Need Help Removing Swirls Out of Black Paint!

[jzuniga01]

I am new to the detaling environment and I need a lot of help. I have a black car with swirl marks (light) and I want to correct the paint the best I can. The products that I have are mothers pre wax cleaner, an AIO polish wax, poorboy's black hole show glaze and p21s wax. I also have two white pads. Would I be able to do some change with this or no change at all (in regards the swirl marks)? If it is really not going to do much could someone tell me what do I need to get it looking good. Remember I am a beginner and have no experince, just some basics. I would really appreciate your help.

[Mike Phillips]

I also have two white pads.

This doesn't tell us much? Do you mean you have two white foam buffing pads for an electrical polisher?


If so... which polisher do you have?

Regardless, you really need a dedicated Swirl Mark Remover, i.e. an abrasive polish or compound.


Let us know which polisher you have or if your two white pads are some kind of hand applicator pads and we can better help you.

I'll add a few more words to your subject to...

[jzuniga01]

They are white pads for an orbital polisher. So the mother pre wax cleaner won't work? which swirl remover would work? How many pads will I need to do my truck and car? oh gosh I have so many questions!

[Mike Phillips]

They are white pads for an orbital polisher.

Most of the time when someone says "Orbital Polisher" they mean something that looks like the polisher in the picture below... Take a moment to click on the link and read through the article.

Traditional Orbital Buffer aka The Wax Spreader

So the mother pre wax cleaner won't work? which swirl remover would work? How many pads will I need to do my truck and car? oh gosh I have so many questions!

Questions are great! We have answers and will love to see you through to success!

The problem is if your polisher/buffer looks like the one in the above pictures you will be more effective rubbing your car's paint out by hand if you want to remove swirls out of a clear coat finish. This has to do with the fact that modern clear coat paints are pretty hard an these old style polishers just don't work well for removing swirls out of clear coat paints.

Here's a few articles that will bring you up to speed on what you want to do and reality.


The practical differences between single stage paints and a clear coat paints

Man versus Machine

1-Step versus 3-Step Process by Hand


The fastest and easiest way to remove swirls and create a show car finish is by machine but you want to use the right machine for clear coats, check out the DA Style Polishers, the Flex 3401 or the Cyclo in this thread,

How to choose the right polisher for your detailing project


Here's some videos that show some topics you might be interested int,

How to Remove Swirls and Scratches using the Porter Cable 7424XP

How to do a Section Pass using a Dual Action Polisher - Key to Removing Swirls

How detailing clay works and how to use detailing clay to remove above surface bonded contaminants



We'll have videos on the Flex 3401 and Rotary Buffers coming up...

[jzuniga01]

Yes, it looks just like that. I really don't want to spend $200 in a polisher. So I think I am going to do it by hand then. Are the products that I have any good? Do I need more? if so, which products do I need?

[Mike Phillips]

Yes, it looks just like that. I really don't want to spend $200 in a polisher. So I think I am going to do it by hand then. Are the products that I have any good? Do I need more? if so, which products do I need?

Read all the way these three threads,

The practical differences between single stage paints and a clear coat paints

Man versus Machine

1-Step versus 3-Step Process by Hand



I'm pretty sure I cover exactly how to rub-out paint to remove swirls and scratches in one of them because TECHNIQUE is all important to avoid


Fingermarks






To do the job by hand you'll want to get these, actually you can use any clay but you wanted to get Ultimate Compound and SwirlX.

Man versus Machine

For the hand portion of this comparison we'll be using, Smooth Surface Clay Kit, Ultimate Compound, SwirlX, NXT Tech Wax and Supreme Shine Microfiber Polishing Cloths .

remember, you can only work a small section at a time, about 16" squarish or so, you cannot try to remove the swirls out of a clear coat finish by tackling half a hood at one time.. it's not going to work. Read the article I give you the link to about the practical difference between single stage paints and basecoat/clearcoat paints.

[jzuniga01]

Are any of the other products that I named of any good use? Mothers pre wax cleaner, AIO, Poorboy's Black hole? Thanks Mike for helping me out you are great!

[Mike Phillips]

Are any of the other products that I named of any good use? Mothers pre wax cleaner, AIO, Poorboy's Black hole?

You can and should definitely give them a try by doing a Test Spot, that is apply and work the product to a small area and then inspect. If you like the results you're getting then duplicate the test spot over the rest of the car, if you don't like the results you're getting you'll be glad you only worked on a small area and you'll want to get some different products.

Clear coat paints are "scratch-sensitive", that is even though they are hard they are easily scratched, so you want to be careful when testing out products especially by hand.

Maybe go ahead and try your TOB with the Mother's Pre-Wax Cleaner, the Black Hole and the AIO I'm confident that these products will all improve the appearance, but as for 100% removal of swirls out of a clear coat finish you normally need something with a littler more power.

Remember, removing swirls means removing a little paint till you "level" the surface flat.

[jzuniga01]

So can I use the Ultimate Coumpund, Swirl x, pre wax cleaner, Black Hole and then top it of with P21s?

[jzuniga01]

Or can I just use the Swirl X and then the other products without using the Compound? I am just scared of messing the paint more than what it is with the compound.