Ultra fine swirls?? In UV clear

Otee453

Promoted Users
All right. I’ve tried everything. Different arm speed, rpm, pads, rotary, DA, 3m Ultra Fine polish,etc.

I cannot get this black with UV clear to a perfect 100% without the ultra fine swirls. With a 650 lumen color check light the swirls are nearly gone but as soon as I hit it with a 1500 lumen flashlight… bam.

As a first timer, should there be ABSOLUTELY no perceptible ultra fine marks in super bright light? The gloss and reflection is amazing, but geez! I can’t take it outside yet due to snow.
 

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I should add… I am pretty certain I got out all the straight line 3000 grit (trizact) sanding scratches with the wool pad. My color sanding I did all by hand, all the grits 800-3000. I used white mirka guide coat and meticulously made certain I got all the lower grit scratches out as I went.
 
Not a sanding problem, a buffing problem. What compound?
CSI CeramX. Couldn’t get it to perfect swirl free with just their system, so I tried finishing with 3m EX UltraFine.

Seen so much on CSI and how fantastic it is but I just can’t get there with it. The 3m ultra fine makes it sparkle but as soon as I clean the surface… bam!

I’ve been very careful to be super clean panel. No dried residue on the wool or foam pad, Still can’t get there.
 
UV is a very soft product. How much time between painting and buffing? I have had the best luck waiting 2 weeks or longer with plenty of time in the sun.
Painted in mid October of last year (2021)

im starting to wonder if my cleaning technique is causing micro scratching. This is a fiberglass body and off the car chassis. I’m getting MASSIVE static build up… to the point I can literally watch junk jump onto and cling to the paint. I’m using good quality microfiber but I’m just wiping the surface using a fair bit of pressure when wiping.

I went back and used the 3m Ultra Fine with a finish grade foam using moderate pressure on the foam (rotary). Seemed to get a 98-99% swirl free shine. I then sprayed the surface with W&G remover and very lightly wiped the surface clean. It appears to be staying swirl free.
 
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Ultrafina is for removing very light swirl from a fine polish, as texasking says. We have never gotten a one-step product to work except for doing a quicky job on aged paint where the result doesn't have to be perfect. For dark colors, I don't think there is any getting away from a 3-step polishing process, first cutting compound, second polishing compound, third something like Ultrafina.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but 800 by hand is equal to 600. Those would take a lot to remove or completely refine. Could there be faint scratches remaining?
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but 800 by hand is equal to 600. Those would take a lot to remove or completely refine. Could there be faint scratches remaining?
I used white guide coat on all grits up to 2000. The 800 just knocked down the tops of the worst orange peel. The 1000 & 1500 each a step further took it down to where it was perfectly flat. I sanded everything a different direction so I could see all the previous scratches. I was meticulous and took my time on carefully sanding, not rushing any of it And used a bright flashlight from all angles to really see all the scratches. I can with utmost certainty say that I got 99% of all the sanding scratches out. I feel like I’ve looked at every millimeter of this car 5 or 6 times over with a microscope.

with that said, I am having a hard time determining when I’ve gone far enough with the wool pad. I’ve read where that is where most novices fail… not getting all the fine 3000 grit sanding scratches out with the wool pad before going further. I polish it up, it’s shiny and still see swirls but I have a hard time telling if they are straight lines or true swirls Because of the round light.
 
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Fluorescent tubes have always been the harshest critics of my paint jobs, but times are changing. I do think some kind of strip or tube light might help you get a better look at what kind of scratches, if any, remain.
 
Ultrafina is for removing very light swirl from a fine polish, as texasking says. We have never gotten a one-step product to work except for doing a quicky job on aged paint where the result doesn't have to be perfect. For dark colors, I don't think there is any getting away from a 3-step polishing process, first cutting compound, second polishing compound, third something like Ultrafina.
Thanks. I’m going to try the 3d compound and polish recommended by TexasKing. For less than $50, I can get 8oz of each and see what it does. I’ve been reluctant to go with 3m’s system as I hear how messy and difficult it is, which is weird because I’ve found everything else 3m through this journey has been a superior product
 
We use Menzerna for the 1st step, some house brand from my jobber for the 2nd step, and Ultrafina for the 3rd step. Everyone likes something different, and there is really no law that says you have to follow one system all the way through. But I think you'll probably fix your problem with a true 3 step system.
 
those are ultrafine scratches from either not using the right grade of foam with the ultrafina, a clogged or dirty foam pad or just from wiping with a microfiber. universal is a softer clear and will stay soft for quite awhile. it will hard eventually. i would get it the best you can then wait until mid summer once it has had some weeks to cook in the summer sun then bring it inside and ultrafina it again with the proper 3m blue pad. you will get everything out by then. also keep in mind that a black or dark sanded and buffed finish you are fighting a losing battle unless the car is being kept in a bubble, never exposed to anything and only take out for display at a show. anything other than that and you will always have micro swirls in the paint. just the way it is
 
This is the pad I use with the Ultrafina polish. If you are not using this pad, or something comparable, although I don't know what that would be, you do not get the full effect. I.E. swirls, spider web scratches will remain. Done right this stuff works very well. Last one I did with this was black and had zero swirls or spider webbing when finished. Only stuff I know of that will take out the ultra fine scratches.

 
I've heard some people don't like the Ultrafina, but for us it has proven to be a great last step, it's abrasive is super fine, though, so don't expect to really remove any visible defects except for the slightest haze. We use the "EX" version, it stays on the panel a lot longer and lets us really work it. I would bet that a lot of the problems ppl experienced with Ultrafina were because the regular version can solidify on the panel and be hard to remove. EX does not do that.
 
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