Cut and buffed to a haze. Sealed in the clear?

S

slideways

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So about a month ago i painted my K10 with SPI everything and Metalux deep blue base. 4 coats of Universal Clear over it. Im pretty confident on the thickness of the clear especially once i realized how hard it was to run it. So i decided to tackle the minor dry spray and orange peel stripes and imperfections with a short throw polisher and wet 1500/2000/3000 then compound and polish. On the bedside i realized that the machine was not the best way as it was pretty aggressive since there are curves and contours that the 6" pad didnt like. So i ended up hand sanding with my DA sheets the rest of the way. What i ended up with was a nice smooth glossy finish from a side profile but looking directly at it its almost foggy (not sand scratch hazy). From what i've read i guess i need to resand it wet (by hand this time) and repeat the process to hope it clears it up? I have a soft block and sticky paper now vs just rubbing my bare hand on the DA sheets. I'm just hoping this will clear it up since its almost like i've encapsulated it in a nice smooth glass like finish. Im also hoping i have enough material not to burn through there as well.

Thoughts?
 
Are you saying it looks foggy after sanding before buffing? The texture of the finish is what the sanding is to address, the buffing polishing should bring the shine back.
 
I don't understand the post, it doesn't seem like the complete process has been detailed from start to finish. It sounds like something as simple as more finer polishing may be needed
 
So I followed the proper flash times and all. The clear had a nice deep gloss to it where you could see the metal flecks in the dark blue paint. All I needed to do was get rid of the orange peel and some of the little streak imperfections from the gun strokes back and forth. So like I said I started wet sanding with the polisher which seemed too aggressive and awkward with the curves and body lines. Hoping that as I wiped it off between grits the haze would polish out like it's supposed to at the end. But what I'm left with is a nice smooth glossy panel that you can no longer see the metal flecks sparkling back at you compared to an unworked panel. So I'm wondering did I polish in some of the slurry from the wet sanding and if I repeat the process making sure it's totally clean between grit stages will that correct it.
 
If you compounded with a short throw polisher that’s likely part of your issue imho.

Choice of compound and pad makes a big difference. ACA 3D 500 on their yellow wool pad with a rotary polisher is what I use.

Don
 
It really seems as if the surface isn't being polished enough as Don says. No body shop I have ever worked at uses a random orbital to polish out color sanding scratches, it just takes waaaaaay too long.
 
This is my first time doing this like most so Youtube and forums have been my guide. I got a Harbor Freight Bauer polisher and the 5 pack of Griots pads and their Polish/Compound. So you're thinking i didnt "lock in" or encase the residue in the polished clear? More like i just have to go over it again with the compound and polish step?
 
I think it will take a very long time to achieve a nice finish with a short stroke random orbit polisher and some kind of combo compound/polish. You are on the wrong track imho. I doubt anyone on this forum is using that method….

Don
 
Do you have any pictures?.. If you have 4 coats of spi Uni clear, pick a small spot somewhere, and absolutely make sure it has been sanded properly with all the grits through your 3000....If you are using foam pads, pick your most aggressive pad and your heaviest cutting compound((if you dont have a cutting or heavy cutting compound, you will need to get: Lots of folks on this site like the 3d ACA 500)...Next, go over this small sample spot like 4 to 6 times with your current set up..You should start to see a ton of gloss!.... Ive been where you are now...... From this site i learned you should have a rotary polisher and good quality wool pads for initial cut..I went this route and very impressed with the results..You can use your foam pads for your polishing step...........As others have said, it takes foreverrrr with foam pads... I just did a dark blue metallic base project with production clear(which i believe cures harder than Uni clear) and the paint correction took me along time...Make sure each step is done fully and properly before going to the next step
 
I was under the impression that the random orbit was easier on the clear to prevent burn through. So your saying a standard variable speed with a wool pad would be better. I'm on a major budget so I'd be going after the even cheaper harbor freight special that just is a fixed orbit.
 
The internet is an amazing tool for DIY's like my self. What a guy would use to correct and detail a factory paint job has nothing in common with cutting and polishing fresh paint. Search and study this forum, you will not get bad advice here. It's easy to get too much information and loose track of what actually applies to what you are trying to accomplish
 
slideways said:
I was under the impression that the random orbit was easier on the clear to prevent burn through. So your saying a standard variable speed with a wool pad would be better. I'm on a major budget so I'd be going after the even cheaper harbor freight special that just is a fixed orbit.
Click to expand...
You need a rotary buffer but I don’t like wool, I use Lake Country foam pads, starting with orange.

I just have a cheap HF rotary buffer I use. And their polisher as well.

It works well for me.

993C2538-E3C4-4080-A681-69E28EA8D433.jpeg
 
Often times the issues come when not removing all of the previous grit sanding marks.

I use the 1000, 1500 and then 2000 grit. You are not done sanding with 1500 until all the 1000 grit scratches are gone, etc.
My DeWalt rotary buffer has a variable speed trigger so I can start slow, spread the compound without slinging it everywhere and then speed up for working the panel.

There are lots of different methods and compound recommendations, as you tend to stick with what works for you.

For me it is a twisted wool pad first, using Meguiars M-100. This set up removes 2000 grit scratches very easily and leaves a nice looking finish.
From there I move to the Lake Country white foam pad and Chemical Guys optical grade polish V36.
The final step is a Lake Country black foam pad and Menzerna Final Finsh 3800 (changed names a few times). This removes the very fine scratches and leaves crystal clear reflection.
 
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I'll have to keep working on it. One question though now that I have this smoothed out and I still see some orange peel and stuff under the glass finish can i sand it back down with the 1500-2000-3000 and try to fix it or should I live with it because that will take too much clear
 
For a quick test, load up your orange pad with 4 dots of compound, or how ever many dots you use, and run a pass on a selected area...Wipe clean, then hit the same area 3 or 4 more times..See if this gets you to where you want to be outside of a final polish..... When doing your final wipe down after wet sanding, if all orange peel is gone, the entire surface with be dead "flat" as in sheen, if that makes sense
 
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