Scratch X?!

T

trueblueblood

New member
I'm new to the forum and want to say hi to everyone!

Well I'm about to Zaino my car and need to do some surface prep. I'm gonna start out with claying, but I have some fine scratches/swirl marks and some water spotting. In David's article The Zaino experience he mentions using Scratch X, I just wanted to get everyone's opinion on this product, I also have 3M swirl mark remover at my disposal. I can't order any products cause I have to do this tommorow, so any other suggestions have to be available at Wal Mart or an Auto Zone type place. Thanks for any help!:wavey
 
Until recently, I had only used ScratchX by hand to remove minor paint imperfections. It works well with foam applicator for this purpose.



A few weeks back, I watched the Meguiar's guys use ScratchX on an entire car (a BMW M3 that was in rough condition) with a DA and a standard Meguiar's foam polishing pad. The finish turned out great. The ScratchX did not remove a few heavy scratches (which required a rotary and #83), but it did remove all of the swirls and oxidation. I felt the finish after the ScratchX treatment and it was not a bit oily. I did not detect any fillers.



The following weekend I did more testing with ScratchX using a range of pads on the DA. I use the orange cutting pad at full speed with ScratchX to see if I could get it to dull my finish while removing a few water spots. Nope, it didn't, but it cut right through the fine etching. I used it with a white polishing pad oln my hood to see how well it polished a large area. It buffed out with almost no residue and great results. Finally, I used it with a fine final buffing pad to see if I could increase gloss. It gave a slight improvement, but not much.



The price it right, it's easy to use, and it fits in your back pocket.
 
Quote: Scratch X?!



~One mans opinion / observation~



ScratchX is a mildly abrasive SMR designed for hand application (although you could use a PC) with the 3M SMR you also have at hand they should take care of the ‘fine’ scratches (3M then ScratchX)



I think you’ll like the Zanio products once you’ve got the application technique down



And Wecome to Autopia



~ Hope this helps ~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*
 
true blue .. If I'm not mistaken both Scratch-X and the SMR contain oils/fillers and you might want to rub the area down with 50/50 Alcohol & water to see the results of your work. Zaino requires a clean prepped surface and the prepping will prolly remove the fillers. Hate to have you apply Zaino over what you thought was a good surface.
 
true blue blood said:
David you said with hand applications to use a foam pad what about one of your microfiber applicator pads pro/cons?:nixweiss Thanks
Click to expand...



You'd have more cutting/polish power with an MF applicator.



db
 
Quote Jesstzn{"true blue .. If I'm not mistaken both Scratch-X and the SMR contain oils/fillers and you might want to rub the area down with 50/50 Alcohol & water to see the results of your work. Zaino requires a clean prepped surface and the prepping will prolly remove the fillers. Hate to have you apply Zaino over what you thought was a good surface."}



Oh no I hope this is not another can of worms:) Anyone want to back this up? thanks
 
Thanks David so should I try with a foam app and see what it does then switch to MF for more power? What is your opinion on the previous post by jesstzn I'm not sure how to take that Thanks for bringing it up Jess:xyxthumbs
 
I swear by ScratchX. I have only used it by hand on some minor but visible scratches and it has removed them all. It leaves the finish smooth and glossy as well. I always thought it would make an excellent surface prep...and now I guess we know it does.
 
Just to chime in here,



ScratchX is formulated for use by hand only. That said, I have done some bubba-proofing by using it with both the PC and the rotary.



Here's what I found.



With the PC it works pretty good if you don't get it hot and don't use too much product. It can become quite gummy on some finishes if you get it to warm.



For example: When Bunker and I buffed out this Phantom Cobra , at Barrett-Jackson, we really went after it with the PC and the ScratchX and while the ScratchX did a great job of removing fine scratches, it gummed up horribly making removal difficult. #83 DACP would have been a much better choice.



At a recent Corvette Clinic, I tried the ScratchX with a rotary buffer after first sanding a random, isolated deeper scratch out using Nikken #2500 Finishing Paper.



On this Corvette, it worked great. I would say because the paint was soft enough to allow the combination of the ScratchX/W-7006 and rotary buffer to move small particles of paint in an effort to level the surface. I did not notice any gumming up of the product.



2704500_sandingoutscratch4-med.jpg




On this newer Corvette, the ScratchX didn't touch my sanding marks and I had to substitute #84 Compound Power cleaner in order to remove my #2500 sanding marks.



2704500_sandingoutscratch1b.jpg




For what it's worth.



Mike
 
Nice write up Mike. So is it safe to say just use DACP and not worry about the gumming? Tahts what it sounds like to me.



Trent
 
teamvegas said:
Nice write up Mike. So is it safe to say just use DACP and not worry about the gumming? Tahts what it sounds like to me.



Trent
Click to expand...



I don't know if that's safe to say... :D



But, DACP is formulated to work under time, pressure and heat. ScratchX is formulated to work under time and pressure, (hand pressure), but not heat.



That said, I have had both DACP, SFP, and #9 get gummy on me depending on the pad I'm using and the paint type



Mike
 
Thanks Mike. That cleared up a lot for me. Do they all gum with a rotary AND a PC or just the rotary depending on the paint type of course?
 
Gumming up will depend on several factor's including how much product you are using and improper high speed buffing technique's it will take some experimenting and practice to avoid gumming, however, generally some M-34 or any qd will help eliminate most gumming problem's..Gumming can happen with a pc, however it's most apparent with a rotary from my experience..My take is use enough product, but not too much were it become's excessive..I hope this information help's...
 
what is the proper way to apply scratch x? i have some sitting around my room somewhere. do you just use back and forth motions with light pressure?
 
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