I cause swirls when polishing with DA, what am I doing wrong?

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Another thing, Ultimate polish is very oily. Even after wiping off, the oils on the surface can appear to be swirls/marring/holograms, when when they're not. I always inspect my work after using a "panel wipe" spray which removes all residue from the surface.

[spazzz]

Okay I read every article you posted. The tip on cleaning pads on the fly is great, and working in the sun as well. I'll have to keep that in mind next time I give this a shot. So I think I just have two main questions.

1. What speed do I use on the PC 7424XP when polishing, and when compounding? I've heard mixed things.

2. This is a tough one, I've googled but never found the answer. What's the best, safest way to wipe the polish off the car after I'm done buffing the area?

With 6 inch pads I would crank it to 6 for both and use judicial pressure but keep it spinning.(I own a PC and a Flex)

You could always spritz the polish with detailer, if you are paranoid on wipe off.
Do smaller sections so your product doesn't dry up. 2x2 is a normal working area but maybe 1 x 1 would work better.

The good news is you are close.
You have projectors figured out so this will be cake.

[Haloruler64]

Thank you to all of you. I'll give it a shot again when I have a chance, incorporating all these great tips. I greatly appreciate it!

[GSKR]

Ahhhhh, you have soft paint. No fun. Do not polish in the sun! Clean your pad "on the fly" after every section and use *quality* MF towels.

Agree

[Mike Phillips]

Okay I read every article you posted. The tip on cleaning pads on the fly is great, and working in the sun as well. I'll have to keep that in mind next time I give this a shot. So I think I just have two main questions.

1. What speed do I use on the PC 7424XP when polishing, and when compounding? I've heard mixed things.

You want to be on the max speed setting, ESPECIALLY if you're not using thin foam pads. Even with thin foam pads for the most part I do all my compounding and polishing on speed setting 6. Sometimes for polishing I use 5.5 but below this most pads are simply NOT going to rotate/oscillate effectively.

Speed setting 4-5 is what I use to machine apply a finishing wax or a finishing sealant because then I don't need pad rotation I'm just trying to spread out a layer of product over the surface.

If I'm using a cleaner/wax as a one-step to remove oxidation, swirls and scratches then I would be back to the 6 speed setting because then I need pad rotation.

There's a HUGE difference between machine applying a cleaner/wax to neglected paint and machine applying a finishing wax or sealant, (non-cleaning or non-abrading), to perfect paint.


So I suggest you test out your compound with your foam cutting pad on the 6 speed setting.

2. This is a tough one, I've Googled but never found the answer. What's the best, safest way to wipe the polish off the car after I'm done buffing the area?

In my previous reply I shared,

1. How to inspect a towel
2. How to fold a towel

After doing those two things, I clamp then open edges of the towel between my thumb and index finger and then lay the rest of my hand against the major portion of the towel as it is laying flat against a panel. Then make SMALL, overlapping circular motions and carefully wipe residues off.

I actually just showed this on our TV show Competition Ready when we buffed out the Porsche for Russo & Steele.


Here's what you want to do.... it's called a TEST SPOT. I coined this term for the detailing industry back in 1993 or 1994. I then posted about the practice on Autopia.org and make it part of the normal protocols for the Meguiar's Detailing 101 Classes that I started for Meguiar's at their Corporate Office back in 2002.


How To Do a Test Spot



Lay down a strip of painter's tape on a flat panel like the hood or trunk lid, like this,





Then just buff on one side of the tape line.

TEST out the pad, product, tool and your best technique and make 6-8 section passes.

After making the section passes wipe off the residue and inspect the results. COMPARE the results from the side you buffed to the side you didn't buff. This will tell you if you're making headway and getting the results you want. The side you buffed should look better than the side you didn't buff. If it doesn't then you need to trouble shoot your,

• Abrasive technology
• Pad choice
• ToolTechnique
• e

The abrasive technology is the most important factor when machine buffing any paint system. It all starts with the stuff touching the paint.

Also, you need to use the SUN to help your eyes inspect the paint or a swirl finder light if you're working in a garage.


I have to go... have to prepare a power point for the IDA Webinar tonight on Cosmetic Engine Detailing. If I had more time I could find articles and pictures that show all the above my alas... have to move on...

[WRAPT C5Z06]

PCXP isn't useful for removing defects and polishing under speed 5, especially with 6" pads.

[Haloruler64]

You want to be on the max speed setting, ESPECIALLY if you're not using thin foam pads. Even with thin foam pads for the most part I do all my compounding and polishing on speed setting 6. Sometimes for polishing I use 5.5 but below this most pads are simply NOT going to rotate/oscillate effectively.

Speed setting 4-5 is what I use to machine apply a finishing wax or a finishing sealant because then I don't need pad rotation I'm just trying to spread out a layer of product over the surface.

If I'm using a cleaner/wax as a one-step to remove oxidation, swirls and scratches then I would be back to the 6 speed setting because then I need pad rotation.

