Polishing without machine

**Mulletman44** · 03-02-2015, 04:57 PM

Soon Im planning on washing with iron x snow soap dry claying and then washing and drying again to get rid of all contaminates before using hydro2 sealant. But I do not have a DA or any machine and I'm unable to buy one right now, so should I just skip the polishing step or do it by hand? There is light swirling on my black truck it's nothing I can't live with but I'd rather it be gone so what should I do?

**ryandamartini** · 03-02-2015, 05:13 PM

I remember reading this shortly before I bought my PC. hehe.

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

Just imagine that multiplied by truck. It is doable but I would rather wash, clay, decontaminate, then wax before polishing out an entire car by hand.

You'd about die.

**KyleWrap** · 03-02-2015, 05:15 PM

Polishing by hand would require a lot of time and energy. You can always get a Harbor Freight DA ($60 - $80) for cheap and 2-3 pads (~$30).

Also did you say you would be "dry claying"? I wouldnt reccomend that.

Mike Phillips · 03-02-2015, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by ryandamartini

I remember reading this shortly before I bought my PC. hehe.

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

Just imagine that multiplied by truck. It is doable but I would rather wash, clay, decontaminate, then wax before polishing out an entire car by hand.

You'd about die.

Wow! That brings back memories. I posted that article back in 2005, that's 10 years ago now....

I used to start each of the Meguiar's Detailing 101 classes by showing people how to remove swirls and scratches by hand.

What I found was that,

A: Most people have no idea as to actually how to move their hand. Zero idea actually.

B: Most people have no idea how long it's going to take them JUST to do the hood.

C: Me demonstrating how to remove swirls by hand was and still is the BEST sales tool for selling a person a dual action polisher.

All of the above is still true today. The pictures in that article show me back when I use to wear a flattop!

I can't even begin to count how many people I've taught to both hand polish and machine polish paint just from my 11 years at Meguiar's but probably a lot.

Mike Phillips · 03-02-2015, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by Mulletman44

But I do not have a DA or any machine and I'm unable to buy one right now, so should I just skip the polishing step or do it by hand?

There is light swirling on my black truck it's nothing I can't live with but I'd rather it be gone so what should I do?

Until you can get a dual action polisher here's an article I wrote back in 2010 that shows you how to HAND apply a simple paint cleaner.

This will not remove swirls because removing swirls means removing a little paint to LEVEL the surface.

It will CLEAN the top surface of the paint to remove any impurities, light oxidation and staining. This will act to CLEAR up the finish as well as enable the wax to adhere better and thus last longer.

Here's the link... it's a very detailed write-up for how to work by hand.

How to clay, clean and wax paint by hand with Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion and Pinnacle Signature Series II Carnauba Paste Wax

And "yes" you can get phenomenal results as long as you take your time.

**VISITOR** · 03-02-2015, 06:09 PM

machine polishing will yield faster and more consistent results. If money is an issue, get the HF DA (there's HF coupons in car mags) and order a 5"DA backing plate and three to four 5.5" flat polishing pads to get started. trust me, you'll wonder why you didn't get one sooner...

**Odisious** · 03-02-2015, 06:32 PM

Hey, what is your favorite backing plate by the way??? Sorry - off topic...

**ryandamartini** · 03-02-2015, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

Wow! That brings back memories. I posted that article back in 2005, that's 10 years ago now....

I used to start each of the Meguiar's Detailing 101 classes by showing people how to remove swirls and scratches by hand.

What I found was that,

A: Most people have no idea as to actually how to move their hand. Zero idea actually.

B: Most people have no idea how long it's going to take them JUST to do the hood.

C: Me demonstrating how to remove swirls by hand was and still is the BEST sales tool for selling a person a dual action polisher.

All of the above is still true today. The pictures in that article show me back when I use to wear a flattop!

I can't even begin to count how many people I've taught to both hand polish and machine polish paint just from my 11 years at Meguiar's but probably a lot.

When I was 15, I used this to do my Aunt's truck. Chevy 3500 dually. Two days all day. Just drenched head to toe. For that job, she bought me my PC 7336 and got me into this so it's all good

**Smitty4x4** · 03-02-2015, 07:15 PM

I have polished by hand and it took its toll on me. Years ago when I knew nothing about paint, I went to a body shop for an estimate on repainting the roof of my car. It had water spots and other stains that wouldn't come out no matter how much I waxed. Ha ha, oh how little I knew. He taught me the difference between wax and polish and told me I didn't need a repaint, just some elbow grease. I tried it and was so stunned by how good the roof looked that I became obsessed and spent four days polishing the car. It came out beautiful but even at 19 years old, that four days killed the obsession. After that one time, I stuck with paint cleaners (as suggested earlier in this thread) and hand polished the main scratches. Then I would apply something with fillers to make the swirls less noticeable. It won't last as long but does look pretty good for a while. This is how I did things until recently when I picked up a DA polisher. Now I'm obsessed with polishing again but still refuse to do it by hand.

**Mulletman44** · 03-02-2015, 07:16 PM

I have clay lube to use with the clay I won't be doing it dry. I might have to try that cleansing lotion but I'd like to just save my money and spend it on a GG machine so I won't end up just spending more in the long run.