I found that wetsanding with 1500 grit took out the orange peel, now my question is should i sand with 1500 and then 2000 then compound, glaze, wax or jump straight from 1500 to the compound and skip the 2000 grit?

 

Finish in 2000, compound, polish to remove swirls/haze, wax (if its not fresh paint)

Search around there is plenty of threads on this.

 

i searched but it seemed like people did different things either stopping at 1500 or going up to or over 2000

 

Depends on how agressive a compound you want to use. I use Fracela G3 or meg's diamond cut over 1500 grit no problem. If you are planning on useing a milder compound you may want to go to 2000 or ever 2500 grit before compounding/polishing.

Id say try to polish a small area after 1500 grit with whatever you have and see how it comes out.

 

There is more than one right way to do it, so not everyone does it exactly the same way. Also depends on what your doing, not everyone is doing the exact same thing or going for the same end result. Some may be knocking down the peel a little, some may be fixing bad paint work, ect. If I'm going a complete I will take it out to 3000 using a DA, that way the rotary buff time is decreased, less compound and mess, ect. I really have good control and don't make a mess anyway, but a complete is a lot of area to cover, and when I'm doing it, it's generally a show car type finish, 100% nibbed, has to be perfect while time can't be wasted.

 

well im just testing this on my fuel door. So i wanted to do a before and after so i did half the door with 1500 then 2000, then 3m rubbing compund, mothers glaze, mothers wax, and it was all done by hand. But now i want to take it too work and use the buffer on it there, so i have to sand the other side. So i was just wondering if it is better to sand to 2000 or not. Regardless when i do, do the whole car, ill do 1500, 2000, then the chemicals. Also id like to use better chemicals, today i just used what was laying around, do you have any recommendations for the compound, glaze, and wax?

 

Compounds: 3M perfect it II, Menzerna Powergloss

Polish: 3M finesse-it final finish, Menzerna has quite a few, final polish II

Wax: I use Meguiar's # 21 synthetic sealant, and Meguiar's # 26 yellow wax.

Glaze will only temporarily hide/cover swirls, if you go from rotary buffing compound directly to glaze. Polishing easily removes the swirl marks and can be a last step in the process.

 

 

oh i was under the impression that glaze and polish were the same

 

They're a bit different. Polish in general has a wide range, also for different surface materials, some semi-abrasive some non, some abrasive types can do serious paint correction, some can be used as a last step or one step with the right pads, ect. Glaze typically hides/covers. Works great on micro scratches, especially darker colors, final finessing fresh paint on darker colors, doesn't remove clear, also a method to give a finish that wet look among other options.

 

alright i forgot to add this is being done on a black car. So with that being said would you recommend any different products to use then what was already listed?

 

Nope. Use the same stuff. The only thing is that there are some finishing (final polishes/wax) products made specially for black paint that will help add the depth and gloss you expect from a black car. You don't even have to use those products unless you want to so the process is the same...

 

so i took it to work and used the 3m perfect it lll, then 3m machine glaze, then 3m wax. It came out great. Only thing that makes me mad is that i applied the wax by hand and removed it with a microfiber towel and this scratched the paint. This is a regular problem for me i always get light scratches when useing microfiber towels by hand. Obviously its because there is small debris in the towel but how do you guys keep your towels clean? Because however i store them they always scratch. As far as washing microfiber towels what do you do? are you supposed to wash them?

 

I've got nice soft MF towels, wash them in the wash machine, no softener, when they come out of the drier they're nice and soft again. I keep the clean towels in a plastic container. I use the cheap, not as soft MF towels from Wal-mart like rags or in the jams, don't care if they get dirty. The wax I use also cleans up easy w/ minimal effort. Maybe your applying too much product in one coat. Try a different wax. Soft clear and black and daily driven can be a PITA to keep absolutely perfect and flawless. To me it's just not worth the effort to keep it perfect, unless its not a DD and garaged.

 

I use two microfiber towels when removing wax by hand. I use one to remove the bulk, then the other to finish the panel off. Also, I use a horse hair bristle brush and a 'trash' towel for the edges. If you finish the edges with your polishing towel, you can pick up excess debris and compound and that will cause your small scratching on other panels.

Try to not use much pressure when removing the wax also. If the wax doesn't come off the panel easily, then that panel needs more attention with your buffer.

I'm suggesting a different wax as well. Try some of this: http://www.topoftheline.com/bahcarcreamw.html I haven't met anyone who doesn't absolutely love this stuff. You can apply it by hand or machine. Either will give fantastic, long-lasting results. Good luck!

 

thanks for the replies, and I cant even imagine dailying my car and keeping it swirl/scratch free, im haveing a hard enough time keeping it this way in my garage.