3M PI Fine Cut Compound Gumming - Why??

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imported_smprince1

New member
I am relatively new to paint polishing, but I have had pretty good success using the Poorboys SSR product line (they seem very user friendly, especially for a novice like myself).



Well, today I was doing a neighbor's car which had a ton of swirls and some scratches on a black Maxima. I thought I would try some 3M Perfect-It Fine Cut Compound since it is readily available in auto stores here.



I applied it to an Orange Sonus Cutting pad, dabbed around the car panel, spread it at 1-2 on PC, and then bumped it up to about 5 to work the polish. The first few times it seemed to go okay, the product worked for a minute or so, dusted, and I removed the residue to reveal a surface with maybe 1/2 or 2/3 of the swirls gone.



However, after a few cycles of applying polish, spreading, working in, etc. the pad got all gummed up. I tried to clean the pad with a soft bristle brush (from Autogeek made for cleaning PC pads), but the gumming up continued.



I was in my garage, about 60 degrees. I think I got all the water off the car from the washing/claying, but I can never be sure if a drop or two snuck out from under a crevice somewhere.



What did I do wrong? Too much product? Too little product? Wrong PC speed? Too much/little pad pressure? Wrong product? Do you think a water drop contaminated my pad?



Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you might have. Until then, I think I will stick with Poorboys since they seem more forgiving but I still want to learn from this experience.
 
It sounds like you did everything just fine, 3M RC just does this so be prepared to go through quite a few pads. The only type of pad that I find doesn't cake up real bad is the LC Variable Contact pad. The only time I use this pad is when I'm polishing with 3M RC, otherwise I use my Sonus pads.



Speed 5 is perfect, and polishing a 2x2 area until it dusts is also perfect. If you do this, and it cakes the pad beyond use just switch out to a new one. Using a pad after it is caked will produce hazing, so keep it clean.
 
If a pad gets caked you can use any stiff nylon bristled brush or you can buy a task specific cleaning brush like the one from Autogeek. If you don't have any of these, just switch to a new pad.



After you are done detailing for the day, just clean your pads out really well and they will be as good as new and ready for the next detail.
 
Jdookie: Thanks for your reply and info. I'm not sure I did exactly a 2' x 2' section, it was more like half a door panel or a quarter of the hood, etc.



I did just try to clean the pad and didn't change it. Maybe I should stay away from this product since I don't have such a large quantity of cutting pads that I can use a half dozen on every car.





I started a thread about using a particular product and now we're talking about cleaning pads . . . ????



Is this what is meant by "highjacking a thread???"
 
Sometimes, one subject can lead to another just because all of these topics are always going to be somewhat connected.



To get back on track, if you were doing half of a panel at a time, this is probably your problem. You are allowing the product to dry without working it enough, so excessive gumming and less than anticipated results are produced. Try to do smaller areas at a time so the product will stay liquid longer, thus giving it more time to do its job. You should have better results this way.



One more thing, it really doesn't matter what product you use. Most abrasive polishes like 3M RC will act like this, and I only usually need two, three pads at the most to do a whole car with 3M. When I use my vc lc pad, one pad does the job.
 
smprince1 said:
Jdookie: Thanks for your reply and info. I'm not sure I did exactly a 2' x 2' section, it was more like half a door panel or a quarter of the hood, etc.



I did just try to clean the pad and didn't change it. Maybe I should stay away from this product since I don't have such a large quantity of cutting pads that I can use a half dozen on every car.





I started a thread about using a particular product and now we're talking about cleaning pads . . . ????



Is this what is meant by "highjacking a thread???"
Click to expand...





Yes I excel at highjacking threads! :xyxthumbs



It's very related, and now someone else doesn't have to make another thread about cleaning pads...
 
spongtimlowpant said:
i think that product is ment for rotary use and a wool pad.
Click to expand...



Oh no, not at all. Sure, you can use a rotary if you want but you don't have to. I use 3M RC exclusively for my most aggressive polishing and it's absolutely awesome. I have yet to find anything easier to use or produce greater results and I only use a PC. There is just a learning curve with every product, that's all.



Here is an example of what can be done with 3M RC:



5571img_0533.jpg




5571img_0537.jpg




Don't mind the lens flare (small white spot in the after pic).

Scratches are all gone, and the finish is like new again.
 
JDookie: Thanks again for clarifying and the additional information. I will try to work the product in a smaller area and see if I get better results without gumming up the pad.





thedarksyde: I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, but I think the term "highjacking" carries a negative connotation and is not something to be boasting about. Yes, if someone else has a seperate question about cleaning pads, in my opinion that topic belongs in another thread and that person should start one. That way that specific issue can be directly handled there. Since I took the time and effort to start this thread becasue I want to get specific information on a specific topic, I would like to keep this thread on track. By your reasoning, we should just have one huge thread with thousands of posts on every possible related topic. That kind of defeats the purpose of having threads to organize and focus topics, wouldn't you agree.



Like I said, not trying to start an argument just presenting my point of view.





Sorry about the soap box speech . . .does anybody else have any insights in gumming up pads when using 3M RC?????



Thanks.
 
Its fine, you just hijacked your own thread about thread behavior, and how a forum should be used correctly, its amazing how your thoughts just progress in a thread toward something else, when you were just adding to the conversation.
 
Nope!...Mine still gum up and I don't now how to prevent it.



Sorry for the discouraging reply. :(



I'm just hoping someone will feel sorry for us and give us a 'silver bullet' answer.
 
I just used the 3M Fine Cut Compound with a white polishing pad to spot compound problems on my paint. I encountered no problems, removed most of the marring and deeper scratches that I was using it for and even if I loaded up the pad, I didn't encounter any residues or dusting. Everything came off with the mf towel. I followed up with DACP to improve the finish.
 
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