Rubbing compound by machine?

V

vroddad

New member
I read in the tips forum that you should "Never apply rubbing compound by machine" but carguy said 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound is a small step up from FI2 and I have no qualms using FI2 by machince.



The questions are: Can I use 3M FCRC by PC? To the whole car? To the horizontal panels (that need it the most)? Should I apply something finer after the RC? (FI2, #9 2.0, Meg. Deep Crystal Polish, that's what I have on the shelf) or will FCRC come out OK by itself?
 
Frederf,





I can't help with your other questions, but it says "Compound with an air or electric buffer" on the back of my bottle of Perfect It II so I assume its okay. I just did the hood of my truck with my PC and it looks great.



Good luck



Darcy
 
Who said you should never apply rubbing compound by machine?? First of all, that's a broad statemant to make. Sure, don't apply Turtle Wax rubbing compound by machine (or by anything, for that matter!! ;) ), there are some cars that have to be compounded, and to get the fullest potential out of the compound, it must be used by machine. I have compounded numerous cars with wool pads using machines, whether it be a rotary buffer or a PC. 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound is not a strong compound, and I generally wouldn't be afraid to use it with a machine on just about any car.



What condition is your car in? Is it clear coated? What color is the car? Are you using a PC or something else? What kind of pad are you gonna use?



If you decide to go the 3M FCRC route, I would definitly follow up with something less abrasive. A rubbing compound will actually dull the shine a little, so you need a less abrasive polish with finer grit that will bring back the clearest shine. Of your products, #9 should do the trick. If not, you might have to step up to FI-II, but I seriously doubt that would be neccessary. I would keep Deep Crystal on the shelves for good!



Depending on the answers to the questions above, the following should make your car look spectacular:

1) 3M FCRC by machine, pad depending on color and condtion of car

2) Meg's #9 2.0 by machine, foam pad

3) #26 or other carnauba wax (unless of course you go the sealent route)



Good luck! If you are still unsure of some things, answer those questions above and I can tell you exactly what I would reccomend.
 
Chuckmotor's got it right!:up

In fact, it's more a like a requirement to use a buffer/polisher.

I used that exact same product recently with excellent results.

here are the steps I did... practically the same thing Chuckmotor performed, but with slightly different products.



1. 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound. Wool pad... but slightly dampening with water until product dried up, and using little product. Then repeating on next 2x2 foot area. with a slightly damped pad, etc.

2. 3M Swirl Mark Remover. Foam pad.

3. Imperial hand glaze (only step performed by HAND)

4. 3M Show Car Liquid Wax



it was the combo of the first three product which was really amazing.



I ALMOST got FI-II instead of the fine compound... but 3M stated it was a very versatile product and I HIGHLY agree! Plus I wanted something I could manipulate to make it more aggressive at cutting since it is a compound and I believe FI-II is a polish... so there you have it.



I used to try and do stuff by hand... but then I woke up!:D
 
http://www.autopia.ws/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8591



Rubbing compounds should never be used by machine. A rubbing compound is nothing more than sandpaper in a liquid form. If your paint needs compounding, do it by hand. Use a flat pad, such as a kitchen sponge to apply the compound, and buff with a quality 100% cotton terrycloth towel.
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Yeah, I have the bottle of FCRC, haven't looked on the back yet.



I was planning to use a PC w/ CMA yellow on it. My car is fine, but a friend has a newer black Protege (med-heavy siwrils) and my grandpa has a del Sol (black, swirled to make anyone sick, especially an Autopian, like he took a brass brush to it or something). My 2001 Mazda Tribute ES in Desert Metallic has gotten a treatment with FI2 w/ griot's orange pad and is rather happy right now. There are some scrates that FI2 didn't touch and I may hit them with FCRC. I've noticed stuff is less agressive than I'd like, #9 2.0 ... didn't help, FI2 helped on the smaller ones... I think grandpa's del Sol needs a woolpad.
 
I disagree with some of David's views. Such as stating not to use compound by machine but rather by hand... when many compounds state to use by machine on their labels. I think this is a safer statement, since most compounds are made to be aggresive. However, I think many compounds today are a cross-breed of sorts, some compounds are somwhere inbetween product almost half polish and half glaze... 3M's Perfect-It 2 light rubbing compound is something like this, as is 3M SMR in the same regard, only being it's a glaze. I've also found that working the product slightly past the point of becoming dry really helps in glazing. Besides, most of the products I use, and most of what's sold off the shelf these day's are pretty mild, and it would be pretty hard to do any damage unless you had a desire in you to just grab some heavy cut and a wool pad. I also feel that, with caution a wool pad is fine. I've only used a slighty dampened wool pad with very fine cut compound a light hand. I think alot of it is common sense, but many of the products today can be confusing since there is so much to choose from and since they also start to cross over in their function.
 
