[mrharris]

My partner and I have just completed wetsanding our most recent project. We buffed afterwards using a variable speed dewalt buffer (set at 1,400 rpm) and 3M medium cut. The results were outstanding (no more orange peel...wooo!!!). We're finishing out with meguars swirl remover 2.0 and a good polish pad on the buffer.

Per the instructions we stop the buffer when the polish has mostly disipated. It says to "wipe the excess with a towel". This is fairly bogus though...it leaves quite a bit of residue on the surface. Any suggestions on how to do a final clean? With water and a towel it leaves a light haze.... Thanks for the help!!

[Rob Keller]

I pretty sure you can just wash it with water& a real {natural} car wash sponge & chamois it dry with a "absorber synthetic chamois.

Who know they might have some new" high tech after polishing car wash lotion"...

sorry some old school sarcasm


R

[jcclark]

Sometimes on a real dark color I have to go over it by hand, even
after swirl remover. Meguiars has some polish that is wax free and
real mild that I use.
I also have a polisher that is really slow that works good for the final buff
on these tough ones.

[kenseth17]

Good to see you got to buffing Mrharris. Did you figure out the problem on the hood? I can only say this. I use 3m perfect it glaze on a foam pad after I have finished getting the wetsanding scratches out with a courser compound. A little goes a long ways. I start out at a little lower rpm doing a section and speed up a little as it works in moving a little faster with the buffer with longer motions, to clean and polish it off. I do like to wash the compound off when done with that step or at least get rid of most of it wiped off with a wet chamois before the swirl remover or glaze. You don't need a ton of that applied to the surface you are doing. You can clean a foam pad with something like a toothbrush while carefully spinning the pad or by blowing it with an airhose. If you get too much of it built up on the pad or apply a real lot, it seems to make more work or mess and can get it sticking to the surface. Don't know if that happens more cause too much is built up or it got a little too heated up in that spot. If it sticks in a spot, wipe that off with a wet finger or a chamois before continuing. After all is done though you still wash the car to get rid of excess on the car as well as detailing getting all the compounds out of door jambs and cracks on the car. Then after its washed in dryed, I will sometimes go over the car by hand with something like race glaze by hand before delivering. They apply and wipe off fairly easily by hand. Just make sure you don't use any kind of wax which will seal it. That fresh paint needs time to breath. By the way post some pics when your done.

[BondoKing]

Clean between steps with either wax and grease remover or 50/50 mix of alcohol and water... put them in spray bottles... either one... besides you should not leave the compound residue on the car when you begin to polish or you will never have a swirl free finish. and either one of these products pulls out the glazes that are in compound and lets you see what the panel really looks like onced buffed... then move to the next step and use the cleaner there to until it is the way you like it ... when all said and done wash like normal and dry off... I use a super absorber to take water off my stuff

[MARTINSR]

I personally use nothing but Meguires products and have great results. Meguires sand paper cuts more uniform than 3M and the "Power Buffing" compound is AMAZING. As far as where you are at right now, there is nothing, nothing PERIOD (as far as I have ever found and I have tried a number of them) anything better than Mequires "Mirror Glaze #7" for a final glaze by hand.

I got a call the other night from my brother who told me his Roadster was being shot the next day for a mag (Rodders Journal) and that it needs a "Mirror Glazing". I didn't have any, I was headed over and was going to use something else but thought, there is NO WAY it will look as good. I called on my cel and found a store still open with some "#7" and went across town to buy it.

I hadn't detailed out a show finish in years to tell you the truth. I just don't do that anymore. Well I jumped on that Roadster like old times with that #7 and it looked like a MIRROR (hence then name ) in about an hour. I hadn't seen the car look like that since 1995 when it was shown in the Oakland Roadster show. There were a few spots that I had to hand rub scratches out, no be deal, no big mess, just hand rubbing. I then attacked it with the Mirro Glaze and it looked like a MILLION BUCKS, near Flawless.

It is a strange product, you wipe it on with a VERY wet rag of the product. You RUB it into the finish and even apply a second or third "coat" keeping it very wet and rubbing and rubbing. Then using a dry soft rag (I had my favorite, an old flannel Pajamas!) to "polish" it off. You need to flip the wiping cloth over to cleaner sides often. Start with the "dirtiest" side (dirty with Mirror glaze on it, NOT "dirty" with dirt) to get the majority of it off the surface and then switch to a cleaner side and then switch to an perfect side for final polishing.

It is a very oily like product and will not wipe off easy but after you get the hang of it you can knock something out pretty fast.

I know there are lots of ways to do this, but Mirror Glaze has been a mainstay as long as I can remember. There was a time you would go to a show and see Mirror Glaze bottles beside every car on set up night. In fact, not until about 1980 or so it wasn't sold retail at all. It was a "professional" product sold thru paint stores only. Now you can pick it up at Kragens and the like.

Brian

[Rob Keller]

Brian

Does that stuff ever "flash"?

See I know there different but the waxes I use will flash kinda like paint & then come off easier than if you try to take it off wet.

Is ther HIGH humidity there?

Also have you tried taking it off with a nice soft towel then going over it with the super soft flannel?

The reason I ask is because the towel has more surface area {the nooks & crannies}

But I have found that I will use 3 or 4 towels when removing when one starts to get "tacky" then I hang it up or drape it over a hood of another car in the sun to dry it out.


R

[crashtech]

I used to call #7 "suntan lotion", hehe. It makes the car look like a million bucks but it will wash off! Don't get me wrong I love #7, it is awesome for showroom shine, but it is made to make the car look good for the day, and really doesn't do anything to eliminate haze.

If the buff job is hazy it needs more work with a foam pad and a glaze with very fine abrasive. Not all glazes have this fine cutting action which is absolutely necessary if you want the paint to look its best.

Usually what I have to do when buffing is when I think the paint looks good, buff some more! When the compound is totally cleaned off, there will be spots that didn't get hit enough if you don't overkill it just a little.

And THEN use #7!

My 2¢

[baddbob]

mrharris, after the compounding stage give it a good wash with soapy water, dishsoap works good and sometimes I use liquid laundry detergent Purex. You want all that oily compound residue off the surface and these soaps will do that with ease. Then dry and inspect with a flourescent light. Look over every square inch of the surface to make sure all of the colorsanding scratches are gone. If you see any scratches break the compound back out and remove then wash again. Then go over the surface with a polish and a new clean pad. 3M's old finesse it still is one of my favorites and also their machine glaze. Again you must wash and inspect. After the polish step it should be looking flawless and I usually stop there or go to a hand applied glaze. After 30 days in use you might have a few surface wash type scratches and then polish again and apply some quality wax. Cleaning between steps is a must for a perfect buff. Bob