[tech69]

Originally Posted by Mfoehrkolb

--- I promise you... The pads im using are probably on the level of harbor freight pads lol. My least aggressive pad, i could easily use to cut with compound...

I'm not opposed to stick with this mothers line of mine... but still wont mind what people are recommending.

you want real wood pads and a dedicated pad system for what you're using. Even wiping with a micro fiber can create swirls on black. So even for something as minor as wiping it with a towel, I'll count my passes so I know it's roughly done so I wipe less. never let compound dry on your car, pads clean and conditioned properly, and the right pressure and rpm. Even your hands...nothing can touch any part of the pad, car, towel. You have to be really anal about it. A good light will help locate dry areas that need buffing. As the compoud dries you want less pressure. When you're doing final passes you want so little pressure you're holding it up and barely touching. The biggest key for me is to be as thorough as can be with the wool, and to then go back over it with compound on foam. If you do those two steps very thoroughly then it's a cakewalk, in my opinion. Before you go to polish wash the car with Dawn to get off any polymers/afro sheen to reveal anything you missed and go back over it. Wash again and polish. You should also have dedicated microfibers for compound and polish and kept in clean zip locks.

As for me, I'm a dirty body tech but I can buff like a champ. The car and pads will be clean but my shirt will be full of compound.

[Mfoehrkolb]

Originally Posted by tech69

you want real wood pads and a dedicated pad system for what you're using. Even wiping with a micro fiber can create swirls on black. So even for something as minor as wiping it with a towel, I'll count my passes so I know it's roughly done so I wipe less. never let compound dry on your car, pads clean and conditioned properly, and the right pressure and rpm. Even your hands...nothing can touch any part of the pad, car, towel. You have to be really anal about it. A good light will help locate dry areas that need buffing. As the compoud dries you want less pressure. When you're doing final passes you want so little pressure you're holding it up and barely touching. The biggest key for me is to be as thorough as can be with the wool, and to then go back over it with compound on foam. If you do those two steps very thoroughly then it's a cakewalk, in my opinion. Before you go to polish wash the car with Dawn to get off any polymers/afro sheen to reveal anything you missed and go back over it. Wash again and polish. You should also have dedicated microfibers for compound and polish and kept in clean zip locks.

As for me, I'm a dirty body tech but I can buff like a champ. The car and pads will be clean but my shirt will be full of compound.

--- Wool pads in my opinion would be way too aggressive for the little amount of sanding i do. I might own heavy duty compound that good to 1200g i think it said... but i never use it.

I stated earlier, 1500 is the lowest i have to go. When sanding is done, it's not for orange peel or runs, its 90% of the time just dust. I totally agree though with being meticulous... which i am. I also do wash the car with dawn soap after compounding and after the polishing step. Cross contamination is no good :/

I did some research on the buff and shine pads that my local brick and mortar store carries... and nothing but good reviews on meguiars website.

If someone has a pad part # with the corresponding compound material used... please list what you use.

[mitmaks]

Here's a kit I use, its Meguiar's Solo
Meguiar's® Solo

[tech69]

we use meguiars 8.5 I think it is, But our pads are burgandy,off white, and yellow. no texture on the pads. I guess if it's a pad for the compound you're using can't really go wrong.

Also, I'd like to state an opinion that wool pads being bad is a misconnception as long as you spend time compounding with a pad afterwards. The reason I say so is because isn't the very first scratch you put on the paint more aggressive than the wool and compound? Then what's the problem as long as you take gradual steps to erase each last step? There is no problem otherwise we wouldn't be sanding with things much more aggressive than wool and compound. It saves a lot of time in my opinion even though you've added an extra step by using wool.

[cyclopsblown34]

I like my wool pads kind of like Tech69's method. I have cutting wool pads and gentler more polishing oriented wool pads. I also have a couple 3M black pads for final polis and glaze then hand glaze with Meguiars swirl remover, finishing with meguiars HiTech yellow wax.

[Mfoehrkolb]

Originally Posted by tech69

we use meguiars 8.5 I think it is, But our pads are burgandy,off white, and yellow. no texture on the pads. I guess if it's a pad for the compound you're using can't really go wrong.

Also, I'd like to state an opinion that wool pads being bad is a misconnception as long as you spend time compounding with a pad afterwards. The reason I say so is because isn't the very first scratch you put on the paint more aggressive than the wool and compound? Then what's the problem as long as you take gradual steps to erase each last step? There is no problem otherwise we wouldn't be sanding with things much more aggressive than wool and compound. It saves a lot of time in my opinion even though you've added an extra step by using wool.

--- It's not about is the wool less aggressive than the sand paper being used. I would think it's more aggressive than a less aggressive foam pad. When you have minimal mm of clear coat to play with. Every little bit counts that you dont really "need" to take off. Then again, it all depends on how many were applied and what your specific ordeal is you have at hand.

Originally Posted by cyclopsblown34

I like my wool pads kind of like Tech69's method. I have cutting wool pads and gentler more polishing oriented wool pads. I also have a couple 3M black pads for final polis and glaze then hand glaze with Meguiars swirl remover, finishing with meguiars HiTech yellow wax.

--- I called my local jobber about those buff and shine pads, and they are 18-20$ a per pad. So if i get pad per step, im probably looking at over 100$ in pads. But i will probably want more than 1 pad each to do any overall in relatively an as fast as possible situation.

[tech69]

Originally Posted by Mfoehrkolb

--- It's not about is the wool less aggressive than the sand paper being used. I would think it's more aggressive than a less aggressive foam pad. When you have minimal mm of clear coat to play with. Every little bit counts that you dont really "need" to take off. Then again, it all depends on how many were applied and what your specific ordeal is you have at hand.




--- I called my local jobber about those buff and shine pads, and they are 18-20$ a per pad. So if i get pad per step, im probably looking at over 100$ in pads. But i will probably want more than 1 pad each to do any overall in relatively an as fast as possible situation.

yeah but it evens out cause you will spend A LOT less time buffing.

[Mfoehrkolb]

Originally Posted by tech69

yeah but it evens out cause you will spend A LOT less time buffing.

--- Well the pad size i needed at my brick and motor was 20$ a pad and i needed roughly 10 pads total (2-3 of each)...

I found that kind of ridiculous. So i actually found a griot's garage 6 on sale locally for 80$ (i know right!?) - i went to sears first and they are selling it for 250$...

I found buff n shine pads (from the research i have done, they are who megquires purchases pads through and rebrands them) online for 3-5$ each, and they have entire packs of each one for 30$... So i will just buy 3 complete pack sets, and still use my rotary for the initial compounding and 1st stage of polishing, then i will go from there with the DA and complete the polishing, glazing etc.

I ended up spending around 200$ for a new DA set up, kept my rotary, bought new attachment kits for the rotary so i can use the DA smaller pads 5.5", basically... everything will be interchangeable and i spent around the same amount of money.


i am doing the body work currently on the car, and the engine bay probably tomorrow in my free time. quite excited to get everything in the mail that was needed to order!

[pixelmonkey]

Mfoehrkolb, visit autogeek.net or autopia.org

The forums on both sites are extremely helpful!

have the Griots DA will help quite a bit!
chris<pixelmonkey>

[milo]

Originally Posted by Mfoehrkolb

I To get swirless/perfect buff jobs on dark colors,.

More than enough has been said about products already here though still something to consider might be the diameter of the pad .

*With fresh paint/clear sand within a day or 2 with 1000..then let it gas out another day and sand again with 2000. Uncured clear smears it doesn't polish.

[paint dude]

The biggest thing is good products and CLEAN pads, if you use junk pads you will get junk results. I have used 3M in the past with good results, But I now use Presta with awesome results. I use there black wool pad and a blue foam for the final polish. The compound is Ultra cutting creme, followed by either Ultrs polish or Swirl remover, both if desired.Then use their Fast wax for a simple high gloss result, just wipe on and a short flash wipe off with a soft rag, I have had no problem in the paint shop with this wax, fisheyes, contamination etc. Just an all around great product.- prestaproducts.com to view their complete line.The ultra cut creme will easily cut 1200 grit scratches, so if you use 1200-1500 grit no problems at all.

[novafreek6872]

Originally Posted by milo

More than enough has been said about products already here though still something to consider might be the diameter of the pad .

*With fresh paint/clear sand within a day or 2 with 1000..then let it gas out another day and sand again with 2000. Uncured clear smears it doesn't polish.

I tried your method with a mini buffer. Still see marks out in the sunlight. I used meguiars #1 paint cleaner with the least aggressive foam pad I have. Meguiars paint cleaner is supposed to remove swirls. Looks great inside under the flourescents...

Black is TOUGH !!!

[milo]

I use the the white waffle pads first to buff (once,twice.till) and then the grey foam pads to polish with the 3M Perfect-it one and two on Envirobase Onevist clear ..

[novafreek6872]

I need to experiment a bit, will probably have to get a 3m pad and perfect it. Shine is great, but I have swirls in direct sunlight pretty bad.

[novafreek6872]

MIRACLE stuff... polished by hand today... swirls are 98% gone (well, hidden anyway) ... this is all I'm putting on the car from here out