Polishing single stage paints

S

Striker

Active member
Any tips and advice on single stage paint polishing? I have never done it and would appreciate some tips. I own both a rotary and a DA along with some menzerna polishes and foam pads.



Much appreciated. Car is a 1990 Mustang.



*Edit* I just read Scottwax stating that Megs 80 and 83 work brilliantly on SS paints- anyone else car to elaborate?
 
When you use an abrasive product (polish) on a vehicle with single stage paint, you will notice paint transfer on your pads as they tend to oxidize more than clear coat systems so be prepared to clean and/or replace pads often; as a general rule use a more aggressive pad before moving up the scale to a an abrasive polish. Using products that contain oils to provide a gloss is highly recommended As a general rule use a more aggressive pad before moving up the scale in an abrasive polish IMO single stage paint has a richer gloss than a clear coat finish



The Optimum Hyper range of polishes, Menzerna Intensive Polish or Meguiar's M80, with its diminishing abrasives work very well on single stage paint, removing moderate defects and nicely refining the finish, the polishing oils will restore gloss and depth. Start with Lake County (LC) Orange (light) cutting foam you may also want to try an LC Green polishing foam pad.
 
Striker- One reason why people (myself included!) often mention the older Meguiar's products is the way most single stage paints respond to both the diminishing abrasives and the Trade Secret Oils. In some (many?) cases, those oils really do "feed the paint"...yeah, that "feed the paint" stuff is BS when referring to b/c, but *not always* with regard to ss.



DON'T strip the oils after polishing unless you have a very good reason for doing so, just wax over them and redo when necessary. IF you *do* have a good reason, well...that's different but I'd still think long and hard about that as IMO the old fashioned approach (oils/glaze topped with wax) works great on "old fashioned" single stage paint.



FWIW, I don't go for maximum polishing with ss the way I usually do with b/c. What I mean is that where I might burnish b/c with *very* fine finishing polishes, going for the utmost in gloss and reflectivity, I don't do that with ss, preferring a "deep, rich" look. As I once told a pal in the Jag Club, "it's a '60s Jag, the paint shouldn't look like what's on a brand-new Lexus".
 
Accumulator said:
Striker- One reason why people (myself included!) often mention the older Meguiar's products is the way most single stage paints respond to both the diminishing abrasives and the Trade Secret Oils. In some (many?) cases, those oils really do "feed the paint"...yeah, that "feed the paint" stuff is BS when referring to b/c, but *not always* with regard to ss.



DON'T strip the oils after polishing unless you have a very good reason for doing so, just wax over them and redo when necessary. IF you *do* have a good reason, well...that's different but I'd still think long and hard about that as IMO the old fashioned approach (oils/glaze topped with wax) works great on "old fashioned" single stage paint.



FWIW, I don't go for maximum polishing with ss the way I usually do with b/c. What I mean is that where I might burnish b/c with *very* fine finishing polishes, going for the utmost in gloss and reflectivity, I don't do that with ss, preferring a "deep, rich" look. As I once told a pal in the Jag Club, "it's a '60s Jag, the paint shouldn't look like what's on a brand-new Lexus".
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Thanks accumulator, you've always helped.



Could you point me in the right direction as to what products I need to order? Pads and polishes, preferably in which order I need to work them? Many thanks.
 
I'd still do the major correction with someting like M105/M101/M100 on a MF Cutting Disk, but I wouldn't go nuts about getting it perfect.



Then I'd think about something like M80 instead of the more modern/"better" M205 (let alone a really great finishing polish like PO85RD or Polish, but note that this whole "don't over-shine it!" thing is just *IMO*). I'd probably use that M80 with an orange Griot's polishing pad or the similar LC Tangerine, or the green pads if using the Cyclo) but most any "regular polishing pad" oughta work just fine.



For a *VERY* gentle polish that'll basically just act like a glaze (i.e., zero real correction) the M09 v2.0 can be nice, it's like M07 only has just a tiny bit of cut which IME just makes it easier to buff off.



I never found single stage to be all that finicky about which pads I used, but then I did most of my ss polishing back before there *were* a lot of pads to choose from! And actually, it always worked out just fine. SS is just generally *easier* than b/c and *IMO* it's all about the overall look, not 100% correction, not ultimate gloss. I just don't go all 21st century Autopian about ss :grinno:



I'd wax it with Collinite 476S. M26 would probably look a tiny bit better, but I'd want the 476S' durability. IMO M16 would be a bit "reflective and bright" for that particular paint/vehicle.



