To polish or not to polish?

G

Grimm

New member
Tell me if I'm way off base here. A guy on a car forum is trying to say that his high quality paint booth removes any need for buffing. He said buffing just introduces scratches (swirls) that need to be covered up with glaze. I would think that no matter how perfect you think you can paint, the surface is going to have microscopic imperfections in the surface that would benefit from polishing, right? I think it sounds like the guy is just a hack with a buffer, so he is better off skipping that step.
 
Having worked in the detail department in a very high end body shop (where 99% of the cars were BMW's. Mercedes, Rolls Royces and Bentleys) with some of the best automotive painters I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, I would say that the guy on the forum is full of excremental matter.
 
That's a bit off base. I don't think it matters how good you are...you're still going to have to buff and polish. Is he also saying that while painting he doesn't need to sand at all either? :puke:
 
Exactly. He was posting about his new booth, and when someone mentioned something about buffing, he said he doesn't buff. He said all you are doing is covering up your bad paint job, and creating more problems (scratches), which takes more time. He said if you have the right equipment, and do it right, you don't need to buff. His proof? New car assembly plants, hahahahaha! It's obvious he's all about fast turnaround, and not high quality paint.
 
DaGonz said:
Having worked in the detail department in a very high end body shop (where 99% of the cars were BMW's. Mercedes, Rols Royces and Bentleys) with some of the best automotive painters I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, I would say that the guy on the forum is full of excremental matter.
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:werd: Pretty much!



Yeah, you can get a finish looking pretty damn good if you have the right paint equipment, but to say that buffing just introduces swirls that need to be covered up is just dead wrong.
 
"but to say that buffing just introduces swirls that need to be covered up is just dead wrong."



Why am I thinking of Jeff Suggs?
 
Umm, aren't most cars buffed at the factory? Also curious as to how he's 100% dust free. My understanding is that even in the cleanest of shops, contaminants are an issue. Maybe he just needs glasses....
 
No, most vehicles out of an assembly plant "are NOT buffed or polished".

There may be "small dust nib areas" that get a quick sand and buff, normally no more than one to two inch areas.

If there are an excess of such predetermined areas, then the body is often totally sanded and sent back through the base/clear process.

Grumpy
 
cjbigcog said:
"but to say that buffing just introduces swirls that need to be covered up is just dead wrong."



Why am I thinking of Jeff Suggs?
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Because Jeff Suggs is equally full of crap.



"The clay mills down the overspray liquefies is and turns it into tiny little unicorns that fly away while you sleep"
 
pmnewton said:
Because Jeff Suggs is equally full of crap.



"The clay mills down the overspray liquefies is and turns it into tiny little unicorns that fly away while you sleep"
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We should start a list of "Suggs-isms" taken from his fantastic, one-of-a-kind videos. We have so much to learn from a guy with such heroic skills and knowledge.
 
Ron Ketcham said:
No, most vehicles out of an assembly plant "are NOT buffed or polished".

There may be "small dust nib areas" that get a quick sand and buff, normally no more than one to two inch areas.

If there are an excess of such predetermined areas, then the body is often totally sanded and sent back through the base/clear process.

Grumpy
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How is it some makers get the paint perfectly flat and others fail so miserably? My Jetta, not an expensive car by far, hecho en Mexico has amazingly flat paint. Are some car makers just terrible at painting?



JSW_NuFinish.JPG
 
If I recall correctly, orange peel is due to not spraying enough paint; so they are being cheap on the finish.
 
Grimm, it's pretty easy to get orange peel regardless of how thick the layer of paint is you're laying down. Here's a great site with a ton of information on the causes of orange peel. It's a pretty complicated subject; more so than could be explained here on a forum post. Even if you're not interested in becoming a car painter, that site is chocked full of great information relevant to paint polishing. Definitely worth a few hours/days of reading.



I haven't broken down and ordered their DVD course yet, as the forums there have an incredible amount of information in them.
 
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