Power Polish

[DaRockwilder]

Hey all!

I'd like to give my car a serious polish. At work we have a Makita 9227C (http://www.makita.com/menu.php?pg=product_det&tag=9227C) polisher, which I hear is one of the best to use for polishing a car. We also have a Velcro attachment for pads, and I have a source for the pads.

What i'd like to know, is what I should use to cut with? my car has a lot of little scratches that I'd like to buff out, as well as a bad re-clear job after an accident. You can see where the old clear and the new clear meet. (like that when I bought it)

I was thinking I could use some Mothers scratch remover, although I'd probably need a few bottles to do a whole car. Then I plan on waxing it afterwards. I know a wax would probably fill most of the scratches but I'd still like to work a few of them out. I can probably get my hands on some stuff from 3M from the same place I'd source the pads for the polisher.

What pad should I use to buff the clear with? I've seen green, yellow, black and white for this polisher, we have some at the shop. White was super fine, and black was coarse. I can't remember which is which for yellow and green, though. They had numbers too, i can check at work tomorrow. Something like #0000 for super fine. The pads we have at work are just like this but with a Velcro back. Polishing Pads (http://www.autogeek.net/edge20008pads.html)

Anyway, I know doing this myself for the first time can be risky, but I know not to stay in one place too long, or to turn the buffer up too fast, If you didn't click that link, the buffer does 600RPM on the lowest setting. I'll take my time and try to do it the best I can.

Thanks for anything!

[alerored04]

That is a rotary so you will need to be very very careful. Scratch X is not a very good product for swirl removal, you will need a dedicated polish compound talk to whoever you would be getting the wax from at 3m for the polish as well but remember this is advanced equipment and can damage your paint if not handled properly. If I were you I would check out autopia.com and read the info on there prior to attempting this. I have been learning the ins and outs of detailing for a year now and still have so much to gather together that I do not feel very comfortable offering much advice. You will learn lots at that website. Check it out and do lots of reading, there are very knowledable people there.

[DaRockwilder]

Well, it spins, but its not orbital. Its like a big angle grinder but you can slow it right down for polishing.

I'll check that site out too, thanks!

Edit: Its Autopia.org if anyone else wants to check it out.

[alerored04]

Oops, sorry about that. I have a craftsman rotary that does not spin nearly as fast as that one and I still cannot polish a car without leaving pretty obvious buffer trails and holograms. The car looks great most of the time but when the light hits it just right, wham! Then everyone is like where did that come from? It is a difficult skill to master and I give credit to the guys on that site who make paint look like a mirror. I need to go buy an orbital which is easier to work with. The rotary was a gift that I should have traded for an orbital right away.

[bdyman]

buffing is easy once you get the hang of it, the buffers are big and clumsy to buff with like the ever popluar milawkie iam sure spelled wrong, i have a porter cable and i love it,
ummmmm no need to go down to 600rpm unless its a tight spot so ya dont brun the clear off, ya the key is to keep the buffer moving but in a slow to medium pace, keeping the pad almost flat on the panle, the slower you move the buffer the more heat is creates and the more scratches you pull
keeping the pad clean with buffing spurs, helps allot, i like using alittle bit of water when i clean a foam pad, orbital buffer or polishers are just made to take off wax not made to buff 1,000 scratches out or try to take a deep scratch out orbital buffers are for the quick detail not for real buffing and poilshing
but be carefull when i first buffed a car, that sum bitch caught a hood ornimate flung into my nuts the cord wraped around my arm and i was on 1 knee grabbin my family jewls lol

[lonnie]

but be carefull when i first buffed a car, that sum bitch caught a hood ornimate flung into my nuts the cord wraped around my arm and i was on 1 knee grabbin my family jewls lolOMG I almost shit myself laughing so hard:haha: :haha: :emotlol: :emotlol:

[bdyman]

lol boy oh boy did it bring a tear to my eye lol
i still remember that day lol

[Oldsnut]

I thought your voice was a little high there when you spoke Chris. ;) I got hit in the balls with a baseball the one time I didn't wear a cup to a game cuz I was in a hurry. Wait you don't want to hear that Chris, you hate sports. Sorry!

[jayson_waltz]

mothers turbo cut works pretty good to get swirl marks out

[-Alero-]

buffing is easy once you get the hang of it, the buffers are big and clumsy to buff with like the ever popluar milawkie iam sure spelled wrong, i have a porter cable and i love it,
ummmmm no need to go down to 600rpm unless its a tight spot so ya dont brun the clear off, ya the key is to keep the buffer moving but in a slow to medium pace, keeping the pad almost flat on the panle, the slower you move the buffer the more heat is creates and the more scratches you pull
keeping the pad clean with buffing spurs, helps allot, i like using alittle bit of water when i clean a foam pad, orbital buffer or polishers are just made to take off wax not made to buff 1,000 scratches out or try to take a deep scratch out orbital buffers are for the quick detail not for real buffing and poilshing
but be carefull when i first buffed a car, that sum bitch caught a hood ornimate flung into my nuts the cord wraped around my arm and i was on 1 knee grabbin my family jewls lol


hmm i worked at carmax as a detailer and toyota and they both used craftsman buffers with blue coral products im sure they are not the best but they worked.....i have yet to own a buffer myself i would love to, because im not that bad at buffing, and could probably make some money on the side doing it, anyways, you think you could post a picture of the buffer you use? or a link? kinda entrust you with this stuff since your that asshole bodyman :p

[DaRockwilder]

Well, after looking through a few threads on that site, and given that my car, in my opinion, is in pretty rough shape, I'm going to leave it to a professional for now. Maybe after they get all the tough stuff out, and its time to do it again in a year or so I'll tackle it myself. But it needs a pro's touch.

Maybe when I give the car a good bath tomorrow I'll take some before pics. But after won't come for a while.

Thanks all for the replies!

[bdyman]

i dunno the web site just google porter cable, i remember it was over 200 bucks. and i bought it from the macto tool guy

[alerored04]

Rockwilder just read and learn was the point I am trying to get across, my paint is in rough shape too. I guess I was just trying to prepare you for a long learning process I did not want to discourage you. You should give it a shot, it will look better than doing nothing to it.

[DaRockwilder]

Well, I suppose the worst that can happen is it looks like crap and I take it somewhere anyway. lol.

I'll think about it some more.

[bdyman]

if ya try it your self do it with a regualr buffer an orbital wont do shit, keep your pads clean, keep the pad on a slight angle, move slow to pull scratches
do it in a garage not in the sun, and yes use 3m products, and watch the family jewls lol

[cavaliers60]

So maybe I could get a better look than this?

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/cavaliers60/May%20Car/car004.jpg

I got this shine just by using Mequiar's products and a lot of elbow grease. lol

[alerored04]

/\ That picture will not show the imperfections in your paint, you need to take one shining a light directly at the spot you are photographing, that will show all your swirls and whatnot. I can get my paint to look like that from a foot or so but when you really inspect it you can see the swirls and buffer trails that I can't seem to get rid of from inexperience on the machine.

[cavaliers60]

ok gotcha. My car is dirty again thanks to a semi truck....... sooo I'll have to wash it again in a week or so and check it out...

[alerored04]

Look really closely right were the direct light hits it, you will be surprised.