Car Polishing Using an Elerctric Buffer
 

It is gettting close to Spring here in the Midwest and am thinking about polising the old 911. Do any of you use an electric buffer when applying polish or wax to your cars finish? I have a bunch of surface/paint scratches that need buffed out and have tried Zaino's swirl mark remover manually with no success - the car is black which makes them even more noticable. I've used them on my daily driver but never considered using them on my baby, but every time I wax/polish my body is sore for a week - and I have a cabriolet!

What polising compounds does everyone recommend?

Thanks

This should be a great post! I'll bet we all struggle with this one.

I watched the folks who painted mine using an electric buffer, but then again he's a serious pro at it. I'm not sure I would trust myself to do it. One wrong slip and....arrrgghhhhhh :eek:

Black is probably the toughest to do. I would never do it myself and I would have to see another black car done by someone even consider allowing them to do mine. Personally, I never even touch the paint with a wash mit, wax or towel in anything other than a back and forth direction - the same direction as the flow of air over the surface. If I was to do it, however, I would ONLY use an orbital electric buffer.

AS for polishers, I use 3-M glazing compound. Be sure to wipe is off before it dries or it is a bi#ch to get off.

I'd suggest buying a used body panel (any make) from your local boneyard to practice on.

Go to the Meguiar's site and get a list of their detailing products. You'll need:

a low speed buffing machine: <2500 rpm
foam buffing pads, one for each type of polishing compound
assortment of polishing compounds from fine to medium (depending on the depth of scratches)

I believe they have a video on detailing paint. Might be a good idea to pick that up as well.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org.911pcars
www.seinesystems.com

Well, with the hell I have been going thru recently with my touchup paint fiasco (do not use lacquer based paint over stock enamel finish), I have become decent at using the buffer. Go slow and light, and mellow on the compound. I'd start with the finest compound you can buy (3M) and go from there if needed.
Let the buffer to the work. My car is Black Metallic, the worst of both worlds :)

cheers
-Brad
80SC - in need of professional touchup

Never a power buffer on my car. Usual technique is Meguiars #7 polish, only in needed places...then a coat of #6 cleaner/wax by Meguiars. I top that with a coat of pure carnuba, several brands I've used for this step, all seem to work about the same...Harley, Blitz, Meguiars...haven't been able to tell much difference. But, I'm doing all this on original 30 year old factory enamel... the more modern paints could be different. I'll try to attach a pic of the shine. Think it's adequate? Thanks to Jeff (Rufblackbird) for scanning the photo for me.

Vance- I have alot of experience with Black paint. It is definetely a different procedure than ANY other color. For a concours finish, you must use a high speed polisher if you have scratches, spider webs, heavy swirl marks, ect. You have to cut the paint to get to a fresh layer and that takes speed. The best product I've used for concours events is called "Liquid Ebony" polish and swirl mark remover. You have to go to an auto paint supply store to get your hands on it. Bring it to a professional detailer whom you trust with a high speed polisher. Only check his work on a black car, the other colors will not show you how good he is. After he's done polishing, apply a HARD liquid wax, not a cream or paste wax, as those should be left for other colors that don't need as much protection as black. OEM Porsche hard wax works well and is VERY DIFFICULT to work with. The results are worth it, and it will allow you to use a standard orbital buffer in the future for polish/wax jobs. Regardless, black doesn't stay swirl free for nearly as long as most other colors. The key is to get the paint PERFECT and PROTECTED so when you do get swirls, you can proceed as you would with othet colors.

Great testimony pwd!! Amazing!

http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate...olishpaint.JPG


Not really a fair judge because you can touch up a picture, but this one close to actual.

p.s. now that I see it on the post- it's too dark. Really hard to judge on this monitor.

Ohmygod. These are automobiles, not jewelry. Get lives.

Stephan

Just trying to be accurate and help the guy......http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate...tnchppaint.JPG

I will agree with the "never use a power buffer" statement, and disagree with the "get a life!" statement. ;) Only a car? Only a Porsche! :D

Everyone I've seen who uses a power buffer has "swirls" in their paint. I have been hand waxing the same car for years (straight lines, never circles) and nary a swirl in sight.

I've also seen a number of cars fresh from the detailers which look almost pearlescent from all the swirls left in the layer of wax by a power buffer. Know what I mean?

One speck of dust under a power buffer, and you've spun it around in a circle on your paint 50 times before you notice its there.

Plus, nothing like a little "elbow grease" to give you that feeling of satisfaction of a job well done. :)

-Boyo

Swirls and bullets...
 

It ALL depends on the person pulling the trigger. If you have a paint job with "orange peel" (as some factory jobs do), then in order to bring out the paint you will need to color sand and buff, using the correct compounds. If you have had your car repainted, you bet it needs additional color sanding and buffing. ASK a "hottroder" if he's had someone use a buffer on his car, and 95% will say yes, at one time there has been someone whom has done a color and buff.

Maintaining the paint and body are as important as any other maintenance. If you want to do a half-assed job on your car saying "it's just an automobile" that's cool, same as if you never change your oil, adjust your valves, or put in new plugs. But dont be asinine just because everyone else isn't just like you. Not everyone sees his car solely as a future parts car in someone's restoration project a few years from now. :)

Emanuel

Boyo is right about waxing- do it by hand( I forgot to mention that). But polishing BLACK paint takes a skilled hand on a high speed POLISHER.

