terrycoxusa Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I need to buff out my paint after wet sanding. I have a 6" random orbit sander/polisher but I think maybe a plain buffer without the random orbit motion would work better, as I am having a tough time getting a shine. I am using 3M buffing compound, bought from NAPA. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I bought this one off ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160183277134&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=006 The first one i recieved didnt work but they sent me another pretty quick. Should work pretty good for buffing after paint. email was kind of slow and they dont combine shipping and handling if you get multiple orders!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravRMK Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 You don't want the random orbit. I have a makita polisher, got it from tooltopia.com. You will want to start with the cut polish compound on a wool pad, then switch to the swirl mark remover with a 3M foam pad. Be carefull on the edges, make sure the pad is rotating off the edge, so it doesn't burn through the clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrycoxusa Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 Thanks for the advice, I have a reason to buy a new tool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 you'll also want to use it on one of the lowest speed settings possible... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeatrpi Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I have a 7" from harbor freight. It looks just like the EBay model linked above. I used meguiar's compounds with matching foam pads. Yellow with diamond cut, white with cleaner polish and black with machine glaze. I've found it helps if you slightly dampen the sponge with water. That, and periodically clean it of gunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdk4219 Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Depending on what you have sanded it with, will lead you to the right compound. A Harbor Freight buffer will be fine, but i might suggest that you get a 3M Perfect It III compound foam pad, and Perfect It III rubbing and Polishing compound. THe Foam pads are much easier to use, and will be harder to burn through (worth the $ IMO) Sanding with less than 1200 grit will be more difficult to polish than a 2000 grit final sand. More work in the sanding department, but less polishing, and a better result. Do a little at a time, and with the Perfect it, you dont need much compound to do the job. make sure to be careful around the edges, and lift the trunk and hatch, and open the doors while buffing the edges. Doing this while the pad is spinning away from the edge so that it doesnt catch it, will lessen the chance of burn through. If you already know this sorry for the info, but learning the hard way isnt fun. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zwannabe Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 i wet sand and buff for a living...yes i know it sucks. but, at 18 years old i can't complain. we use all 3m products and as stated before area awesome. use 2000 grit with a block that has a hard side and a soft side, sand in every direction possible. use the 3m purple extra cut compound to get out scratches with the quickness, then go over that with the their regular compound to eliminate any swirls you won't be able to get out when you use they're swirl remover. and, depending on the color you might want to pick up a bottle of they're light blue glaze/ swirl remover with they're light blue pad. just my .02.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Talk about timing... Xmas eve day I spent time washing, claybaring, then drying the porsche, and then I used my Porter Cable 2724 and the following: Stage 1: Optimum Polish on an Orange pad Wipe off with micro fiber towel. Stage 2: Zaino Z-AIO on with a white pad Let dry then wipe off with a MicroFiber... Pics speak for themselves... It took 3 hours from the time I started washing the car. I'm extremely pleased with this new process and will never go back to the "Zaino" 6 stage process... Gonna try and unload some of my Zaino "products". Make sure to buy the proper polishing/buffing hardware/pads to go with it. They make the results as much as the polish/wax you choose to use. Those pics were taken yesterday before the masses swarmed our house for Xmas lunch/dinner! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240hoke Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Having a variable speed (max setting) and then a trigger to control the speed on the fly is SUPER nice that way you can let off a bit as you come to edges etc. I have a Milwaukee unit and I love it as I love every tool I have from them, more money but worth the price. Here is my buffing thread, I think the pictuers speak for themselves as well. It may not hide my poor body work but my paint shines deep and I have ZERO orange peel http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=107455&highlight=wet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collectindust240Z Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I have a Milwaukee polisher also, but it is HEAVY. The Makita one is a little lighter, but I can't remember if it has the variable trigger. I also have a Cyclo dual head random orbit which is awsome, but not so good for cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrycoxusa Posted December 29, 2007 Author Share Posted December 29, 2007 I bought a buffer from harbor freight and buffed the car out. I think it looks pretty good. I attached a photo of it (cant figure out how to post it in the message) Thanks to all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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