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

**Chatelaine** · 09-04-2009, 03:02 PM

What am I doing wrong - Holograms after using the rotary buffer

Alrighty here's my issue.

Lately I've been noticing on some of the black cars that I'm leaving behind a ton of holograms. Where the light refracts and I can see my polishing track.

I used Menz SIP with L. Cut pad
Then PO85RD with M. Polishing pad
Then Meguiars Show Glaze #3 by hand
And wax

Should I be using Final Finish or maybe Nano polish instead of 85RD or after 85RD.

This was on a SLK 350, I tried taking pictures but they didn't show up. I just saw them after she drove away. So I called her back and am going to fix it.

Then I noticed it on this hummer! I'm getting him to come back too

Drivers door.

**67Customs** · 09-04-2009, 03:21 PM

PO85RD + M Polishing pad isn't strong enough to remove the holograms left behind by Menzerna PO85RD + Cutting Pad.

A couple of things that might help you.

Try using a light cutting pad with SIP instead of a cutting pad. A cutting pad might just be to rough for the paint you are doing. You should only be using it for really rough paint.

Be sure to completely break down SIP when using the cutting pad and you might just be able to switch straight to PO85RD + Polishing pad to clear up the haze. Otherwise, yes, you might need to use Final Finish or Nano.

**loudog2** · 09-04-2009, 03:52 PM

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.

**Chatelaine** · 09-04-2009, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by loudog2

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.

Hmm you'd use 106 before 85? I'm looking at both my bottle of those side by side and they look identical. What's the difference?

And I hear this "jeweling" term used around but have never found anything about it on the internet, can you clear my muddy waters?

**loudog2** · 09-04-2009, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by Chatelaine

Hmm you'd use 106 before 85? I'm looking at both my bottle of those side by side and they look identical. What's the difference?

And I hear this "jeweling" term used around but have never found anything about it on the internet, can you clear my muddy waters?

106FA has a cut of 2.5, 85RD has a cut of 1. So 106FA will more likely remove more than 85RD. 85RD is used for jeweling, it has a low cut and shine up great.

**Deep Gloss Auto Salon** · 09-04-2009, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by loudog2

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.

Bam... do this and you will have no holograms

**02CAMSS** · 09-04-2009, 04:12 PM

What polisher are you using?

**Chatelaine** · 09-04-2009, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by 02CAMSS

What polisher are you using?

Makitta

Mike Phillips · 09-04-2009, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by Chatelaine

Makita

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.

**Kaban** · 05-13-2011, 05:38 PM

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

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?