For Les.... Buffing Out Paint

[DetailingDude]

Hey dude, What I want to do is buff my paint out. I have Megures Swirl remover. and medium cut. I use Ibiz wax. I was planning to clay bar my car first. So you got any advice for me.

One thing I do not want to do, in any way, is to curb your enthusiasm for caring for your 'vette. However, I think you might be trying to do a little too much (although I don't know the condition of your paint).

First off..... Most definitly 'Clay' your car. You will be amazed at the results. Here's a little known trick for checking your work when 'Claying': Get a Cellophane Wrapper from a Cigarette Pack and put 2 fingers inside and glide it over the surface of your car. The wrapper will magnify the surface contaminants you need to remove. Also when claying make sure that you have plenty of lubrication on the surface.

I have to wonder about your intentions with the medium cut and the Swirl Remover. What kind of buffer do you have (rotary or random orbital aka dual-action)?

Also, I see the checkerboard painting on your car and a redflag immediatly goes up regarding that and the medium cut. Was the checkerboard clear coated over or is it just on top of your paint? The clay bar probably will do nothing to the checkerboard areas but the compound might if it wasn't cleared over (my guess is that it was not cleared over).

Let me know your intentions with those products and your overall paint condition and then I can advise you better.

 

[les]

Thanks for your reply. First ,my car has two clear coats. The entire car was painted. Forget the medium cut, I planned on using that on a 89 S10 with a rough paint job. I can see some swirl on the black part of the checker boards. This is why I bought the swirl remover. I have a Porter Cable random action buffer.The over all condition of my paint job is excelent,however on the wing it feels a little rough.

 

[DetailingDude]

Little Rough

Before I do ANY work on a painted surface I give the car a thorough wash and then clay that area. I suggest you wash your car and clay that area using the cellophane wrapper to check over the surface. That should eliminate the roughness you are feeling.

Once you finished that area let me know how it looks and feels. I don't think you will be needing the compound. The only time you should be needing any cutting done is if you have any blemish like a surface scratch or some light oxidization.

 

[les]

Thanks dude . I will clay the car and let you know how it turns out before I try anything else. I've got the Mothers clay kit.

 

[COEX-PILOT]

BYW, which clay bars do you recommend (or not recommend).

Thanks

 

[qwall]

what's "claying"?
i never really did any detail jobs on my cars other than wash and vaccum, but i wanna do it on my vette , where do i start? what do i do?

 

[DetailingDude]

Clay Bar Mfr's Guide

The Blue Clay Bar:
I recently tested 3M's and ClayMagic's clay bar and have the same one that is imported from Japan (even has the same exact patent numbers on them, LOL). However, there is a tremdous price variation between the two with 3M's being around $5.00 less. I have found the 3M one for around $18. My Rating: Very Good.

The Yellow Clay Bar:
I recently tested Mother's and Zaino's clay bar and they appear to have the same exact one (although there is no patent number, LOL). Mother's clay bar is available for is available for around $18 as well but I was given my Zaino clay bar so I am not sure of the price. My Rating: Very Good

The White Clay Bar:
I tested Meguiar's clay bar a years ago and was not at all impressed. Meguiar's clay bar retails for $10. My Rating: Good

The Brown Clay Bar:
I recently tested Lusso's clay bar and the quality appears to be right in line with the 3M, ClayMagic, Mother's and Zaino. Lusso's clay bar retails for $14. My Rating: Very Good

The Red Clay Bar:
I have not recently tested AutoMagic's red clay bar. It contains a mild abrasive. I would recommend that this bar only be used in a professional bodyshop atmosphere. I will not give this product a rating.

 

[DetailingDude]

How To Use A Clay Bar

I will add in here my How To Use A Clay Bar Here soon.

 

[COEX-PILOT]

Mothers Clay Bar, piece of cake to use.

After reading thread after thread of using a clay bar, I had to try it. So before I do the Vette, I decided to clay my black VW New Beetle.

When he said "amazing results", I can only say that might just be the understatement of the week! My bug looks unbelieveable!!Easy to use too! Took me less than an hour to do the whole car!

Here is what I did.

(( My wife works for a Porsche dealer so she brough home the 'pink stuff" Basically a Final Inspection type product. I used that as the lubricant. The Mothers clay bar comes with some as well.))

Rip of about 1/4 of the bar off (do not use the whole bar) and make it into a pancake shape. I did this by rolling it into a ball first and then kneading it (like a pizza) into a pancaks about 4" in diameter.

Next, spray the lubricant (don't skimp) on a section of the car and just rub the clay bar over that area. No real pressure necessary. I used back and forth motions. You will feel it glide after a few strokes. That's is. Wipe the lubricant off and you will not believe your eyes!

This stuff is amazing!

It will not, however, remove swirl marks. That's my next project.

On that note, will a Porter Cable remove swirl marks when used with the proper product or do I have to use a rotary buffer?

Thanks to all who talked about doing the clay bar. Try it and tell us your results.