SPI black buffing dilemma

C

cstrom72

Having a issue with hazing/ cloudiness on my recent paint job. Here's what I've done, after 3 coats of clear i waited about a week because its been cool here, around 70 degrees and 40s at night. Anyway wet sanded with 800, 1000,1500 then 2000. Bought a (cheap?) 80.00 ATD variable speed buffer a wool pad and a grey finish pad. This was my first time buffing and i think i moved to fast. I used wizards turbo cut with wool, then finish cut with gray pad. The turbo cut is supposed to remove 1200 scratches.

I can still see some sand scratches in some areas, should i go back over with 2000 grit , ive been very cautious not to burn thru but i did in a couple very small spots

I have a body line that runs the length of the vehicle, part if it is only a half inch wide, i did not use the buffer in these areas because i will burn thru. Should i use a micro fiber cloth with compound and do the tight areas by hand? 2012-09-30_18-32-18_905.jpg
 
Slow down with the buffer, do a 2-3 foot section with the cutting compound and cutting pad until all the scratches are gone, then go to the next section.
New painters tend to be scared to buff and leave lots of sanding marks and that is why it is cloudy, it will take a lot to burn through, except for edges.
Call me if you need help.
 
It might do something about 1 square inch at a time, I can see needing a 3" mini air buffer and/or hand work when the vehicle is being sanded and buffed while assembled (not standard practice). If the sanding scratches remain in areas close to obstructions like mirrors and handles, they may need to be removed for access.

Here's the little buffer I use for hard to reach areas, though I use my own pads and an air regulator to slow it down a bit:

http://www.foxruntools.com/3miniairpolishingkit.aspx
 
I've never understood how to handle this. How do you buff around areas where there are body lines? How about edges of panels? I've seen detailing videos where tape was placed on these areas to reduce burn thru, but never knew what to do after you remove the tape? I will be color sanding and buffing my entire car (Using UV Clear) and very curious how you guys handle these difficult areas.

Pat
 
First rule of buffing: Don't sand where you cant safely use the buffer. Otherwise you'll be forced to do it by hand and it will likely not come out well.
 
With that little 3" buffer, there's hardly an area that can't be reached, and if there is, it should either be omitted from the process, or sanded with 3000 and hand rubbed.

People who use tape will usually remove it after the initial rough compounding. I only use tape on occasion to protect the edge of an adjacent panel, not the one I'm buffing.

It's pretty hard to buff through 3+ coats of SPI clear, unless you did something really wrong.
 
I normally sand up to the edges once I reach the higher grits but I do this by hand and take my time.
Only use the buff on these areas during the polishing stage and be sure the buff is traveling "off the edge" and not into it. It takes practice and believe me if you get it wrong you will burn through before you can blink.
Ideally you should strive to spray your clear coat slick enough so that you don't have to cut and buff the edges and body lines.
 
Pat,
I normally sand up to the edges once I reach the higher grits but I do this by hand and take my time.
Only use the buff on these areas during the polishing stage and be sure the buff is traveling "off the edge" and not into it. It takes practice and believe me if you get it wrong you will burn through before you can blink.
Ideally you should strive to spray your clear coat slick enough so that you don't have to cut and buff the edges and body lines.
 
I tried a slower approach and went over the entire bronco again, its better but in bright light im still seeing more swirl marks than I think it should.. I may have to try a different pad and compound... Somewhere I read something about people really liking Mcguires #7 I think??
 
Try some m205 (Mequiars) on their yellow foam pad at medium speed with a rotary buffer, do a small section at a time and clean the pad often. M7 will not remove the swirls, you have to get them out first!!, very hard (almost impossible) to get completely swirl free using a wool pad. M7 is a glaze to be used just before car show, show n shine etc,etc, it is short lasting and may "fill" some of the swirls but not for long.
 
Also, a lot of times, swirl marks that you can't get rid of are a result of glaze left on panel from too much compound and or too slow buffing speed and an easy way to test is take wax and grease remover to a panel and see what it looks like.
 
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