BTW: Paul, your new wheels rock! I may have to gets me sum o' those!

R22...thanks, but I've been running those wheels since, oh, '77 or so. Sorry about that stone chip. I'd have thought you had a neat car otherwise. (Whoops, how do I put the "just kidding" rolleyes here instead of at the end?) And Curt? My car had tons or Orange peel when I bought it, but it's amazing how 28 years of loving wax jobs can remove it. ;) Actually the peel was pretty much gone by year 10 or so...Maybe the factory added the Orange peel, knowing it would eventually be polished/waxed out?
We did that, waxed a lot, back in the old days...:rolleyes:

Is that Irish green ??
 

Paul...is that Irish green ? the PIC makes it look almost black. I thought our cars were the same color. BTW, we had a Sregistry meet down here Saturday: Great guys...poor turn out, too bad.

My Porsche is silver (a very easy color to work with) but my RX7 is black... and I just buffed her out this weekend. Used a high speed buffer at 2000 rpm, and 3M products made for dark colored cars- a rubbing compound with the right foam pad, followed by a swirl mark remover w/ the right foam pad, and finished off the deal w/ Zymol applied by hand. Judge for yourself.....<p>

Here is another:

Hi,

Good post... I think it's a personal opinion. I have hand waxed/cleaned my cars and truck for years, but I want to step up to a buffer.
I have tried several componds, manufacturers, and ways to clean, wax/polish my truck and Porsche's.

I like Meguiar's products best. Although I tried their 1,2,3 system, on my 79 911SC and it didn't remove the swirls. I do like the 6 cleaner and the wax/polisher, as well as the quick polish.

I like Mother's in the Interior on the leather (cleaner & conditioner).

I am thinking about the polisher because of the swirls; I saw a "TV car show" that a Meguiar's tech used one on a brand new street rod and the results were awesome. Of course this was a fresh paint job and wet sandpaper could have got the same results, but the polisher looked alot easier.

I will post some pictures once all my "little projects" are completed.

Just my two cents..

http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/...s/beerchug.gif

Sean? Your RX7? WOW! Now, perhaps we should think about another post...paints used in various years, and which works best on what. Yeah Curt, it's factory Irish green, sprayed in July of '72. But it's a funny color...surround it with green, it looks almost black. Put it in a parking lot, it gets lighter...the pic was not retouched. Just mailed a photo to a friend, he scanned it so I could download & post. Photo processing done by a local drug store.

I've always heard that on a black car "When you can't tell where the glass ends and the paint begins...You've done it right" I have both an Astro air buffer..(wish my compressor could keep up) and an orbital electric buffer. I use the orbital for the finish work. My 944 is Montego Black and is definitely more particular than my Petrol Blue 911 when it comes to fine finishing of a polish/wax job.

Swirl marks are usually caused by a wool bonnet on a machine buffer. That's why a foam bonnet is recommended. What do the detail shops use? Sometimes whatever is expedient and what they're used to. Many shop will hide swirl marks using glazing compounds that temporarily mask the fine scratches. That's why a beautifully finished car might look **ity after washing and removing the glaze. A trick I learned from a detailer: spray some alcohol on a detailed panel, wipe off, then inspect. If glazing compound was used, the alcohol will dissolve it to reveal any physical swirl marks. Then kick the detailer's a** and take it to someone that knows better.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars
www.seinesystems.com

Black Porsches are a tough one to get right.I get outstanding results with The Wax Shop Safe Cut to remove swirls and scratches.I use this to polish the paint after a very good washing
with car wash soap.100% cotton towels (Wal-Mart) to apply and Flannel rags to remove.I just posted the procedure on Rennlist
that I use, too lengthy to do it again so go to Rennlist and give a look.I did a black Strosek Speedster for our Austin Hill Country Region (PCA) councours and won best of show... I admit I got lucky, the owner takes excellent care of the car so I really did not have to do that much, and it is a very beautiful car! I do everything by hand and I take my time.I hate to admit it but,
even though it is not a Porsche, the RX-7 does look fantastic ! as does R22tech's 911.I do not like to do black Porsches so owners of very beautiful black Porsches get my highest respect !

PWD collection time...
 

Paul ...I'm going to Cambria and take up a collection OR donation, so that you can have a Digital camera, and a scanner. I'm sure ALL will participate. We dig seeing that car from ALL angles. ):

HOOT! Thanks for the kind words, Curt...but I'm an old goat...even if I had those gadgets, I probably wouldn't know what to do with them. Heck, I thought it was high tech to snail mail a few pics to Jeff, who scanned them for me. Amazing stuff, these computers/the internet, all of that.

I broke down and purchased a cheap buffer from a local parts store. I got tired of doing of doing the buffing by hand and making little progress getting the swirls out. After two times using the buffer and Meguiars swirl remover I am making progress, but it is slow. At least my shoulder doesn't hurt after after each coat. I am going to try the 3M swirl remover designed for dark color cars next. Once I get all the swirls removed I can go back to the manual method!