Finishing Polishes?

[keeotee]

I recently started a thread and asked how many times one could buff a car using a PC, light cutting pad and light swirl remover. This is a follow up to that thread/question but is two part.

With a PC and a polishing pad, will much or even any clear coat paint be removed? And can it be used to remove a sealant?

And finally, while I know from reading posts that a finishing polish such as Pinnacle's Advanced Finishing Polish adds more pop to the paint, is there more that it does or is that its only purpose?

[cobalt9123]

I recently started a thread and asked how many times one could buff a car using a PC, light cutting pad and light swirl remover. This is a follow up to that thread/question but is two part.

With a PC and a polishing pad, will much or even any clear coat paint be removed? And can it be used to remove a sealant?

And finally, while I know from reading posts that a finishing polish such as Pinnacle's Advanced Finishing Polish adds more pop to the paint, is there more that it does or is that its only purpose?

Yes, clear coat will be removed if you use a polishing pad with cut and a polish with cut.

Yes, it can be used to remove a sealant. Most people use a high concentrate wash that isn't PH Neutral to strip the sealant from the paint. Dawn is widely used, as well as Citrus Degreasers and All Purpose Cleaners. I use Dawn to wash followed by a clay bar (which a clay bar will remove most if not all of the sealant anyways). A polishing pad with a polish will obliterate a sealant off of your paint.

It adds gloss to the paint and gets rid of very minor imperfections. It gets rid of micromarring from the compounding/polishing steps. You need a finishing polish sometimes when you're using a heavy compound/pad or both to get rid of the marring it installs while leveling the paint.


Examples of micromarring and buffer trails:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/742/69ss2.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/773/DunstonBefore02c.jpg

Taken from this thread:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/22234-tracers-rids-pigtails-cobweb-swirls-rotary-buffer-swirls-holograms-water-spots-bird-droping-etchings-micro-marring.html

[CEE DOG]

Man, towards the rear of that panel those swirls are so bad it looks like the panel was painted with white flames going down it.

[cobalt9123]

Man, towards the rear of that panel those swirls are so bad it looks like the panel was painted with white flames going down it.

Haha I know Corey. The first time I looked at the black truck's hood I said to myself "Wow those are some intricate pinstripes that go the whole length of the hood...wait a minute!" :laughing:

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

I would not use the above pictures as an example to show that a finish polish would remove them. There should be a step between your finishing step to remove the holograms. I would suggest a better finishing polish then the Pinnacle one. Since you have a pc Menzerna 85rd is going to be your best bet as a finishing polish. Also stated above it is said that a finishing polish is used to remove holograms, that is not the job of a finishing polish, that should be taken care of before your final polishing step.

Also as noted above a polish and polishing pad will not always obliterate a sealant, that is far from the truth, just like suggesting dawn, that isn't that strong to remove sealants either. Your best form of action to remove a sealnt or any lsp would be to use some type of apc in your wash then follow with either an IPA wipe down or another type of solvent.

As far as removing clear, using a pc with a finish pad and say 85rd will barely remove any type of clear cut since there is hardly any type of cut.

In the end if you want an accurate gauge of how much clear is being removed is to get a PTG, otherwise it is just guess work.

[cobalt9123]

I would not use the above pictures as an example to show that a finish polish would remove them. There should be a step between your finishing step to remove the holograms. I would suggest a better finishing polish then the Pinnacle one. Since you have a pc Menzerna 85rd is going to be your best bet as a finishing polish. Also stated above it is said that a finishing polish is used to remove holograms, that is not the job of a finishing polish, that should be taken care of before your final polishing step.

Also as noted above a polish and polishing pad will not always obliterate a sealant, that is far from the truth, just like suggesting dawn, that isn't that strong to remove sealants either. Your best form of action to remove a sealnt or any lsp would be to use some type of apc in your wash then follow with either an IPA wipe down or another type of solvent.

As far as removing clear, using a pc with a finish pad and say 85rd will barely remove any type of clear cut since there is hardly any type of cut.

In the end if you want an accurate gauge of how much clear is being removed is to get a PTG, otherwise it is just guess work.

Jeeze Dana..hating on all of my stuff, JK.

I couldn't find any good images of holograms ATM. Those are deeper than holograms, more like buffer trails from a wool pad not followed up by a foam pad and lighter polish. They do look sort of like holograms, however.

I've never really had a problem removing a sealant with a Dawn wash + clay bar. But the past few times I've removed sealants I've started with M105 and HAVE followed up with a 1:1 IPA wipedown so that could be why I never noticed.

Good tips.

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

It isn't hating, it is about correct advice. Holograms and buffer trails are the samething. Plus why does it have to be wool marks, it could easily be from a foam pad in the above pics.

[cobalt9123]

It isn't hating, it is about correct advice. Holograms and buffer trails are the samething. Plus why does it have to be wool marks, it could easily be from a foam pad in the above pics.

