polishing paintwork

[craze01]

Anyone got any tips on hand polishing paintwork !!
My scoot has got swirl marks on it from polishing with dirty cloths over the last three years
and I have just cut the paint back with dfine wet and dry paper and then used cutting paste before polishing with a good wax only to find they are still in the paintwork.


What does averyone else do to keep paintwork nice!!
I dont have a buffer so it has to be manual labour!

[johnny diamond]

depends on the amount of clearcoat u got
myself i use a minimum of 2000 wet/dry (soapy wet )
follow with fine 3M finesseit using soft cloth
finish with super fine hologram polish...works for me,use a very bright lamp to highlight
the spots requiring most work to save on the elbow grease

[coaster]

I'd agree with johnie's advice although personnally I don't have a problem using 1200 with soap. Use circular strokes with the wet & dry but with the cutting compound use stright strokes. If you go down to a finer cutting compund asper johnies advice then polish at 90 degrees to the courser strokes and with the finalk polisg use circularstrokes again.

[OranegePeel]

DUDE!!!!!! step away from the wet sanding... If it is only swirls you are wanting to get out i would invest in a machine polisher... Or contact a Detailer in your area.

I assume that you have had a respray and as such with probably have a "2" stage finish, colour and clear coat... Do you you know how thick your clear is??? You would be amazed at how quickly you can go through clear coat even with 2000 grit!

My recommendations/options would be

1. If you can afford it get a respected detailer round to carry out the correction.

2. If you have the balls and a bit of cash, invest in a dedicated machine polisher, some thing like a Kestral DAS6 or the Meguiars G200 (Random Orbital sander/polishers), and a selection of pads. If it's only swirl marks you want to remove and no random deeper scratches then probably a light cut, a polishing and a finishing pad should suffice. You will also need some polishes (not to be confused with waxes or sealants or glazes), these come in many strengths (cuts) and from many manufacturers. As you progress you will doubtlessly find an allegiance to one or two brands.

Before you even think about going for any of the above I would spent a few evenings reading up on techniques on the Detailing World forum, Just google Detailing World and you will find it. Be prepared to find a whole new world and approach to car/scooter care... I have been Detaining for 4/5 years and still learn tricks and tips on an almost daily basis...

If you are in the west of Scotland by all means give me a shout and i will help you out or even do it for you... I cant recomend enough that you get on to Detailing World before you take any more wet and dry to your scoot...

Any problemss give me a shout.

OP

Mine and my mates scoots at Kelso this year prepped, polished and waxed by myself...

[LI150]

The finish on these look excellent

[Andy]

Farecla G3 then G10 on a mop followed by 3M 'finnesse it' then hand polished with carnauba wax, and this is cellulose...

[Diablo]

Won't quote and duplicate the pics again but those Vespas look lush. You obviously know what your talking about regards shiney shiney

[johnny diamond]

certainly does look lush and ive got to admit my earlier tip was a little on the knee jerk realm
its just that over the years ive come across so many poor paint jobs,its almost instinct to reach for the
2000 and get a decent base surface having removed the orange peel ( not a pun )
bringing back the lustre with two grades of finesse it then ultrafine hologram cream.
i usualy finish with a gentle claying followed with auto glym resin polish topped off with the extra gloss
protection,its also important to add....use only the best cleaning cloths for best results

[Andy]

Ref polishing cloths, i find 3M microfibre cloths excellent, a little expensive @ £7 for three but can be used over and over after washing out. Also picks up fine dust like a magnet.

Lovely fnish on the Vespas,even with a clear coat, the very hardest colour to polish without swirls.

[soulsurfer]

If using DA mops, polishers etc., don't you get polish in places you didn't know existed that are unreacheable?

Have to agree re. the Vespas, saw them in another post, shinier than a shiny thing