Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
Buff up to body lines and edges but try not to buff directly on top of body lines and edges
A good best practice whenever you're machine cleaning is to buff up to hard body lines but don't buff on top of hard body lines. There are two reasons for this,
1. Paint tends to flow off high points a little after it's sprayed but before it's set-up, so paint will tend to be thinner on edges and body lines.
2. There will be increased pressure from your pad onto the paint because the body line or raised edge will be higher than the rest of the surrounding paint.
This is what can happen, if you look carefully at the hard body line on the hood of this VW you can see where someone has remove too much paint and exposed the primer under color coat. This is an older VW and has what appears to be a single stage finish but the principal behind avoiding buffing directly on top of an edge or hard body line still applies.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...ThroughVW1.jpg
This is a little out of focus, sorry I was using my iphone...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...ThroughVW2.jpg
As Benjamin Franklin once said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
A good best practice is to avoid buffing on top of hard body lines and edges and instead just buff up to them. You can also tape them off using thin painter's tape so in case you get your buffing pad close to the raised body line or edges you have a measure of extra protection.
This is where either slowing down and focusing on the task at hand comes into play or using smaller pads when working on thin panels.
Here at Autogeek we have a great selection of smaller buffing pads and backing plates as well as the Griot's Garage Professional Random Orbital 3 Inch Polisher for working thin panels.
Lake Country Beveled Edge 3.5 Inch Pad Pack
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2067_42693478
Griot's Garage 3 Inch Orange Polishing Foam Pad
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2066_108030431
Griot's Garage 3 Inch Mini Red Wax Pad
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2066_104968033
Griot's Garage Professional Random Orbital 3 Inch Polisher
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2066_108054776
2-3/4 inch Hook & Loop Rotary Backing Plate
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2067_29995755
D.A Adapter 5/8" X 11
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2069_58727767
Lake Country 4 Inch Low Profile Foam Pads
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2069_27956421
CCS 4 Inch Spot Buffs Foam Pads & Accessories
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2069_25226577
3.5" Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2069_51075714
Rotary 3 ¾ inch Backing Plate
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2066_89979010
:)
Re: Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
:dblthumb2:
Painters tape!...Where would I be without it.
Re: Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
Great tips for someone like me whose on the verge of buying a PC and would like to be forearmed with a bit of advance knowledge.
Keep em comin Mike! :xyxthumbs:
Re: Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
Nice write up. I have used those 4inch spot buffs many times, life savers for tight spots.
Re: Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
Good Advice! :props: Sometimes I even tape an edge that's hard not to hit.:buffing:
Re: Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
Been wanting to pick up some of the 4" pads and backing plate - just got to get my funds built back up.
DLB
Re: Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
Maybe I'm a bit late to the party, but how do you guys buff body lines and odd panel contours? I tried polishing a friends Nissan Hardbody pickup with my PC, but it has a sunken channel right through the waistline that I couldn't get even w/ a 4" pad. Any tips for dealing with this and other areas where a PC can't reach?
Re: Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Omar the Terror
Maybe I'm a bit late to the party, but how do you guys buff body lines and odd panel contours? I tried polishing a friends Nissan Hardbody pickup with my PC, but it has a sunken channel right through the waistline that I couldn't get even w/ a 4" pad. Any tips for dealing with this and other areas where a PC can't reach?
I usually always go back around a vehicle with my product and an applicator of choice and hit the spots by hand that I couldn't get by machine.
There's just some things that the machine can't do for you.
DLB
Re: Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
So you can make those hard-to-reach spots match the machine-polished portions of the car, or does it sometimes leave an obvious difference between the machine and hand-polished areas? Also, what applicator do you recommend for this? I have some LC CCS hand pads on the way but if there's something better, I'd love to try it out. Thanks!
Re: Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dalton Blevins
There's just some things that the machine can't do for you.
DLB
That's a good point and that's why it's important to know how to properly apply a hand-applied compound or paint cleaner.
:)