Final, Final Buffing

JimKueneman

JimKueneman

Mopar Nut
My Coronet is now on the road and the most of the mechanical issues have been worked out so I am ready to put that final show finish on it since I am done needing to work on it. I bought a fresh black foam polishing pad for my Presta 2 step kit that I have been using. Is there a secret to get the swirl marks out with the final polish? Is it buffer speed? Pressure? Amount of time spent on each panel?

Thanks,
Jim
 
I would use a buffer like the Rupes MKII or Flex 3401. They are not a rotary, they are a random orbit but with enough power to not stall. Those type buffers require a different pad then what you would use with a rotary, referred to as a hybrid.

Using a random orbit will not leave behind those swirl marks common with rotary buffers.

I have the Flex 3401 which has a forced rotation, meaning it will osolate and rotate under power, you can not stall it. Both the Flex and Rupes can polish out sand scratches if needed but the Flex will IMO do it easier because of the forced rotation.

Those are the 2 big boys in buffers but Griot's is another that is worth looking at and is a little cheaper then the 2 big boys.
 
rinse the pad after every 3rd application of compound. dead clear build up does not polish . make sure you are in a clean environment while buffing .
 
Keep the panels free of dust before and during while buffing also, dust will leave micro scratches behind as well.
 
There are a lot of different methods and compounds used in cutting and buffing.
I use a hard block (piece of oak) and 1000 grit to get the panel flat and orange peel free. Then move up to 1500 and follow with 2000. There are times when I use the Trizac 3000 film discs but it seems the rotary buffer with a twisted wool pad can handle the 2000 grit scratches easily. The trick is to be sure all of the coarse grit scratches are completely gone.
For the final polish, which in my case is the 3rd round of compounding, I like Menzerna Super Finish 3800.
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