Sonax Perfect Finish. (postage not included on this one).

 

 

Pads;

 

Lake Country Hydro Tech. Also in other sizes depending on your backing plate(s); here, here and here.

 

Hex Logic pads; green and blue* or the otherwise suggested orange and white. If you're going with the Sonax though, these pads are also available from CYC, here so you can get it all in one place. Again, plus postage for these pads.

*there's only one step respectively between theses pads, but personally I opted the former pair with less cut when I tried them, hence I've included the links in case you were wondering. :lol:

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:lol: i have done it plenty of times! just never with many products so was just asking what products would be best as this is the first car i've done it on that's black :) also i need a respray anyway just want to tart it up a bit before ace cafe lol
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Let me know how you get on with that stuff mate.

I've got a rotary as well, loads of random products but the last two I bought were Megs #105 and #205 (iirc) and have that Ultra Compound sitting around too.

LC pads and some others I can't remember :lol:

 

Oh and was pointed out last week - ensure you clay bar the paint prior to using the polisher ! (something I kept neglecting)

Edited by RobPhoboS
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