Thread: Cut&Buff:???

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I'm looking for some help with the paint/clear on my 27. I've never buffed out black paint so any advice would be a big help. I plan to wet sand with 1500 by hand then go with 3000 on a DA, followed by 3M perfect III extra cut (05936) on a wool pad (05719). Then what??

I was thinking about trying ultrafina with a foam pad.

I like the foam pads better but I wll be interested in what the paint wizards here have to say about it.

Foam pads are far better, since they don't leave all of those nasty buff marks. I use "waffle pads" which have a bumpy surface. They also won't burn through edges nearly as easy. I use a variable speed air buffer, and a medium speed.


I'll give you my system for comparison. This is used with R-M Diamont Clear, and I just used the same system with PPG Concept. I don't particularly like to sand and buff, and this will "make it happen" as quickly as possible......unless you enjoy sanding. :-)

Sand out any runs or sags with 600 and a hard block or paint stick, then block the whole car with 1200 Meguiars W/D paper on a semi stiff sanding pad, until all orange peel is gone.

buff with a stiff foam pad (white) and 3M 06031 compound. Usually one thorough buffing will remove all sand scratches.

Wash car.

Polish with 3M 05973 finishing compound and a soft foam pad (gray).

Wash and towel dry.


Speaking of all of this, I need shut this thing off, and go finish buffing out this '65 Mustang fastback.

Wow... you make it sound too easy

I did not mean to make it sound like that!

With black, you may have to do a little more, after you check it over.

(I hate black...you can never get it perfect enough!) :-)~

i love black. it is my favorite color to paint next to red. i start at 1000 and step up thru the grits. 100-1500-2000-2500 then 3000foam pad. i use clean cut or presta . spend your time sanding and buffing will be easy.

first of all , is this a fresh paint job or one thats been cut and buffed before ?
If its and older paint job and been cut and buffed , I would just polish it out with some 3M swirl remover , then hand polish with some mist and shine .
You may not have enough clear to cut and buff , and burning through will end up in a repaint or spot job .

If its a new paint job and has not been sanded and buffed already , look at the finish , is it pealy , or is it fairly slick ?
If its pealy cut it with 1200 -1500 wet or use a DA with 1500 dry .
then you can go over it with 3000 on a DA wet , then it should polish fast with a bit of compound . ( depending on the clear & catalyst , the slower the catalyst used , the tighter the cross link ( dry time ) and makes for a harder time buffing .

If its fairly slick you can use the same technique as above but you wont have to sand so much with 1200-1500 paper and go to the 3000 faster to compound/polish.

Use a variable speed BUFFER ( start out with 1400 RPM or slower ) not a grinder , go slow and only buff in a 1' X 1" area and watch it buff up , I use wool & foam pads ( depends on how fast I need to get the job out ) , it is easier to burn the paint with a foam as it heats up faster . Stop every so often and touch the area with your hand if its hot stop and let it cool , then continue when cooled down .
Just dont get in a hurry
Happy Buffing !

Originally Posted by SprayTech

first of all , is this a fresh paint job or one thats been cut and buffed before ?
If its and older paint job and been cut and buffed , I would just polish it out with some 3M swirl remover , then hand polish with some mist and shine .
You may not have enough clear to cut and buff , and burning through will end up in a repaint or spot job .

If its a new paint job and has not been sanded and buffed already , look at the finish , is it pealy , or is it fairly slick ?
If its pealy cut it with 1200 -1500 wet or use a DA with 1500 dry .
then you can go over it with 3000 on a DA wet , then it should polish fast with a bit of compound . ( depending on the clear & catalyst , the slower the catalyst used , the tighter the cross link ( dry time ) and makes for a harder time buffing .

If its fairly slick you can use the same technique as above but you wont have to sand so much with 1200-1500 paper and go to the 3000 faster to compound/polish.

Use a variable speed BUFFER ( start out with 1400 RPM or slower ) not a grinder , go slow and only buff in a 1' X 1" area and watch it buff up , I use wool & foam pads ( depends on how fast I need to get the job out ) , it is easier to burn the paint with a foam as it heats up faster . Stop every so often and touch the area with your hand if its hot stop and let it cool , then continue when cooled down .
Just dont get in a hurry
Happy Buffing !

Fresh paint, sides came out flat but alot of orange peal on the top.
What kind of compound do you like for black ?

Thanks

I like 3m's Products and wizards Products too .

http://www.innate.com/Supplies/Wizards/Wizards.htm

[QUOTE=shine]i love black. it is my favorite color to paint next to red. QUOTE]

Good! I've got a rough late '30s model truck coming for black cherry paint. Just the thought of it makes my hands.... and "sanding muscles".... hurt! I'll subcontract it to you. :-)

[QUOTE=HOTRODPAINT]

Originally Posted by shine

i love black. it is my favorite color to paint next to red. QUOTE]

Good! I've got a rough late '30s model truck coming for black cherry paint. Just the thought of it makes my hands.... and "sanding muscles".... hurt! I'll subcontract it to you. :-)

soon i will be looking for warm weather i give you a hand last black cherry i did was a 33 international pickme up truck

For a "show" car, i start wet sanding with 600 grit, then 1000, 1500, etc.. until 3000 grit, by hand, not with a da (although i dont think at that point a da with do anything bad) i cut it completely flat with 600, so that your 1000 grit and up is strictly removing scratches. Buffing, is more a of a science, i've had much luck with 3m's products, using foam pads. I like using the extra cut compound first with a gray foam pad, and then jump to perfect it 3000 swirl remover 2 or 3 times with the foam pad, and then finish with ultrafina and the light blue foam pad. I know everyone does it different, but this is what works for me. Between steps, i always wipe it down with rubbing alcohol, since that removes the compound, that way you know that you're actually buffing scratches out, and not just filling them in and have a scratched up car after washing it twice.

Old thread I know but I figured I'd throw out something here that some can come back to and try out... Everyone made good points and everyone has their way of doing things, especially with paint and body work. As for the pads, I learned from an old timer and always used Wool pads. I've tried foam and they work great but I am just stuck on wool. Now I used to be a HUGE 3M fan and still am for body shop and paint jobs. I now run my own detailing business and what I use now is Optimum compounds and polishes which have pretty much ZERO dusting (this is important on a freshly detailed/washed car that you dont want to wipe down and blow out again for the dust) and it works great with long working time. IMO it's quicker with less steps than 3M but for fresh paints and some makes of cars the 3M is better (it just all depends). Now for a pad I still use 3M sometimes but now I am using all Lake Country. They make a wool/foam blend that works awesome and doesn't shed/dust! Using this along with their pad cleaner helps a lot.
Not sure how many others here have used a wool/foam blend cutting pad but I never knew about them until I started doing more of the detailing stuff and learning about more products out there that aren't just for the body shops. Someone told me to use them, I put it off not wanting to change how I do things and then one day just decided to try it and love them.

I've heard 3m is getting rid of everything and coming out with just one new line...because they have about 56 different compounds haha. Is that true? I've also heard that the new stuff isn't as good. Has anyone else heard this and/or tried it?

Don't know if it's still available but there used to be a product that you had get a a automotive paint shop called Liquid Ebony. Used with a buffer or by hand. That stuff is amazing. It's a liquid and when I was painting custom motorcycles I used it as a hand buff. Zero swirl marks even on black. It's for your final buff.