What am I doing wrong :( Holograms after using a rotary buffer

[CTS-Veo]

Interesting... I would have never thought someone uses a rotary to put swirls back into a paint finish...

[richy]

Interesting... I would have never thought someone uses a rotary to put swirls back into a paint finish...

Only if you're trying to. If you're good with a rotary, you'd be amazed at how well you can finish down with wool and a medium polish. That of course makes the ensuing steps a breeze and your finish impeccable.

[Mike Phillips]

Interesting... I would have never thought someone uses a rotary to put swirls back into a paint finish...

Only if you're trying to.

Correct.

And I very clearly stated this,

When I need a swirled out finish for demonstration purposes...

[richy]

Correct.

And I very clearly stated this,

Mike..my comment was not meant as a shot at you. My point was if one is good with a rotary, they can finish off remarkably well with wool even. Obviously not perfectly but there are significant differences between how some people can finish with a rotary vs others. And yes, there are other variables too...that's a given.

[Mike Phillips]

Mike..my comment was not meant as a shot at you.

Richy,

I didn't take it as a shot, in fact I recognized you picked up on what I wrote previously.

I'm sure some might not understand so I'll explain.

Sometimes, in order to test a product or demonstrate a product you need defects to remove.

It's completely plausible that in this industry, in my immediate area, there is nothing with swirls in it, at least not on a dark color, of something cool, that can be used to demonstrate on.

So, we do the unthinkable to some, and that's we purposefully put swirls, or in some cases, wet-sand paint.

Now we have some defects to remove.

The average person would never need to do this so it might not make sense to them. One thing for sure, it's easier to put swirls and scratches into paint, and faster too than to remove them.

My point was if one is good with a rotary, they can finish off remarkably well with wool even.

I've finished out with wool pads with M105 using a rotary buffer, stripped the paint and then inspected with a Swirl Finder Light and not seen any swirls at all. I've also seen other guys do this as well as chemists.

I think much of this is attributed to the SMAT

Like my friend Joe aka Superior Shine wrote a few years ago, and I'm paraphrasing...

"It use to be it took a lot of skill to get really nice finish using a rotary buffer, now just about anyone can turn out a great looking finish"

Or something like that...

His point was, pad technology and abrasive technology has come a long way in the last few years and it takes less experience and less skill to get great results with a rotary buffer than it used to.

[guccigucci]

Pulling this thread out again, i am a great noob at using my makita, had a horrible experience with it, so the best conclusion of what i have spent my last hr reading this thread is:

CUT POLISH: with Makita either wool if the paint has heavy oxidation
or polish with M105 or equal level products with orange cutting pad on the makita

Fine Polish: with M205 using white pad using a DAAAAAAA polisher like Porter Cables

Finish Polish: with products like PO85rd from Menzerna using white or gray pad with DAAAA polisher (PC)

When its all set and done, IPA WIPEDOWN (maybe Mike will not do this process)

Inspect for true paint correction

LSP (Whichever wax or sealant you want)

Get a glass of your favourite wine, seat back and enjoy your hardwork while taking some pictures to show off here.

[Kaban]

Trying to create a 100% swirl free finish on a clear coated black vehicle using ONLY a direct-drive rotary buffer is hard to do.

Sometimes it has nothing to do with how GREAT you are at using a rotary buffer, sometimes it has to do with the paint itself, (something out of your control), as some paints are easy to polish swirl free while others are impossible.

This is another reason the dual action polishers have become so popular as they will insure a swirl-free finish when used after a rotary buffer.

Switching from a rotary buffer to a dual action polisher is switching from a direct drive machine that is rotating a pad in a circle to a machine that has a clutch and is oscillating the pad, which is making circles inside of a larger circle.

I alway do a test spot to one small area of the vehicle and make sure I can make one small area look perfect or swirl-free with my products and process of choice before going over the entire vehicle as going over the entire vehicle only to find out your products and process of choice isn't working can be kind of depressing.

Also, you need to finish with a finishing foam pad and a light finishing polisher for the last machine polishing steps, this is in essence what jeweling is.

Jeweling is a new term on the Internet for what guys with rotary buffers have always done, we just never gave it name except the finishing step, or the last finishing step, or the last machine finishing step with a rotary buffer etc.

Besides all of the above, it's vital that everything be surgically clean including cleaning your pads often, a pad washer works best for this but a pad cleaning brush can be used also.

Mike Thanks for the advice.

So do holograms only appear after you compound with a rotary buffer using aggressive pads?

If I use my rotary to do the correction work and follow with the 3401 DA to remove the holograms.... after the DA step is done and the holograms are gone, can you use a finishing pad with a glaze on a rotary to jewel the paint or will that put the holograms back into the paint again?

[93fox]

I have not gotten holograms with my makita. What i find that works best for me is work with a slow arm speed and move side to side and up and down. PO85RD has never left holograms for me. I use the gray finishing pad with po85rd and it has never left holograms. I have read and heard that using an even finer pad like the blue one with po85rd is also really good for finishing. From what ive seen in my personal experience. My DA has never left a nice finish as nice as my makita has.

[Mirror Detailing]

Have to agree with others that said its possible to finish down. Hell I do heavy correction and finish down most paints with a Orange Uber Buffing Pad on my Dewalt with SIP. Simple 1400-1800-1200 working pattern.

[Ncs0816]

I would go SIP, 106FA and then 85RD to jewel the paint up. So most likely w/a white pad, grey pad and then a blue pad.

Which pads are you talking about? Lake country hydro tech? Meguiars? Rules? Sorry I can't find the pads your talking about