a few finer questions on the basics of machine polishing

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bauerbach

New member
2 really.



1. How much pressure roughly should be applied? feel free to give it in a lbs of force if anyones ever pushed on their bathroom scale to see...



2. how many applications of compound would be needed to remove orange peel? I have really bad paint, I just hit it with 2 rounds of menzerna power gloss, then 1 of intensive polish and 1 of final polish II.



paint is smooth and more or less swirl free I think, but it did not take the orange peel away at all that I can noticably tell. actually I can very noticably still tell its there.



so, if thats true, is it likely just too bad to fix, or should I be hitting it with the power gloss many times?



also, Im running it at 4.5 on the PC, good speed for it?
 
I'm sure you will get a lot more lengthy responses, but here's something to get you started:



1) Pressure:



The only pressure you should be applying to the pad is the weight of the machine, plus enough to stop the pad from spinning. Once it stops spinning, and begins to "wiggle" you are pretty much there. It is the random orbital action that makes the PC do what it does. If you bog down the machine by applying too much pressure, you will actually stop the machine from making progress. That being said, it doesn't hurt to push it a little bit on very stubborn areas, but no matter what, always keep it flat and make sure the pad is always "wiggling."



2) Orange Peel



You won't remove this by polishing with a PC. Orange peel is only removed by wetsanding which causes a haze on the paint that you have to get out by polishing. Your process as stated above would be perfect to follow wetsanding.



3) PC Speed



Speeds will vary with the task at hand. When polishing, I like to keep the speeds all the way up to around 5 or 6. When applying a glaze and/or lsp, I slow it down to around 4.



Hope this helps a bit.
 
so what is wetsanding then? I figured the power gloss was basicly a wetsand compound. using it with an orange pad.



not enough? what would be? am I out of my element to even attempt to do such a thing with a PC?
 
oh... so google informs me that wetsanding is quite literally wet sanding. with regular old sand paper; thats wet...



I can get 2000grit sand paper; but damn, that sounds pretty dangerous. I mean, how much clear coat can you remove with sand paper before its gone?
 
bauerbach said:
. I mean, how much clear coat can you remove with sand paper before its gone?
Click to expand...

Not to sound rude, but it might be in your paint's best interest to have a professional that does alot of wet-sanding do your repair, instead of attempting it yourself. I've done it lots of times and I've trained lots of newbie detailers, but I've haven't come accross one yet that could compound a car, better yet sand it without lots of experience. It's not a do-it-yourself repair nor is their an "idiots guide" for this true skill.
 
bauerbach said:
2 really.



1. How much pressure roughly should be applied? feel free to give it in a lbs of force if anyones ever pushed on their bathroom scale to see...



2. how many applications of compound would be needed to remove orange peel? I have really bad paint, I just hit it with 2 rounds of menzerna power gloss, then 1 of intensive polish and 1 of final polish II.



paint is smooth and more or less swirl free I think, but it did not take the orange peel away at all that I can noticably tell. actually I can very noticably still tell its there.



so, if thats true, is it likely just too bad to fix, or should I be hitting it with the power gloss many times?



also, Im running it at 4.5 on the PC, good speed for it?
Click to expand...



You may find this link useful. ( The G100 referred to is the Mequiar's version of the PC )



Using the G-100 to remove swirls, scratches and etchings... - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online
 
David Fermani said:
Not to sound rude, but it might be in your paint's best interest to have a professional that does alot of wet-sanding do your repair, instead of attempting it yourself. I've done it lots of times and I've trained lots of newbie detailers, but I've haven't come accross one yet that could compound a car, better yet sand it without lots of experience. It's not a do-it-yourself repair nor is their an "idiots guide" for this true skill.
Click to expand...





no offense taking, just looking at it Im not seeing anything I think I should be taking on.



my goal is just to improve the look of the car, not create the need for a new paintjob.



Ill go with what I got going. work a smaller area than I was, and put a bit more force perhaps.
 
bauerbach,



Remember, patience is the key here. Loading your pad up with polish, and grinding it into your paint isn't going to make it shiny. Believe it or not, there is a technique to go along with this process, and it has a bit of a learning curve. Basically, its a balance between using the correct amount of polish on your pad that gives you the correct amount of working time to get the job done. You have to work your polishes, speed is your enemy in this case.
 
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