a little help with DACP for a noob

[BatteryAcid]

Ok, i made a pass with DACP yesterday. The june gloom has kept me from really getting a good look at the car under sunlight, but after seeing it under some spotlights i still see the heavy swirling i'm trying to get rid of. The finish definately feels more slick and smooth, but i know the swirls are still there. I figure i must have been doing something wrong. so i've got a few questions to ask of you autopian finish gurus.



First of all, about how many pads do you guys use to do a car? say, a largish coupe. I used two Meg's yellow pads to do the whole car. They were both pretty saturated by the time i was done. Should i have used more pads so they wouldn't get so saturated?



Second, how long should i go with the stuff? i mean, how long should i keep the PC on the section i'm working on? should i let the DACP dry and start to flake, then buff it out?



Finally, should i be worried about going through my clearcoat? i dont think i should, but just for my peace of mind, should i be worried about damaging the paint?



Thanks so much guys. As soon as i get some sunlight i'm gonna put a few before/afters up. Thanks all.

 

[imported_pugoman]

The reason why your swirls still remain is because you only used a yellow Megs polishing pad. I find that DACP is fairly mild when used with a polishing pad. You need to get a burgandy cutting pad on there to get rid of 'heavy swirling'. Then go over it again with DACP or a slightly less aggressive product on a polishing pad. Even then, if the swirling is very bad, you may not get rid of it all with a PC - you may need to work on it with a rotary (or get someone else to work on it with a rotary). Obviously without seeing the swirls I can't really give you a firm answer on that.



I'd normally use about 4 of each type of pad to do an entire car with DACP, but that's just me, others may use more or less. I work DACP until it virtually disappears, that works best for me - that's usually a couple of minutes on each section. Then I remove it immediately with a MF cloth.



As for your worry about going through the clearcoat, you shouldn't have any problems just going over the car a couple of times with DACP, even on a cutting pad. But this largely depends on how much pressure you use and how long you work on the surface, very difficult say how long it would take to go through the clear. I always let the pad and machine do most of the work, I rarely use added pressure just to be on the safe side.