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Orbital Buffer

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Old Sep 7, 2002 | 01:14 PM
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Orbital Buffer

I bought a 10" orbital buffer the other day and decided to have a go at polishing a friends old Audi. It worked really well but I wasn't exactly sure if I was using the right bonnets. I want to get it right before trying to tackle my own dark clearcoat.

Anyway, I used a terry cloth bonnet with meguiars Deep Crystal system polish, then used #9 swirl remover with another terry cloth bonnet. Next applied wax by hand and then buffed with a lambs wool bonnet. Is the lambs wool bonnet the best to use for buffing a clearcoat?

It looked pretty good but it was hard to tell coz the car is white. There were still quite a few swirls but from what Al and Justin have been saying I would probably need to get an random orbital buffer/sander for those.

Anyway, please advise if I am doing anything wrong as I don't want to stuff up my clearcoat. In particular I want to know whether using a lambs wool bonnet is safe on a clearcoat on dark metallic paint.

I think I'll go read those sticky posts again...
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Old Sep 7, 2002 | 01:48 PM
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Hey Jet,

Im sponsored by Meguiars, so I know the procedure very well. Swirls are a real pain to get out. I found that the Number 7 Meguiars Showcar Glaze works wonders on them. You apply it by hand after a good wash and then seal it with a wax. Try it out. The Swirl Remover is a little harsh, so id stick with the glaze, which I use on my showcar on a weekly-biweekly basis with absolutely no problems, the more coats, the better.
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Old Sep 7, 2002 | 02:35 PM
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Andrew,

I don't know much about the glaze but wouldn't it just hide the swirls as opposed to removing them? I know you didn't say "remove" but just not sure what the glaze does.

Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks.
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Old Sep 7, 2002 | 05:38 PM
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Originally posted by JeT
Andrew,

I don't know much about the glaze but wouldn't it just hide the swirls as opposed to removing them? I know you didn't say "remove" but just not sure what the glaze does.

Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks.
You are correct, #7 is nothing more than cosmetic. It does not completely hide swirls and will be gone after one week. Glazes do not remove any swirls.

Typically, using a straight wool bonnet is for cutting the surface of the paint, something you don't want to do as your final step. I don't think you did any harm. However, I would buff out the wax either by hand, or with a terry bonnet. You do not want to use a wool bonnet dry. Typically you only want to use wool for heavy polishing.

Usually the 10" orbitals I see do not generate enough heat to really remove those swirls. If you use a wool or terry bonnet and really work in the #9 for a while, I think you will still see an improvement. In order to remove very minor swirls on my black car, it took a PC with yellow cutting pad and #9 worked in.

Andrew man! Cool thing about being sponsored by Meguiars. They should tell you what their products do first!
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Old Sep 7, 2002 | 08:22 PM
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The glaze, yes, is just a cosmetic cover-up. But it lasts a good two weeks. ESPECIALLY, if you wax it right after, you can have a longer "no swirl" look. Most people wash their car every 2 weeks so applying this glaze after a good wash is really easy. It takes me about 15 minutes for the whole car.

Swirl removers work well, but are a little harsh. They take longer to apply and buff out and the swirls return anyways......

I have found that the Glaze is the easiest way to get it done and applying a swirl remover every 6-8 months is a good idea. But for most of us, the practicality of the Glaze is the best way to go.
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Old Sep 8, 2002 | 04:16 AM
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Originally posted by JustinTRW

Typically, using a straight wool bonnet is for cutting the surface of the paint, something you don't want to do as your final step. I don't think you did any harm. However, I would buff out the wax either by hand, or with a terry bonnet. You do not want to use a wool bonnet dry. Typically you only want to use wool for heavy polishing.

Phew! Thanks Justin, I was going to buff my car with the wool bonnet because that's what the guy at the auto shop said it was used for (moron!). I probably have one of the toughest paint colors to keep swirls off so I could imagine really swirling up the coat using the wrong technique. So I use the cotton bonnet to buff off the wax..got it! I don't think I would even be game to try and polish with the lambs wool now!
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Old Sep 8, 2002 | 02:37 PM
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Just make sure the terry bonnet is of good quality otherwise buffing by hand would be safer. Good luck.
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