There's a HUGE difference between machine applying a cleaner/wax to neglected paint and machine applying a finishing wax or sealant, (non-cleaning or non-abrading), to perfect paint.


So I suggest you test out your compound with your foam cutting pad on the 6 speed setting.






In my previous reply I shared,

1. How to inspect a towel
2. How to fold a towel

After doing those two things, I clamp then open edges of the towel between my thumb and index finger and then lay the rest of my hand against the major portion of the towel as it is laying flat against a panel. Then make SMALL, overlapping circular motions and carefully wipe residues off.

I actually just showed this on our TV show Competition Ready when we buffed out the Porsche for Russo & Steele.


Here's what you want to do.... it's called a TEST SPOT. I coined this term for the detailing industry back in 1993 or 1994. I then posted about the practice on Autopia.org and make it part of the normal protocols for the Meguiar's Detailing 101 Classes that I started for Meguiar's at their Corporate Office back in 2002.


How To Do a Test Spot



Lay down a strip of painter's tape on a flat panel like the hood or trunk lid, like this,





Then just buff on one side of the tape line.

TEST out the pad, product, tool and your best technique and make 6-8 section passes.

After making the section passes wipe off the residue and inspect the results. COMPARE the results from the side you buffed to the side you didn't buff. This will tell you if you're making headway and getting the results you want. The side you buffed should look better than the side you didn't buff. If it doesn't then you need to trouble shoot your,

• Abrasive technology
• Pad choice
• ToolTechnique
• e

The abrasive technology is the most important factor when machine buffing any paint system. It all starts with the stuff touching the paint.

Also, you need to use the SUN to help your eyes inspect the paint or a swirl finder light if you're working in a garage.


I have to go... have to prepare a power point for the IDA Webinar tonight on Cosmetic Engine Detailing. If I had more time I could find articles and pictures that show all the above my alas... have to move on...

Thank you!! This is exactly the info I was looking for. Wiping off residue in small circular motions, that's the info I've been trying to find for days. Almost every video on detailing skips this step for wiping off polish. And of course the rest of your post was extremely helpful as well, I'm learning so much. I'm doing the test spot right now without tape, just trying things out on a small section of my roof. I'll give the tape a try, much easier to see that way.

PCXP isn't useful for removing defects and polishing under speed 5, especially with 6" pads.

And thank you! Will keep it at 5-6.

[Haloruler64]

I decided to try one more time, but in the garage. Since my garage is miniscule, I did the roof. Taped off a small section and did some testing. Compound, polish, then finishing polish with three different pads and towels, using the tips I gained from you guys. Results look good, using a flashlight and overhead light I could see the long scratches seemed to be gone. Only seeing it in the sun will truly tell, but the sun is gone today. Nonetheless, it's a big improvement. So I started compounding the rest of the roof. Of course, I manage to mess up. I tried cleaning the pad like one of Mike's article said, pushing the pad into a terry towel and turning it on. Well the cheap towel left tons of lint. I washed the pad and wrung it out, but I guess it still had tons of water in it. The last bit of the roof I started compounding and compound flies EVERYWHERE, coating the car from bumper to bumper. I ended up just pulling it out of the garage and washing it down so the compound doesn't marr the paint.

Question: The paint is unprotected at this point. If I drove the car starting tomorrow, it's alright? I mean I'll wash/clay/prep it again before I do detailing, but it's gonna be cold for a while so I won't be detailing anyway.

[TTQ B4U]

I decided to try one more time, but in the garage. Since my garage is miniscule, I did the roof. Taped off a small section and did some testing. Compound, polish, then finishing polish with three different pads and towels, using the tips I gained from you guys. Results look good, using a flashlight and overhead light I could see the long scratches seemed to be gone. Only seeing it in the sun will truly tell, but the sun is gone today. Nonetheless, it's a big improvement. So I started compounding the rest of the roof. Of course, I manage to mess up. I tried cleaning the pad like one of Mike's article said, pushing the pad into a terry towel and turning it on. Well the cheap towel left tons of lint. I washed the pad and wrung it out, but I guess it still had tons of water in it. The last bit of the roof I started compounding and compound flies EVERYWHERE, coating the car from bumper to bumper. I ended up just pulling it out of the garage and washing it down so the compound doesn't marr the paint.

Question: The paint is unprotected at this point. If I drove the car starting tomorrow, it's alright? I mean I'll wash/clay/prep it again before I do detailing, but it's gonna be cold for a while so I won't be detailing anyway.

Do you really need to compound? Seems if all your seeing are swirls, something like Meg's Ultimate Polish or HDSpeed is all you would need. If you do feel or have a need for compounding, I'd highly suggest HDAdapt. It's really amazing stuff and will not only cut like a compound where a moderate need is present but it will finish nicer than even Ultimate Polish.

[Haloruler64]

Maybe I don't need compound. I'll have to try polish on the hood, see if I can get it looking good. Thanks for the thought.

As for HDAdapt, I'll look into it. I know I didn't buy the best of the best when it comes to products, but I bought decent ones.