Lesson #1: how to burn through paint

M

moogoob

New member
In my first attempt at machine polishing my car, I learned the easiest way to burn through paint.



I Ran a test spot on the side view mirror... (another thread), and made some pretty good progress in a very small spot (baby steps).



Today I started polishing the whole car using IP and an orange pad.



Using the same process for my test spot, I was able to make real improvements of 99.98% of the car.



At this point I'm feeling comfortable working my Makita BO6040.



On one of the last spots I'm working on (rear bumper), there was a bit of a scratch I thought "if i just lean on it a little more...."



Burn! its a shiny burn, but...



Well, lessons learned.





Next steps is th FPII and collinite 845.





EDIT: Ok... here's a pic

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Here are some shots of the boot that came out well prior to burning the bumper. The before pics are after claying



Before:

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After:

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I got a little too enthusiastic wetsanding and thinned the paint to where it is noticable so I feel your pain.
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Picus said:
Foam pads and thinly painted bumpers are like whitney houston and booby b!
Click to expand...



I've gotten a bit of a paint crack on my rear bumper from polishing I believe. Used a yellow edge foam then a green edge foam. Not sure why it happened. I've worked on my old GA bumpers, black, soft like the Honda, and just let the pad sit on a spot for longer than the Honda time and never had it happen. Could the plastic have gotten hot enough and expanded and cracked the paint?



I suppose the better solution is lighter cutting combos or wool?
 
I personally prefer wool. It cuts with less pressure and is less "grabby" than foam pads. Also much easier to clean. Only problem is it can mat down in the middle of a job so you have to comb it back into fluffiness. That and I just bought 12 bonnets on ebay for my random orbit so it's pretty much what I'm gonna be using even with finer polishes.
 
Go over with Fp2 and you might find that the burn will disapear or become less noticable. Be careful on flexible panels.
 
99blackSE said:
I've gotten a bit of a paint crack on my rear bumper from polishing I believe. Used a yellow edge foam then a green edge foam. Not sure why it happened. I've worked on my old GA bumpers, black, soft like the Honda, and just let the pad sit on a spot for longer than the Honda time and never had it happen. Could the plastic have gotten hot enough and expanded and cracked the paint?



I suppose the better solution is lighter cutting combos or wool?
Click to expand...



I definitely have better luck on plastic panels with wool; a lot less heat generated. I am not saying foam is always bad on bumpers, you just need to use extra care compared to metal panels on the same car.
 
Picus said:
I definitely have better luck on plastic panels with wool; a lot less heat generated. I am not saying foam is always bad on bumpers, you just need to use extra care compared to metal panels on the same car.
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I find it interesting though that our (admittedly improvised) test, could not find a discernible difference in heat with wool or foam on a metal panel. The heat was identical to the touch.
 
wannafbody said:
Go over with Fp2 and you might find that the burn will disapear or become less noticable. Be careful on flexible panels.
Click to expand...



It looks liuke the paint is thin enough to show the bumper plastic under the paint. I'm not so suurue FPII will help.



Its not too much of a loss, the rear bumper was hit twice and shows some big scratches, this is just one more, but the overall appearence is better.
 
Holden_C04 said:
I find it interesting though that our (admittedly improvised) test, could not find a discernible difference in heat with wool or foam on a metal panel. The heat was identical to the touch.
Click to expand...



I think that's because I was spinning both pads up to a really high rpm & using some pressure. We should have tested a more typical correction.
 
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