Question about Wolfgang products.

[Slfuller83]

Ok, I got my porter cable RA on the way with some wolfgang swirl remover and finishing glaze. It is my first time doing this entire process. I know first I should clay the surface, then use swirl remover with an orange pad, then finishing glaze with a gray pad, then the paint sealant. I also already own some paintwork polish enhancer. Should this be used in this process as well or is it not really needed? Seems to me it is used whn you are not using the swirl remover and glaze but I am not sure.

Thanks
Scott

[Blackthorn One]

You don't always need something as harsh as an orange pad. A white pad will do most of the time. It depends upon the paint condition. Always start finer, and if it doesn't work, go more abrasive. Do a test spot about a foot square to determine the effectiveness of your approach. If your results are satisfactory, do the whole car like that. If not, change your approach until you get what you want, and then do the same on the whole car. Don't try one approach on the whole car hoping it works without testing it on one spot, or you can waste hours.
You MIGHT get lucky, but better to know first.

Most likely, this calls for a white pad with swirl remover, followed by a black pad with finishing glaze, but not all cars are in the same condition. Some may need the orange pad first, some might just need the black pad with finishing glaze. I like using paintwork polish enhancer as a last step. I believe it made the car look better. (It was a dark metallic blue Honda)

[ihaveacamaro]

picture of your car in sun would be real helpful

[goodasnew]

yeah the orange pad should be used with compund and not just a swirl remover. the orange pad is heavy cutting and a swirl remover is not heavy cutting. depending on the condition and color of the paint, you might be able to get away with white pad and swirl remover, then grey or black pad with finishing polish or glaze. dont go heavier than you have to.

[primo spaghetti]

yeah the orange pad should be used with compund and not just a swirl remover. the orange pad is heavy cutting and a swirl remover is not heavy cutting. depending on the condition and color of the paint, you might be able to get away with white pad and swirl remover, then grey or black pad with finishing polish or glaze. dont go heavier than you have to.

if its lake country, the orange is a light cutting pad, not heavy.

Autogeek Buffing Pad Comparison Chart

[Blackthorn One]

if its lake country, the orange is a light cutting pad, not heavy.

Autogeek Buffing Pad Comparison Chart

Yes. The yellow one is the heavy cutting pad. There is also the purple pad that is heavier than orange. I guess foamed wool is the heaviest foam pad.

I have used the purple and the orange, but not the yellow. I have used the white, black, and gold as well, on a DA.

It is possible that goodasnew has never worked on a car bad enough to need a yellow, so, since most cars never need anything beyond an orange, relatively speaking, it is a heavy pad.

[swanicyouth]

A lot of opinions here. Since I use all of these products, I will give you mine: Wolfgang TSR will remove SWIRLS a lot better with an orange LC pad on a PC than with a white one. But, it depends what paint you are working with. You have to do a test spot to find out. if i was using an orange pad with TSR, I would finish with a white pad with the finishing glaze. But again, it depends on how hard your paint is. That is just my experience from using those products. After Finishig Glaze, using PPE is a waste of time, as you have already abraded away anything a paint cleaner will remove. If you use the products correctly, your finish should be close to perfect after using those two polishes. I hope you got a 5" backing plate & 5.5" pads. Good luck!

[POPPAJ]

You don't always need something as harsh as an orange pad. A white pad will do most of the time. It depends upon the paint condition. Always start finer, and if it doesn't work, go more abrasive. Do a test spot about a foot square to determine the effectiveness of your approach. If your results are satisfactory, do the whole car like that. If not, change your approach until you get what you want, and then do the same on the whole car. Don't try one approach on the whole car hoping it works without testing it on one spot, or you can waste hours.
You MIGHT get lucky, but better to know first.

Most likely, this calls for a white pad with swirl remover, followed by a black pad with finishing glaze, but not all cars are in the same condition. Some may need the orange pad first, some might just need the black pad with finishing glaze. I like using paintwork polish enhancer as a last step. I believe it made the car look better. (It was a dark metallic blue Honda)

This is the best response so far!

[mwoolfso]

A lot of opinions here. Since I use all of these products, I will give you mine: Wolfgang TSR will remove SWIRLS a lot better with an orange LC pad on a PC than with a white one. But, it depends what paint you are working with. You have to do a test spot to find out. if i was using an orange pad with TSR, I would finish with a white pad with the finishing glaze. But again, it depends on how hard your paint is. That is just my experience from using those products. After Finishig Glaze, using PPE is a waste of time, as you have already abraded away anything a paint cleaner will remove. If you use the products correctly, your finish should be close to perfect after using those two polishes. I hope you got a 5" backing plate & 5.5" pads. Good luck!

+1

[mwoolfso]

Ok, I got my porter cable RA on the way with some wolfgang swirl remover (TSR) and finishing glaze (FG). It is my first time doing this entire process. I know first I should clay the surface, then use swirl remover with an orange pad, then finishing glaze with a gray pad, then the paint sealant. Correct. Be patient and confirm your least aggressive process by performing a 50/50 comparison on a panel. In the absence of any pictures, test #1 would be TSR/White on half the panel and #2 would be TSR/Orange on the other half. I think you will find TSR/Orange is a better pair when mated.

Personally, if I found TSR/White was just as good as TSR/Orange then I would still use the white pad but with a different product; such as FG. Using FG/White and then following-up with FG/Grey would work (the latter step would be faster as you would not need as many section passes).


I also already own some paintwork polish enhancer. Should this be used in this process as well or is it not really needed? Seems to me it is used when you are not using the swirl remover and glaze but I am not sure. You have the right idea here; two distinct processes. In a mainstream sense you would never have TSR and PPE in the same process. When you use PPE in your process, you are maintaining the paint by cleaning it. When you use TSR in your process, you are correcting and cleaning the paint.

Thanks
Scott

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