What to follow wool with?

**Sunshyne** · 09-20-2012, 05:28 PM

I have wool pads coming for a rotory, my question is. What do I follow up with or is the LC wool pad enough on the gel coat to provide a good finish?

I have never purchased foam this large before. I intend on using 3M compound and then follow up with a polish on a boat. thanks

**freedre** · 10-05-2012, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by Sunshyne

I have wool pads coming for a rotory, my question is. What do I follow up with or is the LC wool pad enough on the gel coat to provide a good finish?

I have never purchased foam this large before. I intend on using 3M compound and then follow up with a polish on a boat. thanks

Good morning Sunshyne.

You seem to be underwhelmed with responses.

IMO, I use only wool for compounding and polishing. My boat has a lot of 'snaps' and other 'sticky out' parts that will shred a foam pad in a hearbeat.

I have done three boats (all my own) so far and have gotten a bit of experience and am pretty happy with the results.

I use a 'heavy cut' compound to grind out the oxidized layer and 3M FinesseIt II as a final polish. I love FinesseIt.

On my current boat I used 3M Heavy Cut compound but found it was really 'dusty'. In fact the marina manager gave me heck for making such a mess! If I do it again I will use Meguires, as I did on my other two boats.

Good luck with your project

**Sunshyne** · 10-08-2012, 10:43 AM

thanks for the response pal! I actually did the boat with the Megs since there wasn't that much oxidation. I followed up with their polish, also the FinesseIt II afterwards and it turned out pretty good. I did shred a handful of pads though. I did not like that part but until I get my rotory collection complete I have no choice.

Mike Phillips · 10-08-2012, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by freedre

You seem to be underwhelmed with responses.

Luckily this is the exception and not the norm on this incredibly active forum.

Looks like he posted this on Thursday, September 20th, at around 6:30pm and while I do try to stay on top of the forum as much as I can as do our regular members, once in a while a thread slips through the cracks.

For anyone reading this, if you post a thread and don't get any or many replies, then here's three things you can do...

1. Reply to it yourself as that will bump it to the top of the forum homepage.

2. You can also "bump" it using this emoticon...

3. Send me a PM with the link to it and I'll check on it as soon as I can get a chance...

**Hoytman** · 10-08-2012, 01:19 PM

Which version of Finesse-It II were you using? They apparently make two versions and I recently was told by a 3M representative that they indeed are different. Here's a link to a thread where I contacted 3M about the products; Meguiar's Marine Product comparison to 3M

**Sunshyne** · 10-09-2012, 10:44 AM

this is the one I have.

3M Marine Finesse-It II Glaze, gelcoat finishing glaze, 3M Finesse-It Gelcoat Glaze, polish gelcoat

**Hoytman** · 10-09-2012, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by Sunshyne

this is the one I have.

3M Marine Finesse-It II Glaze, gelcoat finishing glaze, 3M Finesse-It Gelcoat Glaze, polish gelcoat

I was recently told by a gentleman at 3M that the Marine version is just a glaze and has less cut than the automotive version. I found the information the man gave me to be a bit puzzling.

Couple that with information from JamestownDistributors, who often make a ton of product recommendations on fiberglass boats, and they will tell you to use either a one-step process (using 3M Imperial Compound and Finishing Material), or a two-step process (using 3M Super Duty Compound and Finesse-It II...the auto version). This information coincides with 3M's own gel-coat refinishing system videos on youtube. However, it makes me wonder why 3M markets a marine version of Finesse-It II and is labeled as a marine product, when according to the gentleman I spoke with, the product is just a glaze. That left me thinking, "So, I'm supposed to use a wool pad and rotary with rocks in a bottle...3M Super Duty Compound...and only follow it up with a glaze and not a finer polish!?!?!"

For awhile there I had thought the man on the phone gave me improper information, but in reality his words were backed up by the 3M videos on youtube showcasing the gel-coat finishing system. I still don't understand why they market a Marine version of Finesse-It II and don't show it being used in the videos? Makes me wonder if the products are the same and simply labeled different, but representatives I spoke with say, "they're not the same, the auto version has heavier abrasives and the marine is just a glaze." That's what they told me when I called them.

**Sunshyne** · 10-09-2012, 08:00 PM

man what a let down... lol

thanks for the info. Ill use mine as a simple glaze moving forward

**Hoytman** · 10-09-2012, 08:54 PM

In all honesty I don't mind passing this information on since it "is" what 3 representatives told me. However, in a way I have mixed feelings about the information I recieved being credible. As I continued to ask questions and inquire about the Finesse-It II products, they kept transfering me to another associate...and I think they were just reading from a product description. In fact, the last guy I spoke with told me he'd only used the Finesse-It II products one time, which doesn't sit too well with me.

It certainly isn't the same as Mr. Phillips getting hold of Jason Rose at Meguiar's and getting a real thorough and informative answer from a guy who knows the Meguiar's products inside and out.

Until I hear otherwise, if I use any 3M products on boats (specifically the Finesse-It II products) I will use the auto FI II product shown in 3M gel-coat finishing system.

I was also told the the abrasives in 3M Imperial Compound and Finishing material had more cut than those of 3M Super Duty Compound, which doesn't make sense to me.