How do I get that mirror shine?

Discuss anything after that final masking comes off.



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PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2003 2:52 am
I've painted some doors on my car and there are a few specks of dust here and there. I sanded them back with 1200, then 1500 then 2000 then used Autoglym 3B fine cut with a variable speed rotary buffer to finish it off. On the angle the paint looks smooth as and has a really good shine but when you look at it front on, you can see it looks a bit 'hazy' like it has a fog over it. There are still some very fine scratches. The other door which I haven't buffed yet looks much more shiny front on and this is just off the gun. How do you get the panels to come up as shiny as the paint off the gun, but by buffing it?



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PostPosted: Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:30 am
Buffing can be an art unto itself. I can't explain on paper how to do it, and probably in person either. It's a feel-deal. Before paint is buffed it almost has an oily wet look. It's very hard to regain that wet look without a ton of experience with a buffer and a copious amount of hand rubbing. Just keep at it and experience will be your teacher. 8)
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:47 am
Try to hand rub it. I use 3M's microfinishing compound and a foam pad when buffing. Then I use a foam polishing pad to ploish it with some Race Glaze.



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PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2003 2:11 pm
If you are using Autoglym exclusively, I would have also used Autoglym Finishing Polish 01B, then Super Resin Polish as your last polishing step before waxing. Meguiar's Swirl Free or Hand Polish is another product you might want to consider to remove any remaining scratches. Some like to also use a paint cleanser product as a final polishing step, like S100 Shine Enhancing Cleanser, P21S Gloss Enhancing Paint Cleanser, Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish, etc. which can leave the paint surface very glossy and slick before you wax. It all depends on how much work you want to put into your paint. Might want to consider using a random orbit polisher for the final polishing steps to eliminate any possible heat related problems associated with using a rotary. Or as suggested by others, use a glaze, which contains fillers, to hide any minor scratches (until they wear away).
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 2:14 am
You mentioned that you used a rubbbing compound, but did not mention that you POLISHED it after you compounded the surface.
Lets call the polishing "scratch refinement" (as 3m puts it)

After color sanding the surface down to 2000 grit

I use a meguires yellow pad, rotary buffer set at about 1500-1800 rpm, and use a fine cut synthetic rubbing compound, taping off ALL the edges, and using no pressure at all, work the surface till all of the 2000 scratches are gone, and the surface looks relatively polished.

Then I switch to a 3m black "waffle" pad, and turn the buffer down to around 1000-1400 rpm, using 3m's perfect it III, foam pad polishing compound (one for light finishes, and one for dark ones), and using medium pressure at first (just enough to collapse the convolutions in the foam), I work the surface until the polish is well absorbed and the surface looks very polished, then usng VERY light pressure, I let the buffer work till allmost all the polish is gone, and the surface looks like a mirror.
Then I use 3m's imperial hand glaze to bring the surface to a ridiculously high polish, and to protect the freshly painted parts while curing (none of these products contain any silicone, and are safe to use on freshly painted surfaces, once color sanding hardness is reached.

So to recap:1) Color sand till all the imperfections are gone
2) Buff to remove the colorsanding scratches
3) Polish to remove the buffing "haze"
4) Glaze to get that "mirror" look you want


NOTE!! EVERCOAT makes all the same products that 3m makes as far as polishes go, they work GREAT!!, and cost about 2 thirds less

Have fun!
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