New to polish, need help!

N

NEZUMI

New member
Hello every one!



I am new to polishing and I do't know how to do it right.



I'd like to know how to properly polish a 7 years-old black car with clear coat and how many different grades of polishes are there on the market.



it is quite confusing for me to choose my chemicals, because some of them are called glazes, paint cleaners, scratch removers...etc. it really got me overwhelmed. I have no idea of which one is more abrasive and which one is less abrasive

also, i do not know which one shold go on top of another and what pad to use according to thier difference...:nixweiss



it would be a GREAT help if someone would provide a step-by-step polishing guide, or a list of different kinds of polishes sorted by thier abrasiveness.



I have a Simoniz random orbit polisher (been used only for waxing) but i do not know if i should use it for my first try on polishing? or it's better to do polishing by hand?:nixweiss



sorry for the heavy bombardment of questions... any feed back would be galdly appreciated :)



thanks
 
Let's start out at square ONE. Get Mothers three-step probram of cleaner, polish and then wax. If you follow the directions on the containers, you can't go very wrong.



If you are still not satisfied with the results (assuming this is done by hand) look into buying a Porter Cable polisher (7424 or so) and looking into the myriad of products available on the Web. I'm positive that you will get many, many suggestions.



Meantime, start slow with the Mothers three-step and work upward from that.
 
Gadfly is right. Meguiars also makes a three step line, and you won't be out a lot of money with either of them. It's just a start point and hard to go wrong.



I'll add this...search and read everything you can on this site. You will pick up a lot of information. It's slow and frustrating at first, but stick with it and you'll start to catch, IMO, and in a few weeks you'll start to "get into the swing of things." REALLY!
 
I have never used Mothers 3-Step system but I have used meguiars 3-step system (Meguiars Deep Crystal System) it works well as I am sure the mothers does as well both the cleaner and the polish work well as does the wax. On the polish you do not want to let it dry it will be very hard to remove if it does.



As "MartyGrant" said do your reading there is LOTS of good info on here already just start searching around.
 
I agree with everyone above, but in my area of the country I've not seen the Mothers 3 Step, only the Meguiars.



I would hold off on the clay until after finishing the three step. See how good that does your paint. Take pictures even. Then, next week or so, clay and rewax. Compare the two. Clay is great stuff. I'm not sure you'd get an appreciation for it if you did it all at once. Plus, you don't want the clay doing the work of the cleaner step, removing oxidation.
 
Whichever product group you choose, use those products only. Don't use Mequires steps 1 and 2 then switch to Mothers for step 3. If you have a reciprocating buffing machine you can't hurt anything. Mine stops with just the slightest overload. Personnally, I like to switch buffing pads throughout the process. When you're done wash them in the washing machine to reuse. Do this all in the shade when the body is not hot!!! So get up early.
 
Lastly, always apply the polish in a circular motion as opposed to back and forth and only let the polish set for a few seconds so it's easier to remove.
 
The clay and "cleaner" will not do exactly the same thing. The cleaners and polishes will not remove the embedded contaminents from your paint, clay will. I would suggest using clay as the first step and then one of the 3 step systems. Dont be affraid to use a little "elbow grease" when using the cleaner and polish steps (im refferring to working the product into the paint as opposed to using a great deal of pressure).



Alos invest in some quality micofiber towels and pads.
 
It's strange... David Bynon says polish should be applied in a back and forth motion....

here's the article, the statement is at polishing tips #6



"Apply polishes in a back and forth motion, not circular (polishes should take out swirls, not create them?don't polish in circles). If you are creating swirls, you are using a polish that is too abrasive or you need to replace your polishing pad or towels. "



http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=17





any comment or explaination on this would be appreciated.. thanks
 
thanks for the inputs dear Autopians

one more question: what kind of applicator should i use for polishing? is it the same yellow foam pad used for waxing as well?
 
fmdog44 said:
Lastly, always apply the polish in a circular motion as opposed to back and forth and only let the polish set for a few seconds so it's easier to remove.
Click to expand...



:nono



Sir, I think you've had a little too much to drink.



If you use circular motions, if scratches are induced, they will be visible from all angles. Not a good thing. :down



LightngSVT said:
The clay and "cleaner" will not do exactly the same thing. The cleaners and polishes will not remove the embedded contaminents from your paint, clay will.
Click to expand...



True, yes. But clay will also remove surface contaminants. If you use a cleaner, you clean only the surface, leaving less work for the clay. If you clay first, you bog your clay down with oxidation and whatnot.



Clay first does work. But it's not necessarily economically viable. This car is not like a car that has been Autopiized on a regular basis. Search for 240SX and you'll see the thread that has gotten me thinking along these lines.
 
Ok lets see. Polish has different meanings to different people. Mostly people take polish as something that is abrasive and will smooth your paint. Glazes can have small amounts of abrasives in them but mostly consist of oils and what not used to cover up scratches. Compounds are just polishes that are highly abrasive.



Now I suggest you get PC now because if you get into this detailing business at all, you'll end up buying one anyway. Also stock up on some polishes like Meguiars #9 which is good for minor-moderate swirl removal with a polishing or cutting pad. Get some DACP for anything that #9 might miss and you should be set for the most part with those two and polishing and cutting pads.



But, if you're gonna just stick with hand application for now, terry cotton pads add a little more bite to your polishing but foam ones work well too. I suggest you search up posts made by ScottWax. (he's the hand polishing guru here)



And of course, the search function is your friend. Don't be afraid to use it.



Good Luck!
 
Magellan498 said:
Get some DACP for anything that #9 might miss and you should be set for the most part with those two and polishing and cutting pads.



But, if you're gonna just stick with hand application for now, terry cotton pads add a little more bite to your polishing but foam ones work well too. I suggest you search up posts made by ScottWax. (he's the hand polishing guru here)
Click to expand...



See? Now your getting help beyond the #1,2,3 stuff. I agree with Magellan498, and I'll add to that....



I like/use these

1)DACP

2) #9

3) VM, Meguiars Hand Polish, #7, FP



Meguiars is easy to find locally, usually. (Try NAPA for the #80's stuff, etc.)



4) I like/use Carnuaba waxes. #16! for white car, #26 not paste for black truck, S-100 But....I'm thinking about trying VM/EX-P, FP/FMJ, AIO/SG, etc. but I can't make up my mind!!!

Its an expensive "hobby" if you don't do this for a living. :eek:



SO....I read and search and see what other people are doing.......:xyxthumbs
 
NEZUMI Check out the "new daily driver" on the Click and Brag forum here. The black Mustang was "Zaino'ed" 6 months ago in October.

The Zaino Fanatic (aka HRP)
 
MartyGrant said:
See? Now your getting help beyond the #1,2,3 stuff. I agree with Magellan498, and I'll add to that....



I like/use these

1)DACP

2) #9

3) VM, Meguiars Hand Polish, #7, FP



Meguiars is easy to find locally, usually. (Try NAPA for the #80's stuff, etc.)



4) I like/use Carnuaba waxes. #16! for white car, #26 not paste for black truck, S-100 But....I'm thinking about trying VM/EX-P, FP/FMJ, AIO/SG, etc. but I can't make up my mind!!!

Its an expensive "hobby" if you don't do this for a living. :eek:



SO....I read and search and see what other people are doing.......:xyxthumbs
Click to expand...



Yes, Meguiars stuff is pretty easy to find, but don't be suprised when you can't find DACP locally though.
 
I get DACP, Hand Polish, Final Inspection, etc. at the local NAPA. Maybe you will have the same luck.
 
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