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What compounds do you use?

impolvo

impolvo

Is always busy
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Location
Chapel Hill NC
I'm prepared to buff and polish my paint
But I'm overwhelmed by the choices of compounds

What do you guys use

Cutting compound ?
Polish ?
Wax ?

It's for single stage wax but any advice and experience helps
 
3M Perfect It series

It changes every time I go buy a bottle, so I just buy whatever they have in the store. If they have older inventory of last year's line, that's what I buy. I think the last bottle was the Perfect It III, but I didn't care enough to read.

I use machine compound and then glaze. I use a white buff, then a black buff. I use swirl mark reducer with NEW microfiber towels by hand as a final pass. Then a coat of Zaino wax or some other good wax. Meguiars, Mothers, Griot's are all good for new paint freshly cleaned up if you don't mail order the Zaino. If you just polished your original paint on your 1975, then plain old Turtle Wax.
 
It all depends on the condition of the paint I'm going to be working.
A moderate cutting compound:
3845_lg.jpg

For most oxidation and scratch removal.

Then I follow up with a finishing polish:
2798_lg.jpg

This will level the paint after you've cut it with compound.

The two above chemicals I only use if the paint needs serious love. The rest below is my usual song and dance.
Clay bar:
mothers_claybar_07240.jpg

I always clay bar before I apply polish, sealer, and wax. It isn't needed if you're going to cut the surface with a cutting compound, though.

Polish:
image_12506.jpg

Yeah, it's Nu Finish, but it works. Apply and buff off.
Sealer(some use it, some don't. I do:
P63Grp1.1.gif

I used this stuff when I was professionally detailing and can't say enough good things about it. Apply like polish.
Finally Wax, it's hit and miss. Some perform better than others and in certain environments than others. The higher content of wax solids, the better. So far I have found this. YMMV:
05550-05750.jpg

I usually get the paste and apply it by hand. Then buff it out with a wool bonnet on a DA polisher.

Hope this doesn't scare you off. You can get a decent DA polisher from Harbor Freight and a bunch of bonnets to use to help you out. A word from prior experience, write on the bonnets that you use for specific cutting compounds and polishes. :-D
 
To actually answer the question I'm along the same lines with Keizer here.

- Wash and clay first.
- Megs #2 on yellow pad for nasty scratches
- Megs #9 on white pad as follow up (or starting point for just swirls).
- Blackfire polish
- Blackfire sealant
- Megs #26 just to make the black paint pop

I have the HF DA polisher, I tweaked it a little bit (5" backing pad, rotated head 180 and repacked it insides with red grease). I use Lake Country pads with it, and they get put into ziplock bags that I write on what they were used for. Dont forget to tape up your weatherstripping.
 
My dad used Kit liquid car wax mixed with rubbing compound to clean and polish the paint on his semi tractors every time he got a different truck. It gave surprising results.
 
Paint is in good shape , just lost the luster it once had
I've got a basic polisher and a yellow pad , black pad and a wool pad

I don't need heavy cutting,some water stains and light scuffs
Cars are black 1980 262 and a white 82 740
 
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