I really like those Fox body Mustangs, drove 'em at Bondurant back when they were new.
 
Thanks accumulator- i definitely found a gem, she's bone stock with approx 70k miles and it's also a notchback :)



so the good news is I already have some m105! Bad news- i have zero pads left! All I have are two, large 3m polishing and finishing pads for my makita. Am I being too aggressive by getting some 4 inch cutting pads for my DA? Not really sure whether to stick to the rotary of pc.



I also heard that I'm gonna go thru pads quickly on the ss paint. Stock up I guess?

Ps-for the m09 are white LC pads ok?
 
Striker- While I learned the rotary on ss back in the '70s, I'd still do it via DA, but that's just me. Note that holograms are not as much of an issue with ss, in fact, if you get those in a big way on ss paint something's *VERY* wrong.



Yeah, get a fair number of pads! No, I don't think the 4" cutting pads would be too much via DA, that's how I did things before more aggressive machines/products/pads were available.



The white LS pads oughta be fine with the M09, if they end up having too much cut you'll just see that the finish isn't quite as nice as it oughta be. But really, we got by just fine on ss paint without all the fancy finishing pads that are available today.
 
one little issue, Accumulator- my local supplier does not carry tangerine lc pads. I can get megs mf pads, lc orange and white. Also,no m09! I knowing making this difficult but it's what I'm working with. Let meknow if an alternative exists.
 
Striker said:
*Edit* I just read Scottwax stating that Megs 80 and 83 work brilliantly on SS paints- anyone else car to elaborate?
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Old advice, Optimum Hyper Polish and Compound kill 80 and 83 on single stage. I was having a lot of trouble with a single stage white mid 90's Land Cruiser, 80 and 83 didn't seem to be cutting it. On a whim, I tried Optimum Hyper Polish and it was a night and day difference. No idea why polishes designed for modern base coat/clear coat finishes work so well but they do. Don't think I've used 80 or 83 since and that was about 3 years ago now.
 
Scottwax- i am on my suppliers site and I see optimum polish 2 and optimum compound 2- are these the two you speak of?



Never mind, I found them. The spay bottle compounds I just never heard of them. Orange and white pads for each?
 
Scottwax- What with SS white (usually) being so hard, I bet that factors in to why those "more modern" products worked so well.
 
I should note that the condition of the paint isn't the greatest- there are areas with heavy scratches and overall marks left by a car cover and other debris of 23 years. In some spots the car has a dull black finish, most notably the top panels.
 
Striker said:
I should note that the condition of the paint isn't the greatest...
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Well, it is what it is. Fortunately, flaws that would look terrible on b/c are seldom as big a deal on ss.
 
Accumulator said:
Scottwax- What with SS white (usually) being so hard, I bet that factors in to why those "more modern" products worked so well.
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Worked great on a guards red 911 too. And that's reasonably soft paint.
 
Striker said:
Scottwax- i am on my suppliers site and I see optimum polish 2 and optimum compound 2- are these the two you speak of?



Never mind, I found them. The spay bottle compounds I just never heard of them. Orange and white pads for each?
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I prefer microfiber pads, make sure you run the pads over a dampend MF towel and a nylon bristle brush after every section.
 
Never used mf pads- am I good with megs cutting and finishing mf pads?





Since I have a brand new bottle of m105, would it make sense to go with m205, followed up with m09 on a gray finishing pad?
 
Striker said:
Never used mf pads- am I good with megs cutting and finishing mf pads?
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Never used the MF finishing pads, sorry :nixweiss





Since I have a brand new bottle of m105, would it make sense to go with m205, followed up with m09 on a gray finishing pad?
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I find M205 isn't always the best on ss as it has "sharp" abrasives. But it might work fine in your case, won't know until you try. BUT...using M09 afterwards will diminish the gloss and probably make it look "worse". IMO we're talking two very different approaches here, not necessarily compatible.
 
My supplier carries the megs mf cutting pads, so I'll use those with m105. The tangerine pads you recommended with m80 aren't available so ill need to find an alternative pad to work with here. As for m09 he also said doesn't show that in stock as well. M09 should be something I can use with a gray finishing pad?I've got one for my rotary.



*found out m09 isn't available in canada at all*
 
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