Buffing and polishing a test panel-- recommended compounds?

Discuss anything after that final masking comes off.



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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:02 am
I'm slowly getting ready to repaint a car, but first I've sprayed a couple of test panels with primer, paint and clear, to dial in gun settings.

As expected, I wound up with significant orange peel this first attempt, and dutifully wetsanded with 1000, 1500, then 2000 grit. I just purchased a 6" DA polisher with separate buffing and polishing pads. Now I need to know what compounds to use with it?

(The orange peel was pretty solid, but I anticipated that and put on three good coats of clear, so that I would have enough material to wetsand with. In other words, I have enough there to do a decently aggressive buff. )

Meguiar's has a very large number of choices and was hoping someone could narrow it down for me? The goal is a good-looking, production paint job in the end, not a Barrett-Jackson $100k auction winner. Thanks for your advice.

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 8:36 am
Personally, I do not believe a DA is the way to polish a car.
Get a rotary buffer so you can generate enough RPMs to work the scratches out of the clear coat.
I have tried a lot of products and the Megs 105 is hard to beat.
I like twisted wool pads for the scratch removal, then foam pads for refining and polishing.
Menzerna Final Finish 3800 for swirl removal.

Look at my thread in the Completed Projects section for the 55 Chevy Pickup. Near the end of the thread I show how I buff out a hood.
1968 Coronet R/T


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 7:51 pm
'68 Coronet R/T wrote:Personally, I do not believe a DA is the way to polish a car.
Get a rotary buffer so you can generate enough RPMs to work the scratches out of the clear coat.
I have tried a lot of products and the Megs 105 is hard to beat.
I like twisted wool pads for the scratch removal, then foam pads for refining and polishing.
Menzerna Final Finish 3800 for swirl removal.

Look at my thread in the Completed Projects section for the 55 Chevy Pickup. Near the end of the thread I show how I buff out a hood.


Thanks for the suggestions. So a Griot's 6" DA won't have the oomph to do a proper buff, even at its maximum 6800 orbits per minute rotation speed? I thought DAs were the 'beginner-friendly' way to buff and polish but maybe I'm mistaken?



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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 8:10 pm
Meguiars 105 with a Meguiars Microfiber cutting pad. Finish with Meguiars 205 and Rupes Yellow pad.

Get yourself some Abaralon sanding disc, finish with abralon 4000g

I wetsand and polish all day long. Easy as can be with DA



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PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 4:37 pm
larryq wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions. So a Griot's 6" DA won't have the oomph to do a proper buff, even at its maximum 6800 orbits per minute rotation speed? I thought DAs were the 'beginner-friendly' way to buff and polish but maybe I'm mistaken?


if thats the griots 6" DA polisher, it will give you excellent results with no chance of burning the paint. heres a video that sold me on the PC 7424
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XAqpOe9Zt4
imo,junkman2000 has some pretty good vids with good tips on DA polishing. theres the start on one series. i think its more on paint correction, btu theres some good tips in it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP-eAddv2sk

there will be more time involved, but you will achieve excellent,swirl free results. DA polishers are,imo, great for people like me and you that dont do this every day and dont have to get a project out the door quicker.
theyre a great tool for us part timers.
i have used the twins of megs 105 and 205 since 2007. i tried some other brands, but went back.. they are awesome products. i havent tried the new microfiber pads paintdevil mentioned, but reading in the meguiars forum, theyre pretty darn good. you might want to check out meguiars forum to find out what others are using with the twins.
personally, after complicating the crap out of it and trying many different pads, i stick with 6" lake country flat orange pads for both cut and polish.
do some reading up on the 105 and 205. i think youll like the results.
one important note- more is NOT better! :)



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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:19 pm
tomsteve wrote:
larryq wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions. So a Griot's 6" DA won't have the oomph to do a proper buff, even at its maximum 6800 orbits per minute rotation speed? I thought DAs were the 'beginner-friendly' way to buff and polish but maybe I'm mistaken?


if thats the griots 6" DA polisher, it will give you excellent results with no chance of burning the paint. heres a video that sold me on the PC 7424
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XAqpOe9Zt4
imo,junkman2000 has some pretty good vids with good tips on DA polishing. theres the start on one series. i think its more on paint correction, btu theres some good tips in it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP-eAddv2sk

there will be more time involved, but you will achieve excellent,swirl free results. DA polishers are,imo, great for people like me and you that dont do this every day and dont have to get a project out the door quicker.
theyre a great tool for us part timers.


Thanks for the recommendations and tips!

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