Pressure required to polish out swirls??

[pricha00]

Exactly how hard do I have to press on the UDM to remove the swirls in my paint? I know thats a pretty general question but I have read somewhere around 25 lbs of force to start and once the polish starts to break down then speed up the movement and lessen the pressure until just the weight of the machine is employed on the surface. I know that I am definitely affecting the speed of the pad because it speeds up about 30% or so when I remove the pressure from the unit. Is this enough pressure or even too much. I am not seeing much swirl removal so far. The paint looks shiny and feel smoother than before but mega swirls in the right light. I want them gone!!!!

Thanks, Pat.

[Gary Sword]

You may want to go to a more agressive pad or polish. I don't have a UDM but even with a PC I have never applied more pressure then about 20 lbs. With a rotary I usually apply less then that. What type of polish and pad are you using?

[richy]

For correction, I use a rotary. It's not so much a matter of pressure, although some is required, but speed/heat is a necessity. the right pad/product combo is paramount too.

[klumzypinoy]

I put pressure, but not heavy pressure, maybe 10-15 lbs is what I'm guessing. I also move really slow, if this is for something like XMT3 with orange pad. Slow movements so that a lot of work will be done. When it's just about broken down, I use the weight of the machine and move faster, I forgot who I learned it from but I read it somewhere on AG.. People are able to be LSP ready with this sort of technique after using an aggressive combo.

[TOGWT]

1.Abrading ability (foam pad)-Select matching foam pads abrading ability; pores per inch(PPI) to suit the product used yellow, cutting-1, orange cutting/polishing -2, white polishing-3 The lower the number the more abrasion (surface cutting) ability, colours are Lake County’s foam
2. Machine linier speed - the speed at which the foam pad travels across a paint surface is also important, too fast or slow won’t allow the micro-abrasive to ‘beak down’, Machine linier speed (MLS) buffer movement shown as inches per second, apply polish at a machine linear speed (MLS) of approximately 0.5 to 1.0-inch per second.
3. Machine speed (Porter-Cable) for polishing # 4 – 5.5, the vibrations that are generated at higher speeds are unacceptable for most people, and may cause the Velcro™ to become delaminated. To obtain the best results when polishing stubborn defects with a random orbital buffer is to use a 3-inch backing plate and a 4-inch foam pad.
4. Machine pressure-apply enough pressure (approx 15 pounds force; 20 pounds force will stall the motor) a foam pads should be compressed approx 50%) so that the pad still oscillates at full speed, but by applying any more the machine begins to stall, and then back off the pressure very slightly
5. Polishing surface area - Draw an imaginary square two-foot by two foot (less on smaller panels)
6.Repeat polishing- it is normal to polish a surface and to renew the polish three or more times (unless the defects are minor). When using a machine polish that contains diminishing abrasives, once the abrasives reach a certain size they will no longer abrade (cut) the surface, if on further inspection the surface still has some defects, you will need to apply fresh polish.
7.Clean (or replace) you pad frequently –a clean or fresh pad will restore the intended abrasive ability, were as a saturated foam pads abrasive ability will decrease

[Bunky]

Exactly how hard do I have to press on the UDM to remove the swirls in my paint? I know thats a pretty general question but I have read somewhere around 25 lbs of force to start and once the polish starts to break down then speed up the movement and lessen the pressure until just the weight of the machine is employed on the surface. I know that I am definitely affecting the speed of the pad because it speeds up about 30% or so when I remove the pressure from the unit. Is this enough pressure or even too much. I am not seeing much swirl removal so far. The paint looks shiny and feel smoother than before but mega swirls in the right light. I want them gone!!!!

Thanks, Pat.

What pads and polishes are you using?

[pricha00]

I was trying the Optimum compound on an orange LC pad and the Optimum polish on the LC white polishing pad. For some reason I seem to get the most correction when I tried the compound on the regular free foam pad that came with the UDM.

Pat.

[ScottB]

the polish and pad choice will do most of your abrasive work, some speed and pressure (not enough to buckle a panel) will help also.

[klumzypinoy]

the polish and pad choice will do most of your abrasive work, some speed and pressure (not enough to buckle a panel) will help also.


Oops, sometimes I make my roof bend a bit :o