Finishing touch: Black or Blue pad.

[cobraa]

I'm planning to do a 20hours detailling job on my black pearl metallic skyline this winter while in storage.

I have the whole PB SR lines and bought recently the WG TSR3.0 and Finishing Glaze combo.I have the impression that the WG will give me better result.

So, I was thinking, TSR 3.0 with an orange or white pad( depending on the result I see). But, I do have a black and blue pad. Which one should I use with Finishing glaze? Actually, could you tell me the difference between black,red and blue pad.

Or, should I use a white pad with FG?

Thanks expert!!

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

Use the blue pad to final polish. The gray pad has a very slight cut to it. The red is actually the same as the blue pad.

[agpatel]

Use the blue pad to final polish. The gray pad has a very slight cut to it. The red is actually the same as the blue pad.

2x blue is the way to go.

Maybe it is just me but I find red a little bit softer/less dense than blue. Blue is a bit more stiffer IMO. Both are good for final polishes.

Have wanted to try the gold pad but have not read much about it though.

[cobraa]

So the blue pad with FG will burnish my paint? But would it remove light marring made by my TSR3.0 ?

[Mike Phillips]

What machine are you using?

Assuming it's a PC style polisher, (I hate assuming)

So, I was thinking, TSR 3.0 with an orange or white pad( depending on the result I see).

Do a Test Spot first. Besides pad and product choice, your skills and abilities area also a factor. Here's a test spot that was done using the Flex 3401 Forced Rotation Dual Action Polisher but the same principals apply with any machine or when working by hand.

How to do a Test Spot using the Flex 3401


Make sure you can make one small area look good or at least to your expectations before going over the entire car. If you run into any problems making one small area look good try a different pad/product combo and/or come back here and post what you're seeing and everyone here will do their best to help you tweak your technique to help you dial-in a successful process you can then duplicate over the entire car.

But, I do have a black and blue pad. Which one should I use with Finishing glaze?
Or, should I use a white pad with FG?

Like Dana said, go with the blue foam pad if you've removed the defects to your satisfaction using the Total Swirl Remover 3.0


Again, assuming you're using a PC style polisher, use the 5-6 speed setting for correction work and the 5.0 speed setting for the Finishing Glaze, (6.0 is kind of violent for finishing work).

Then apply the LSP of your choice.

[cobraa]

Sorry Mike for the clarification.

I only have a Makita 9227.

Since it's a black car and marring show more easily with this color. Should I do a 3 step( TSR3.0 Orange pad(assuming the correction is great),SSR2 white pad and FG blue pad( for a good burnish reflective look) or 2 step ( TSR and FG) ??

Yeah, I really want to take the times to detail it to perfection to see how good can I bring the paint to. For LSP, 1 coat of Klasses Sealant and 3 coat of Souveran will certainly make it look good!

[MisterShark]

The gray pad has a very slight cut to it.

It does?

Is the pad comparison chart on AG incorrect in specifying: "It has no cut and will apply thin, even coats of paste and liquid waxes, sealants, and glazes." ?

I've been planning to apply Collinite 845 with my PC via a gray pad since the chart mentions one of it's uses as application of sealants. Should I purchase a blue, red, or gold pad instead for this?

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

Sorry Mike for the clarification.

I only have a Makita 9227.

Since it's a black car and marring show more easily with this color. Should I do a 3 step( TSR3.0 Orange pad(assuming the correction is great),SSR2 white pad and FG blue pad( for a good burnish reflective look) or 2 step ( TSR and FG) ??

Yeah, I really want to take the times to detail it to perfection to see how good can I bring the paint to. For LSP, 1 coat of Klasses Sealant and 3 coat of Souveran will certainly make it look good!

I would without a doubt use a step, maybe even a four if needed. Do not jump from the orange to blue pad. Use a white pad in between the orange and blue pads. Also you might have to go over the vehicle with the white pad a few times before going to your final polishing with the blue pad.

It does?

Is the pad comparison chart on AG incorrect in specifying: "It has no cut and will apply thin, even coats of paste and liquid waxes, sealants, and glazes." ?

I've been planning to apply Collinite 845 with my PC via a gray pad since the chart mentions one of it's uses as application of sealants. Should I purchase a blue, red, or gold pad instead for this?

Yes, the gray pad has a very slight cut. If you are going to apply your lsp I would use a blue pad on up. Also when using the pc the gray pad can induce slight marring more so than a rotary.

[MisterShark]

Also when using the pc the gray pad can induce slight marring more so than a rotary.

Thanks for the heads-up!
Time to exchange one of my grey pads for a blue one.

[Mike Phillips]

I only have a Makita 9227.

Since it's a black car and marring show more easily with this color.

Just from what I've seen and experienced, it's pretty hard to get a 100% swirl free finish using only a rotary buffer. That's if you do things like strip the paint down with a solvent or detergent wash like some do and then pull it out into the blazing sun at noon and look for swirls and holograms.

If you leave it in the garage and just go from step to step by the time you're finished applying our LSP it should look swirl-free and if there were any swirls you wont' see them because your LSPs will have filled them in and thousands of do-it-yourselfers do it this way.

Just to note, it's not that a 100% swirl free finish can't be achieved using only a rotary buffer but sometimes it's not about the person doing the work but about the paint itself as some paints are more polishable than others.

Also, for what it's worth, I don't as a practice apply finishing waxes or paint sealants using a rotary buffer. After the last machine polishing step I would either apply by hand or with a DA style polisher. If you want to apply your LSP with a rotary, maybe do just the hood and after removing the wax pull the car out into the sun and inspect the results and make sure it's looking great before doing the entire car.

Should I do a 3 step( TSR3.0 Orange pad(assuming the correction is great),SSR2 white pad and FG blue pad( for a good burnish reflective look) or 2 step ( TSR and FG) ??

I'd go with Dana's recommendation. You can test with just a 3 step and inspect before applying wax and see how it looks and tweak your process.

Do a Test Spot to just one section using your entire product and pad process and then inspect the results, make sure you can make one small area look great.