Just got a polisher need help.

G

gtivrx

New member
Just wondering if anyone out thre can give some tips to a new user of a polisher, and I have a few questions..



I have an black 1979 VW GTI to work on(not original paint). Very rough paint with every type of damage I can think of. (A perfect tool for a newbie).



1) How do I know that I have polished enough?



2) Do I use a terry cloth to clean the left over residue from the compound before I polish, or just go right into polishing and not worry about the left over product?



3) Just doing a small area of the car I can really see how one can make a huge mess with polish flinging off of the polisher. Is there any tricks on how not to make a mess of the car you are working on? cause I could forsee getting the polish on the black trim and having a heck of a time to get it off.



4) Would I use a wool pad on a car with a clearcoat?



5) Should I move the polisher in a left right manner like you would a orbital buffer?



6) Also I picked up some compound to get out surface scratches etc... What I am wondering with this is when I use it by hand to buff out a scratch what direction would I go as compared to the direction of the scratch. (My guess is if the scratch goes north south I would then polish with the compound in a east west direction?



7) When working on a fender should one go up the fender and onto the hood or would you just do the fender area then move onto the hood?



I hope this is not too many nor stupid questions to you all.
 
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by gtivrx [/i]
Just wondering if anyone out thre can give some tips to a new user of a polisher, and I have a few questions..

I have an black 1979 VW GTI to work on(not original paint). Very rough paint with every type of damage I can think of. (A perfect tool for a newbie).

1) How do I know that I have polished enough?
>> It depends on the product you're using, but generally I like to buff the product with the polisher until I've removed almost all of the residue. Then, I take a towel and buff any remaining residue by hand. Since it sounds like your car is in rough shape, you'll probably need to use something fairly agressive like:
+ Meguiar's Medium Cut Cleaner, or
+ Meguiar's Diamond Cut Cleaner (be careful!), or
+ 3M Finesse It II
All of these are pretty agressive, especially when used with a buffer, so use some caution near ridges, edges, etc. You can always go over the area again if it needs some more work, but you can't put paint back on with a buffer.

2) Do I use a terry cloth to clean the left over residue from the compound before I polish, or just go right into polishing and not worry about the left over product?
>> I always make sure all of the old product is buffed clean. It allows me a chance to make sure the surface is clean, and it prevents me from adding additional scratches/marring. I'd use a 100% cotton cloth or a MicroFiber towel for buffing.

3) Just doing a small area of the car I can really see how one can make a huge mess with polish flinging off of the polisher. Is there any tricks on how not to make a mess of the car you are working on? cause I could forsee getting the polish on the black trim and having a heck of a time to get it off.
>> The polish will not sling off as easily if you:
1) Use a little less product
2) Use a slower speed to start off with
3) "Mush" the product around on the car first, with the buffer off

4) Would I use a wool pad on a car with a clearcoat?
>> I would not recommend this, though I have on occasion. If you're using a direct drive buffer (not random orbital) be EXTRA careful.

5) Should I move the polisher in a left right manner like you would a orbital buffer?
>> Figure 8's work best for a direct drive, or a "cross-hatch" - interlinking left/right + to/away.

6) Also I picked up some compound to get out surface scratches etc... What I am wondering with this is when I use it by hand to buff out a scratch what direction would I go as compared to the direction of the scratch. (My guess is if the scratch goes north south I would then polish with the compound in a east west direction?
>> You'll have to experiment to see what works best. Sometimes you need to use a combo of both directions.

7) When working on a fender should one go up the fender and onto the hood or would you just do the fender area then move onto the hood?
>> It depends. If the whole car is bad, then it doesn't matter. Otherwise, you'll have to use a little caution with the hood, because otherwise you'll see a "blend line" where the old paint meets the newly polished paint.

I hope this is not too many nor stupid questions to you all.
>> It's not a stupid question, but next time, I'd do a little more searching. Most of this has been discussed, but I can see how it would be hard to find all of this in the archives. Good luck to you with the GTI, and be sure to let us know how it turns out.
 
It is a Makita 9227C 7"

http://www.makita.com/Tools_Item_View.asp?id=257

I would say a Rotary Buffer, but I am not sure.


Thank you very much for your response. The 79 is actually my brother in laws car which is going to be painted anyways.. So if I do cause damage it would not be the end of the world.

Here is some pictures of my car. I am too scared to use the polisher on it, until I know what I am doing:

http://www.vwinsider.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=26&t=000001

What do you think of the Auto Magic line of products?

I am useing thier XP Compound and GS1, body shine, leather conditioner Clay Magic etc..
 
The Makita you have is a rotary polisher, not an orbital. It can do a good job for you but it takes some skill. Sounds like you've got a perfect car to practice on.



The two products you mentioned are pretty aggressive, esp. the XP. You might want to try the GS1 to a small section and eval results before breaking out the XP.



What kind of pads do you have?
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

How much pressure would you apply to the machine?</blockquote>

Zero! None! Never apply pressure to a rotary, let the machine operate under it's own weight.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by bretfraz [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>The Makita you have is a rotary polisher, not an orbital. It can do a good job for you but it takes some skill. Sounds like you've got a perfect car to practice on.

The two products you mentioned are pretty aggressive, esp. the XP. You might want to try the GS1 to a small section and eval results before breaking out the XP.

What kind of pads do you have? [/b]</blockquote>
Yes a great car to practice.

The GS1 is a good polish, I use it on my car.

I have also used the White Magic that Automagic sells, I find that it sticks on the car in clumps and didnt want to buff out easily in some areas. I am assuming this is cause it contains wax where as the GS1 or BC1 would not.

I have all of the foam pads that Automagic sells, and a wool pad that came with the machine, I don't want to use it as I am not sure that is is %100 wool.

What pad would you suggest to use on the average car?

What would I be looking for to tell if I have or am in the process of causing damage to the car?
 
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