What condition is your car in? Is it clear coated? What color is the car? Are you using a PC or something else? What kind of pad are you gonna use?
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Hi Chuck, being a well experienced detailer, let me run this one by you...My alpine white '99 M3 is in great shape...The paint is smooth, shiny, and for the most part, free of swirls and scratches..its garage parked most of the time...Yet, every once in a while, something happens..I recently had the car at teh dealership, who had to send it ot their body shop for some weld reinforcements to the rear shock towers...Anyway, the welding, and grinding, prompted the dealer to call me and request permission to wash the car, which they have general instructions not to do...I caved in and let them.



For the most part, it was ok...But, I did pick up a few clear coat layer scratches in the hood...Not the kind you can grab with a finger nail, but the kind you can see in certain indirect indoor lighting. Yesterday, in the awful heat, I took some 3m Fine Cut Rubbing Compound, and a small sanding block wrapped in terry, and went after them. I also hand rubbed with a Meguiars foam hand pad....In the end, all I accomplished was to roll over the edges a bit, to make them somewhat less noticeable...But theyre clearly still there.



I want to know if you abide by my next planned steps... Remember, Im only after about 4 random scratches in the clear layer, not deep enough for finger nail grabbing, and about 3 - 5 inches long..



I plan to take my PC with my polishing pad, and apply some more 3m FCRC. If that doesnt get all of it, I plan on doing the same, but with my foam cutting 6" pad instead. I fully expect one of these to take care of it...BTW, since the damage is very local, just in 4 different scratches on an otherwise perfect surface, Id be very tempted to keep the PC pad orbiting in pretty much the same place...But, I know this goes against recognized technique, which generally has you moving the pad around to not build up too much heat or pressure in one spot...But since the damage is localized, does this still apply?



Any way, if they are still there, Id bring out the rotary, and use the same pads, in the above order, and the same products.



Whenever I find the scratches are gone, Id follow up probably with Meguiars #9, or #3, and then wax...



Is this pretty much the prescribed course of action for the damage Ive described?



thanks for your help.
 
paul e said:
I want to know if you abide by my next planned steps... Remember, Im only after about 4 random scratches in the clear layer, not deep enough for finger nail grabbing, and about 3 - 5 inches long..



I plan to take my PC with my polishing pad, and apply some more 3m FCRC. If that doesnt get all of it, I plan on doing the same, but with my foam cutting 6" pad instead. I fully expect one of these to take care of it...BTW, since the damage is very local, just in 4 different scratches on an otherwise perfect surface, Id be very tempted to keep the PC pad orbiting in pretty much the same place...But, I know this goes against recognized technique, which generally has you moving the pad around to not build up too much heat or pressure in one spot...But since the damage is localized, does this still apply?
Click to expand...



I had the same situation as you. I did 3M FCRC by yellow CMA pad w/ a PC on 6... didn't even touch those "more than swirls but can't feel with a fingernail" marks.
 
didn't even touch those "more than swirls but can't feel with a fingernail" marks
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Frederf, might I suggest you try a good wool pad instead...I think youll see better results. Also, I think maybe I need to spend more time with it....Typically, Ill cover the scratch area with the PC for maybe 10 to 15 seconds at a time...Then, I'll rub off the product with a mf towel, to see what I hath wrought, so to speak...If nothing, then reload, and hit it again....and so on...I think next time, with the wool pad, after Ive determined that its not going to scratch anything, maybe I'll go over the area for more like 30-60 seconds, or until the product is about used up. And if that still doesnt do it, out comes the rotary! To be followed by the PC...I just think we need to handle scraches ON the clearcoat differently than those IN the clear coat... And the latter need alot more time, and sometimes, a cutting pad, or even a rotary...Try mild first, then move on to the big guns, but slowly.
 
Frederf said:




I had the same situation as you. I did 3M FCRC by yellow CMA pad w/ a PC on 6... didn't even touch those "more than swirls but can't feel with a fingernail" marks.
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I had the same experiance as you two have had. Dont waste your time with the PC, it takes too long and you wont accomplish anything more than what you did by hand. Just get the rotary out and be done with it!
 
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