I usually use m105, m205 with an orange then white pad.. would it be beneficial to use a black pad after the white pad and go over it again with the polish? I'm looking to get more gloss and shine out of my black paints. Also what speed is best for a final polishing step? I'm already stepping down the pressure on the last couple passes with the white pad . Thanks guys
Question for the pros
- Thread starter Fdnyshelby
- Start date
It depends on how the second step finishes down. If you are happy with the results after 105/205 go ahead and seal it up. Sometimes you still have some mico marring left behind, other times its good to go. Sometimes a softer combo helps and sometimes it doesn't. Larry just did a video about this and how sometimes its actually better to use a harder pad for the finishing step because it finishes down better. I know this is kind of vague but your best bet is to just fool around and see what happens.
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So I did a few test areas tonight and inspected them closely with a hand light... the m105 and orange pad section has many tick marks and micro marring scratches throughout. Looks terrible under flashlight, I don't even wanna see it during sunlight..
The 2 step section looks good to the naked eye but with the flashlight is still showing some micro marring. I'm assuming this will dull the finish in the sunlight still
The 3 step section I used a black pad but switched to meguiars ultimate
Polish and the marring is all but
Gone.. There are still some defects in the paint I guess my cutting was not aggressive enough to remove but am excited to see how it looks in the sun tomorrow ..
The 2 step section looks good to the naked eye but with the flashlight is still showing some micro marring. I'm assuming this will dull the finish in the sunlight still
The 3 step section I used a black pad but switched to meguiars ultimate
Polish and the marring is all but
Gone.. There are still some defects in the paint I guess my cutting was not aggressive enough to remove but am excited to see how it looks in the sun tomorrow ..
You might need to go over the two step correction again. It sounds like the three step you did on another section is the way to go for your particular section.
Correction: It's been a LONG time since I've used M105 as a go-to compound. It's aggressive!
There are many pros and cons for M105 but unless I have paint loaded with severe swirls that nothing else works on I refrain from using M105.
My go-to for correction and a good finish is M101. It still it has a little dusting but it corrects very nicely and leaves behind a good finish.
I like using the Meguiars microfiber cutting discs with M101. If the little dusting from M101 is an issue I add a couple of drops of D300.
The Meguiars microfiber cutting disc and D300 were designed to work together for minor correction and remove minor swirls.
Finishing: I like using the Carpro foam gloss pad and Carpro Essence. Essence finishes with a sweet brilliance and lots of gloss.
Essence has its pros and cons. Only use on cool paint. Never in the sun or on hot paint. On hot paint it will do what I "Gummy Bears".
Only use a few small drops of Essence and you should not get "Gummy Bears" a little goes a long way. It's easy and wipes off nice.
Lesson Learned: If you use too much Essence and you get "Gummy Bears" a little IPA on a microfiber towel will remove them.
Essence is made up partly with Reflect which is a diminishing abrasive (DAT) rather the Megs (S.M.A.T.) non-diminishing abrasive.
The difference is the work time...As you use Essence the abrasives break down and become smaller...this creates high clarity.
There are many pros and cons for M105 but unless I have paint loaded with severe swirls that nothing else works on I refrain from using M105.
My go-to for correction and a good finish is M101. It still it has a little dusting but it corrects very nicely and leaves behind a good finish.
I like using the Meguiars microfiber cutting discs with M101. If the little dusting from M101 is an issue I add a couple of drops of D300.
The Meguiars microfiber cutting disc and D300 were designed to work together for minor correction and remove minor swirls.
Finishing: I like using the Carpro foam gloss pad and Carpro Essence. Essence finishes with a sweet brilliance and lots of gloss.
Essence has its pros and cons. Only use on cool paint. Never in the sun or on hot paint. On hot paint it will do what I "Gummy Bears".
Only use a few small drops of Essence and you should not get "Gummy Bears" a little goes a long way. It's easy and wipes off nice.
Lesson Learned: If you use too much Essence and you get "Gummy Bears" a little IPA on a microfiber towel will remove them.
Essence is made up partly with Reflect which is a diminishing abrasive (DAT) rather the Megs (S.M.A.T.) non-diminishing abrasive.
The difference is the work time...As you use Essence the abrasives break down and become smaller...this creates high clarity.
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