Technique for Final Polish/ Jeweling

[swanicyouth]

I'm not new to orbital polishers, a few years ago I bought the old 7424 (before the XP was out). At the time I was able to use it to get a nice finish, but not able to correct. Fast forward to now, I decided to go back, watch Mikes videos, and give it another try... And finally, Results! But I do have a few specific questions about final polishing/ jeweling with a polish like P085RD:

1. When using a light final polish to "jewel" the paint on an orbital, I understand the speed should be about 5. Should you increase/decrease speed/pressure as you go along to get a finer finish? In other words, compared to your previous polishing step, would you run you machine faster with higher pressure? Faster with lower pressure? Slower with higher pressure? Or, slower with lower pressure (compared to regular polishing of swirls).

... Thanks , this forum has already helped me do much

[silverfox]

I think the first question that needs to be cleared up is....can you even jewel the paint at all with PO85rd without using a rotary buffer..?..I have read opinions all over the place on this subject.

[swanicyouth]

Good point. So I guess rotation speed should be higher than regular polishing? Less pressure? Thanks!

[BillE]

I may be doing it all wrong, but....for example:

When doing the polishing phase, say you are using a red pad at speed 5, I will drop down a color (this case, black/gray) and the speed by 1 to 1 1/2 and repeat for the final jewel.

My $.02,

Bill

[Bunky]

The technique most people use is to use at least speed 5 and work it like any other polish. Once the polish is nearly broken down, you back off the pressure for a couple passes. This has worked for me.

The key is to use a pad with no cut and let the polish do its job without over working it.

[swanicyouth]

This is the exact type of info I was looking for. Thanks!

[CleanGene]

When jeweling with PO85RD, I find I get better results using a rotary.

[SATracker]

Here's a great thread on the concept, on page 2 it talks about DA jeweling:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/37767-jewelling-definition.html

[Agfan]

Rotary is the best way but you can with a DA. Just takes a lot longer.

[slammin86]

So what would the proper technique for doing this with a porter cable be? I have PO85RD and a blue pad.

[Kitoy22]

So what would the proper technique for doing this with a porter cable be? I have PO85RD and a blue pad.

Like what the others have said, rotary would be your best bet for jeweling. I have read somewhere maybe in this forum or autopiaforum, that it is possible to jewel a paint via DA, the concept would be to avoid erratic orbital movement of your pad, and still maintain a consistent spin in your DA. This is really difficult specially in uneven or rounded surfaces, unlike a rotary which can maintain a steady speed even in uneven or rounded surfaces.
If using a 5.5" pad, have your DA set to a lower speed 3-3.5 with constant light- moderate pressure, with slow arm speed.
If using a 6.5" pad, have your DA speed set to 4 with constant light to moderate pressure with slow arm speed. the bigger pad will create a heavier load for the DA therefore, preventing or minimizing erratic orbital movement at higher speeds.

You can also search on Kevin Brown's method, very informative. Hope this helps, Happy Detailing!!! :buffing: