chemical guys v series

I saw you say that you only do two steps now? Are you using the yellow CG pad for cut or wool? Then black for polish? What polish are you using. Thanks.


i have only ever done a 2 step process. compound then polish and its done. on a rare occasion i might use some ultrafina on a dark color just to take out some holograms gut that is rare. for polish i have found the 3m perfect-it ex (black stuff) to be a good one but since i am using the 3d compounds now i decided to try their polish this time and i like that as well. 3d aca500 and aca 520 are a good choice. i try and compound with wool but on something with alot of edges and i need better control or if im buffing 1 handed then i will use a yellow or orange hex logic pad. polish i will use the hex logic black foam.
 
Jim, does the perfect-it ex machine polish clean up better than the regular perfect-it machine polish? That stuff was horrible to get off if it dried.
 
I think the only difference with the ex in both the polish and compound is the amount of abrasive in it. The ex has more. If you didnt like the regular stuff i would assume the ex would be the same. I never had an issue the the polish cleanup myself. Always thought it cleaned up easy but i am always wiping it off with a surface cleaner as soon as im done. Im not dealing with it stuck in door jambs and stuff like that so my views may be a little skewed.
 
I have a Vendo 81 Coke machine that I am restoring. I painted it and cleared it with universal clear last winter and then I cut and buffed using the 3M perfect it system. It looked like glass.
I put the freshly buffed cabinet in the corner of my garage and covered with a moving blanket. I plan on assembling it and finishing it up this winter.
One day last week I needed the moving blanket that was covering it so I took it off the coke machine. It still looked great until I opened the garage door to let the outside light in. It was showing sand scratches everywhere. Looks horrible.
Kinda made me glad I switched to Mothers 100 for my latest project.
 
What I'm buffing now will be the last one I do with Chem Guys compounds and polishes. Just wasn't impressed with them at all. The pads are decent but the compounds and polishes seem slow and what was supposed to work as the 2nd step (white pad and V36) left a lot of heavy swirls (black). Ended up switching to my old reliable Presta polish then to 3M Ultrafina for the holograms. One mistake I made though was hand sanding through 2000. (Then 3000-5000 Trizact) I think if I had switched to 1500 or 2000(?) film discs on the DA, I wouldn't have been chasing down so many random hand sanding scratches. That and spending more time with the 3000 Trizact. Just can't get in a hurry when you are doing something black and trying to make it look good. Felt like putting my fist through the wall a few times over the past couple of weeks.
 
What I'm buffing now will be the last one I do with Chem Guys compounds and polishes. Just wasn't impressed with them at all. The pads are decent but the compounds and polishes seem slow and what was supposed to work as the 2nd step (white pad and V36) left a lot of heavy swirls (black). Ended up switching to my old reliable Presta polish then to 3M Ultrafina for the holograms. One mistake I made though was hand sanding through 2000. (Then 3000-5000 Trizact) I think if I had switched to 1500 or 2000(?) film discs on the DA, I wouldn't have been chasing down so many random hand sanding scratches. That and spending more time with the 3000 Trizact. Just can't get in a hurry when you are doing something black and trying to make it look good. Felt like putting my fist through the wall a few times over the past couple of weeks.
I've had the same problems chasing random straight line scratches no matter how careful I try to be. Here lately I have gravitated more towards the DA. I get the occasional pigtails, but they don't seem to get as deep as those nasty straight line ones, and are easier to remove. Did a bedside today that had some very light dust particles and I just sanded with 2000 dry Sunmight finishing film, then buffed with the new to me 3D ACA 500 and polished with the 520. Total time sanding to finished less than 30 minutes. Compound cut great leaving no mess and very light swirls. The V34 and white pads I only tried once and didn't like them, but I use the V36 with a black pad a lot, and the V38 occasionally on dark colors. The Sunmight finishing film works pretty well, but the 3000 foam pads don't last near as long as the trizact. Sunmight will send sample packs of finishing film, foam pads, ceramic grinding discs, ceramic cut off wheels (awesome) and more if you request them. http://www.sunmightusa.com/products/sample-kits
 
My jobber just dropped off some Presta Pace heavy cut compound and also Medium with a Presta black wool pad to try. Been using the 3M system and like everyone said clean up sucks. What do you think for fresh clear? Want to try some 3D as Jim C talked about.
 
Doesn't anyone use 710 to clean the panel after buffing? Every section should be buffed, wiped clean and inspected before moving on. Spend a few bucks and get an inspection light.
 
Doesn't anyone use 710 to clean the panel after buffing? Every section should be buffed, wiped clean and inspected before moving on. Spend a few bucks and get an inspection light.

I've never used 710 to clean up the 3M machine polish (blackish grey stuff) cause I stopped using it (3M)several years ago. But other solvent W&G removers wouldn't touch the dried spatter. Not really a problem when doing one or two panels or smaller jobs, but when doing a complete vehicle with your parts strewn all over the shop, those little spatters are easy to miss here and there, and they go everywhere no matter how careful you are, and once they dry they are like cement on the paint surface.
I used an inspection light, which is why I found the hand scratches. Usually you can't see them until you compound, and sometimes you can't see some of them until you polish, which is why they are so frustrating. Without any light you can't see them. So then you gotta go back over them and sand them out. Most (all?) of them you can't see indoors without using a light, which is what I've been doing.
 
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I've never used 710 to clean up the 3M machine polish (blackish grey stuff) cause I stopped using it (3M)several years ago. But other solvent W&G removers wouldn't touch the dried spatter. Not really a problem when doing one or two panels or smaller jobs, but when doing a complete vehicle with your parts strewn all over the shop, those little spatters are easy to miss here and there, and they go everywhere no matter how careful you are, and once they dry they are like cement on the paint surface.
I used an inspection light, which is why I found the hand scratches. Usually you can't see them until you compound, and sometimes you can't see some of them until you polish, which is why they are so frustrating. Without any light you can't see them. So then you gotta go back over them and sand them out. Most (all?) of them you can't see indoors without using a light, which is what I've been doing.
I use the 710 to clean the compound fillers off to reveal scratches. I prefer isopropyl but that's not good on freshish clear. 710 cleans with no problem too.
 
I use the 710 to clean the compound fillers off to reveal scratches. I prefer isopropyl but that's not good on freshish clear. 710 cleans with no problem too.
Scratches TK and I are talking about are the random deep scratches left by hand sanding. Usually a single scratch or two, in various places. Not the type of scratches you see from not compounding enough or trying to compound too coarse a scratch. They are real pissers when you are trying to get something really close. Show more prominently in darker colors.
 
I find washing with Dawn after buffing really helps to rid the glaze
and reveal what's missed. It's really best to clean between each step.
3M makes a product called Clean & Shine that works real good too.
It's great for removing spatter.
 
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