Removing Scratches By Hand

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Removing Scratches By Hand


I induced straightline scratches by hand, then ran a tape line across the paint, then worked the scratches out by hand using Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover, (4 well worked applications), followed by Wolfgang Finishing Glaze, (2 gentle applications), then striped with 17% IPA








I try to do all my work by machine but there are some places a buffing pad on a machine can't get to or it's risky.

[Spicy McHaggis]

good illustration of what can be achieved by hand. Generally the only spots I have to resort to hand polishing are behind door handles, and sometime door jams.

[Porsche Pilot]

What sort of applicator did you use Mike?

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Originally Posted by Porsche Pilot

What sort of applicator did you use Mike?

These pads...

CCS Red Wax/Sealant Applicator Pads 2 Pack


Basically I followed the directions in this article...

How to use a hand applied abrasive polish or paint cleaner by hand


It's a lot harder to get good results by hand than it is with a machine. For example with the DA style polishers pretty much anyone can use good pads, products and technique and get show car results... by hand it takes a little more finesse...

[Spicy McHaggis]

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

These pads...

CCS Red Wax/Sealant Applicator Pads 2 Pack


Basically I followed the directions in this article...

How to use a hand applied abrasive polish or paint cleaner by hand


It's a lot harder to get good results by hand than it is with a machine. For example with the DA style polishers pretty much anyone can use good pads, products and technique and get show car results... by hand it takes a little more finesse...

Wouldn't using an abrasive pad let you achieve better correction, or at least the same correction more quickly? I always use the orange CCS hand pad, and if it doesn't finish well I follow it up with the finer one...green I think.

[Fly bye]

[Flash Gordon]

Originally Posted by Spicy McHaggis

Wouldn't using an abrasive pad let you achieve better correction, or at least the same correction more quickly? I always use the orange CCS hand pad, and if it doesn't finish well I follow it up with the finer one...green I think.

Are you speaking of polishing pads (machine) or applicator pads (hand)

Either way, that second step cancels out any time saved by starting with an aggresive pad

Nice article Mike. What did you use to self inflict that damage

[Spicy McHaggis]

Originally Posted by Flash Gordon

Are you speaking of polishing pads (machine) or applicator pads (hand)

Either way, that second step cancels out any time saved by starting with an aggresive pad

Nice article Mike. What did you use to self inflict that damage

I'm talking about a hand polishing pad. And I know from experience that it would save time since less passes would be needed to get the same correction. Mike did 6 passes to get this correction. That could have easily be cut down to 3 or 4 if he started with a more agressive pad. Thats all.

[DARK HORSE]

Originally Posted by Flash Gordon

Are you speaking of polishing pads (machine) or applicator pads (hand)

Either way, that second step cancels out any time saved by starting with an aggresive pad

Nice article Mike. What did you use to self inflict that damage

I'm not sure why you would think this Flash, since both procedures are a 2 step process. It makes sense to me that starting with a pad with some cut to it would indeed speed up the overall process...

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Originally Posted by Spicy McHaggis

Wouldn't using an abrasive pad let you achieve better correction, or at least the same correction more quickly? I always use the orange CCS hand pad, and if it doesn't finish well I follow it up with the finer one...green I think.

You're correct.

I wasn't testing application material though and besides that, I like the thick, round red foam applicator pads, I wanted some controls in the testing so I used just the red CCS foam applicator pads, that's all.

If someone really wants to work defects out faster they can use a more aggressive product or a more aggressive applicator pad or both as I demonstrated in these two threads...


1-Step versus 3-Step Process by Hand

Man versus Machine



Excerpt from Man versus Machine

Originally Posted by Mike Phillips

Testing out the CCS Euro Foam Hand Applicator Pads
First I tested each of the different foams with the Ultimate Compound to see how each foam formula worked to remove the defects.

Red Ultra Soft CCS Euro Foam Hand Polish Applicator
The red foam was too soft for applying and working compounds as I thought it would be but I wanted to try it for myself so that anytime these tools are discussed on our forum or in our classes, I can speak from real-world knowledge and hands-on experience.

White Polishing CCS Euro Foam Hand Polish Applicator
Then I tested the white polishing applicator pad and found that it worked well for with Ultimate Compound and SwirlX because of the increased firmness.

Orange Light Cutting CCS Euro Foam Hand Polish Applicator
Lastly, I tested the orange applicator pad and found the extra firmness and aggressive nature of this foam removed defects the fastest and the most effectively with Ultimate Compound but found it to aggressive to use with a cleaner/polish.

The visual results from my testing proved that for removing serious below surface defects, the fastest and most effective pad out of the three would be to use the orange applicator pad.

Now that I confirmed which foam pad worked best on this paint system for the heavy cutting step with the Ultimate Compound, I continued with my test spot by re-working the entire area with the Ultimate Compound and the orange applicator pad.

Large Oval Shape
The CCS Hand Applicator Pads are oval in shape and comfortably fit your hand. What I really like about the orange cutting and the white polishing pads is they are firm enough to distribute the pressure from your hand evenly over the entire face of the pad in contact with the paint.

Softer foam pads tend not to offer this benefit and for some applications that’s okay but for working out defects where you’re going to need to invest a lot of time physically rubbing on the paint the firmer pads work better.

It's actually a challenge to find abrasive products that can remove defects out of a clear coat finish without leaving any behind at the same time. In the Wolfgang line, the TSR is the most aggressive paint correction product and I wanted to limit my products to this line for another project.

Great question though...