Doesn't have to be wool, just looks like either wool or a medium-heavy polish used with a foam pad.

The only reason I'd say wool is because most of the hack-jobs done in my town are from people incorrectly using rotaries with wool without following up. They tell a person they're going to do a multi-step polish and then take a wool pad with a medium-heavy polish to the paint, follow it up with a LSP and say that the paint is scratch/swirl free when really it's filled with buffer trails.

But you are correct, it could be from either. Who knows.

[keeotee]

I very much appreciate the responses and sharing of knowledge and information.

I need to ask what "IPA" means.

And in part I asked this question because while I buffed my new car recently using the PC and LC CCS orange pad with Pinnacle's Advanced Swirl Remover, and while the car is sufficiently suitable to my liking though not completely, I was thinking that next spring I will need to start fresh after the harsh winter. But rather than use the swirl remover I would use the finishing polish after washing and claying and then move on to the sealant as my LSP.

Basically I am trying to establish a routine. Through the summer months I'll just wash and apply a sealant and a few coats as late into the fall season as possible.

Now, since I don't plan to use a swirl remover next spring, does a finishing polish sound like a good step after getting the paint really clean?

[WRAPT C5Z06]

I need to ask what "IPA" means.


Isopropyl Alcohol

[cobalt9123]

I very much appreciate the responses and sharing of knowledge and information.

I need to ask what "IPA" means.

And in part I asked this question because while I buffed my new car recently using the PC and LC CCS orange pad with Pinnacle's Advanced Swirl Remover, and while the car is sufficiently suitable to my liking though not completely, I was thinking that next spring I will need to start fresh after the harsh winter. But rather than use the swirl remover I would use the finishing polish after washing and claying and then move on to the sealant as my LSP.

Basically I am trying to establish a routine. Through the summer months I'll just wash and apply a sealant and a few coats as late into the fall season as possible.

Now, since I don't plan to use a swirl remover next spring, does a finishing polish sound like a good step after getting the paint really clean?

Take Dana (Asphalt Rocket's) advice very seriously. He knows his stuff.

IPA = Isopropyl Alcohol. A lot of people use it to strip LSP's and inbetween polishing steps/after polishing to remove the oils and polish from the paint so you can see its true condition instead of seeing what you think is "perfect paint".

As far as your question about using the finishing polish to get rid of minor swirls for the winter, the most effective way to figure it out is to do a test spot on your paint followed by an IPA wipedown. This will show you the true condition of the paint and let you know if you need to go to a more aggressive polish/pad or not.

Sometimes you'll have to change the polish based on the condition of the paint in certain areas. When I buffed out my fathers Ford Ranger I used M205 on the upper half of the truck but the bottom half required M105/M205 because it had significantly more scratches/swirls (most likely due to mud being improperly washed off).

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

I very much appreciate the responses and sharing of knowledge and information.

I need to ask what "IPA" means.

And in part I asked this question because while I buffed my new car recently using the PC and LC CCS orange pad with Pinnacle's Advanced Swirl Remover, and while the car is sufficiently suitable to my liking though not completely, I was thinking that next spring I will need to start fresh after the harsh winter. But rather than use the swirl remover I would use the finishing polish after washing and claying and then move on to the sealant as my LSP.

Basically I am trying to establish a routine. Through the summer months I'll just wash and apply a sealant and a few coats as late into the fall season as possible.

Now, since I don't plan to use a swirl remover next spring, does a finishing polish sound like a good step after getting the paint really clean?

Without knowing the exact condition of your paint it would be hard to tell you how to approach it. A picture would help.

[keeotee]

Isopropyl Alcohol. Wow. That is the first I've heard of this. Is it diluted or full strength? Do you need to wash after using it? Although I'm guessing it mostly evaporates anyway. Very interesting. I had absolutely no idea.

I don't have any close up pics of it that would show it's condition. It is in good shape. It only has faint swirl marks here and there. There is an occasional straight line scratch. I have no idea how they came to be, but they are not easy to see.

In short, the paint is in good shape being new and all. Of course I realize this means only so much and in fact you still would need a pic to know with any certainty.

Again, thanks.

[weavers]

are AIO sealants the same as a finishing polish?

I have XMT 360 aio sealant, m105 and m205. I use m105 with orange/purple wool, and m205 with lc white pad. then xmt 360 with a finishing polish green lake country pad. after that I use coliites 845 for a wax. I'm wondering If I can take out a step somewhere.

[cobalt9123]

Isopropyl Alcohol. Wow. That is the first I've heard of this. Is it diluted or full strength? Do you need to wash after using it? Although I'm guessing it mostly evaporates anyway. Very interesting. I had absolutely no idea.

Some people dilute it 1:1 with water, others keep it full strength. It doesn't matter either way. And no you don't HAVE to wash after using it. You're correct, it evaporates away. I sometimes find myself washing the car down after polishing though because it just makes me feel better :laughing: