PC7424 + optimum polish line question!!!

I

idwib

New member
hello everyone..



I just figured I was completely off when I polished couple weeks ago...



all swirls were still there....



I think the problem was either Ive used too much polish for each run..



or.. I was moving too quicky (may be didnt press hard enough?) or both...



Today, I tried on little area with OHC(LC orange) -> OP (LC white) with significantly more pressure than usual with much much longer time... the finish came up much nicer than before ( though not 100% clear under direct light from 500w work light..)



I decided to do the whole polishing job again, and i am kinda worried that it will take



like a entire day with the steps I took today.



So I was thinking about the relationships between various conditions and working time.



now questions.



1. whats the purpose of having water(or QD) sprayed on pads?does it gives more working time with polish thus better result?



2. if it dusts when polishing what is it that I am doing wrong?(assuming optimum polishes dont dust when used properly)



3. whats the optimum size of area for each run? shaded area. (I do like half a door for each.)



4. stronger pressure -> more abbraisive? (I found pads dont spin(rotate) as much when I press hard, which I think is related to amount of heat it generates?)



5. OHC ->OP (first panel) ->OHC ->OP (second panel) or.... OHC entire car -> OP entire car? or does it really matter?



lol too many questions...already.



anyways, Thank you in advance.!!
 
When I used the new formula OP, I had some light dusting issues. This was fixed when I primed the pad with a very light spray of distilled water. My theory is that the a dry pad absorbs some of the oils from OP that causes it to dust. When you prime the pad with water, it will not absorb as much oil if the pad was dry, thus no dusting.



I would take some time to play around with all the polishes to see what gets you the best results. All cars are a bit different so the polishing strategy for one car might not work as well on another.



I would start on one panel of your car and play around with OHC and OP with different amounts to pressure to see if you can remove marring. I would think for anything more than light marring, you will need to use pressure with a PC + OP.







Hope this helps
 
Fear not my friend, frustration is always a product of your first machine polishing steps. You could ditch your portercable and buy a rotary, and then burn the paint like i did . . :getdown . Hahah . . . no, just kidding - on you buying the rotary :chuckle:



How I use Optimum: (alld epends on paint, color and condition):



Pick one section to try your methods, once you establish a effective plan to remove defects form one section, do the rest of the car, perhaps placing tape on areas to indicate a really bad section, so you wwill know where to spend more time. No sense in removing more paint than you halft to........



Orange Pad with OC. . . . no results then . . .

Yellow Pad with OC . . . . .no results then. . . . .

Yellow Pad with OHC. . . .usually handles the medium stuff, but if not. . .



Optimum line, same order with Rotary. Really bad stuff gets a wool pad and more agressive compound, worse stuff gets refered to Bodyshop or a more advanced detailer.



This system, along with gauging the paint and its condition prior to polishing, works well for me. I get little to zero dusting with Optimum, and when using the PC i work in small areas 1/4 of hood or 1/2 a small door. I find the QD or Water with the pad helps to evenly distribute the product, and is another dusting preventor. There should be a thin coating of product between the paint and the pad, otherwise you may be inducing more defects to the paint. You want the PC to spin a litte. . . putting pressure to the PC that bogs it down and prevents spin will hinder its ability to remove defects. . . . at least IMO and actual expieriences. Others lean on the dam thing ans swear by it . . .



Others will help you out too. . . do more thread searching in the machine polishing sections using PC and Optimum as search fields, you may find more info . . . good luck
 
idwib I had a very similar experience. I did my first car with OHC on an orange pad, and though it looks much better, once I was done I still had a lot of scratches and swirls. So when I did my nicer car I slowed down considerably, and did two passes of OHC on the orange pad. This time the results were much better. Not perfect, but I've mainly just got some scratches here and there that need a bit more attention. Unfortunately I can't say it will be a quick process. I spent about 14 hours on the car, and just on the outside I would estimate it was probably 11 hours from washing, OHC x2, OP, EX-P and 845 IW x2.
 
Also a PC with a 3.5" BP and 4" pads will remove more defects faster because it won't bog down like it does with larger pads. The 4" pads are the next best thing to use unless you want to buy a Cyclo or rotary.
 
it you are having that much trouble, find a combo that works best for you on one panel, then repeat on the rest of the car...



if you are not getting everything out with one pass, make a second pass....as in - if OHC and orange is not working completely, then make another pass of OHC and orange....it may not finish out LSP ready, but it will be close, and because you are working with a PC, it may be micro marring the paint, and that is what you are seeing...



try a couple passes of OHC, the OC, then OP....you can even use OC on an orange, then OP on orange, but finish off with OP on a polishing pad, not a cutting pad....I highly recommend the excel erasure pads from exceldetail.com....they dont bog down the PC like my 5.5" LC orange pads do (reason unknown to me, I would think the bigger the pad the easier to bog, but not in my case)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top