the previous owner of the car i have now has not been nice to it. So i was repairing the key scratches and a bunch of other pretty deep scratches on it. 3coats base 3 coats clear.

I used a PC with the white pad it came with (and terry bonnets), 3m rubbing compound, and meguiars polish on the foggy clearcoat(after painting), but some of the fog doesn't seem to disappear. The 1500 grit sandpaper marks arent disappearing either, what can i do to 1) cover the scratch and 2) get rid of the fog/haze?

 

I'm not a painter, but I would try using a regular high speed buffer with a wool pad and extra cutting compound, then use a finer pad to polish. I like 3m componds and polishes. If that doesnt get rid of the scratches, try 2,000 grit wet.

 

"PC" doesn't really describe what type of tool your using. I wouldn't buff anything below 2000. Soak some 2000 in a bucket of water for 20 min. to soften it up, then finish with that. I recommend a rotary buffer w/ some some quality compound, 3m is good. Fresh paint should buff out very easy. Correctly removing the buffing abrasion (haze) w/ polishing can get a little tricky for the unexperienced though. I usually finish wet sanding w/ 3000 on a DA, it doesn't require super harsh buffing.

 

PC was just a reference to the porter cable, i have the 7424 model. I was going to try wool+ 2000 grit, but had a little trouble finding it. that 3m sandpaper 1500 grit sucks! i wetsanded with it, and most of the scratches wont buff out.

 

I never buff anything under 2000. 1500 isnt really fine enough to polish out right. well you can just it will take much longer and you risk burning the clear easier

 

WOW, im gonna say anything to what has been posted but to the OP you need to visit Autopia @ least start there and learn read and search then post....

gl

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DjMigs &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">WOW, im gonna say anything to what has been posted but to the OP you need to visit Autopia @ least start there and learn read and search then post....

gl</TD></TR></TABLE>
I have already "read and search" alot about the subject. Don't throw it out there if you have no valuable imput, it just makes you look stupid. I am concise in my opening description, I'm looking to see if other people have had problems getting certain "fog patches" out, and any techniques they implement. So far I've wetsanded @ 2000, but havnt had the chance to rebuff. hope it all goes well.

 

Since it doesn't seem that your question has been answered yet I will go ahead and throw my hat into the ring.

First of all in my experience 1500 sanding marks are usually pretty deep, to make it easier on yourself I would follow up the 1500 with 2500, this will give you less random isolated scratches and a much easier surface to buff.

The problem that you are having with your current set up is that you are using the PC. The Porter Cable is an excellent machine for working out slight scratches, swirls and oxidation. However to really get in there and remove wet-sanding scratches you are going to have to step up to a rotary polishing machine, such as the Makita, Hitachi or Dewalt. Personally I use the Makita 9227C with a Meguiars Burgandy pad, and Optimum Compound to remove color sanding scratches. After clearing it up with the rotary THEN I follow it up with the PC to remove and hazing or hologramming.

As far as your foggy clearcoat, without pictures it is difficult to determine the problem, however a common mistake made by beginners is not allowing the polish to break down fully which will often leave an imperfect, or "cloudy", to the paint. Don't overload the pad with product, make sure you work a large enough area, and work the polish until it is almost transparent.

Good luck. Post some pictures.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by LastDetail &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Since it doesn't seem that your question has been answered yet I will go ahead and throw my hat into the ring.

First of all in my experience 1500 sanding marks are usually pretty deep, to make it easier on yourself I would follow up the 1500 with 2500, this will give you less random isolated scratches and a much easier surface to buff.

The problem that you are having with your current set up is that you are using the PC. The Porter Cable is an excellent machine for working out slight scratches, swirls and oxidation. However to really get in there and remove wet-sanding scratches you are going to have to step up to a rotary polishing machine, such as the Makita, Hitachi or Dewalt. Personally I use the Makita 9227C with a Meguiars Burgandy pad, and Optimum Compound to remove color sanding scratches. After clearing it up with the rotary THEN I follow it up with the PC to remove and hazing or hologramming.

As far as your foggy clearcoat, without pictures it is difficult to determine the problem, however a common mistake made by beginners is not allowing the polish to break down fully which will often leave an imperfect, or "cloudy", to the paint. Don't overload the pad with product, make sure you work a large enough area, and work the polish until it is almost transparent.

Good luck. Post some pictures.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Thanks. I noticed that I wasn't rubbing the polish long enough. Are the PC pads and rotary pads interchangable?

 

I am not sure what the "official" word would be on that, but I use the same pads for the rotary and the PC. The only problem is the backing plate on my rotary is 1 inch larger in diameter than the one I have on my PC, so I have less "oops" room. In other words since the edge of the pad is so close to the edge of the backing plate I have to be really careful when going around corners and such that I don't hit the painted surface with the side of the pad since I could technically cut the paint with the edge of the spinning backing plate.

But yes I do use the same pads for both machines.