what am i doing wrong?

[andrewholmes]

ok well here is my situation. I have detailed a LOT of cars in my life but this will be the first time using PRIMA. Herman is a 5 year old pure silver and black daily driver ( all year round ) He has some swirl marks in him. Not the worst i have ever seen but not the best. Tonight after work i went over the whole car with prima swirl ( thats after i washed it, clayed it, used megs fine cut cleaner on it a few days agao, then washed it again today ) After all this, i still see swirls in it. Mind you they arnt quite as noticable as before the swirl but still there. i would say they are about 35% reduced. Should i just keep going over and over it with swirl or is this stuff abrassive enuf to remove the clear coat? I know amigo will hid a lot but if it is possible to get them all out before that is what i am after.

axiously awaiting help

[CR&PW&JB]

Which pad were you using with the Swirl, Andrew ?

And next time, don't waste all that time. Do a test spot about of about 2 square feet. Take the car back out into direct sun, and check that spot out to see if you were successful. If so, press on. If not, you need a different polish/pad combination.

And by the way... you are giving the polish plenty of time to break down, right. It should just about disappear in the area you're working before you stop... normally about three or four minutes of buffing.

[andrewholmes]

ya i think i am giving it enough time. I think i will give it another go tomorrow when i have more time. My though may be that i am using too much. ( you need a fair amount of megs to get a good result ) as far as the pads go, it is not a PC but a real old one. Still same idea but all the pads are white for it. (applicator / fine, medium, agressive buffing pads etc. ) never had a problem before but like i said i am just familiar with prima. Not knocking it cause it does work well, i just need to get used to it. Thanx for the help so far

[CR&PW&JB]

If that's an older buffer, please tell me it's a Random Orbital and not a rotary buffer !

And if they don't have a variety of pads to use, all of them being the same, you really have to invest in some new pads. Not all paints are the same, not all swirls of the same. You have to have a variety of pads to adjust to the conditions, Andrew.

Given that car is older and the paint might be in pretty poor condition... and because you can't go to a more dense pad, did you get any Prima Cut ?? It's a more harsh polish but might be what you need on that MINI with that buffer and with that pad.

[andrewholmes]

oh maybe i didnt explain it correctly. There are different grades of pads but the colours are all the same it doesnt matter on the which one. Yep its a RO as well. I think i figured it out though. I wasnt getting all the swirl off so the marks i was seeing were just a "haze" type on the car. Still not perfect but a heck of a lot better once i went over it with a microfiber buffing pad on the polisher. No luck on the cut though, was recomended earlier not to get any. I think i just need another quick once over with the swirl tomorrow once i have gotten some rest. ( i start my day at 2am so by 7pm...a little worn out )

[CR&PW&JB]

Alright, Andrew... good luck and keep us (me) posted.

[MLPearson79]

Yeah it's kind of hard to tell without knowing for sure what's what. It could be that the orbital isn't powerful enough (although that's probably the *least* likely problem), more likely it's the pads. I'd probably do a test with a slightly more aggressive pad and see if that makes the difference (it should). If not, then I'd get new pads.

[MiniMaybee]

The difference between Cut and Swirl is just time. Swirl will do everything Cut will do but it just takes longer.
Be sure you give Swirl enough time to break down. It goes on white and when it has been spent it will be nearly clear and slightly hazy. Generally about 2 minutes depending on area.
Also, if you want the Swirl to work harder, turn the speed of the machine down. By slowing it down you will extend the life of the abrasives and it will work longer.
Finally, don't put too much pressure on the machine. The more pressure and the quicker the Swirl abrasives will diminish.

[CR&PW&JB]

So how are you coming along, Andrew ? I know you intended to spend yesterday working on it. Done ??

[andrewholmes]

almost .... olny been about 30 hours on the paint so far

[CR&PW&JB]

That might be a record !

You're determined to get into the HOF, aren't you ?

[andrewholmes]

lol...maybe ...my neighbours think i should be admitted SOMEWHERE

[CR&PW&JB]

Can you imagine what my neighbors think of me ? OCD x 3 MINIs ?!

[andrewholmes]

ALMOST DONE!! i still need to wait for the epic to cure then on to slick!! i figured i wold post a picture from early on in the process ( after a first pass of swirl) CR has already seen them.

[OctaneGuy]

Good progress Andrew.

First let me give you a few tips. To show off the 30 hours of polishing work, take your pictures under direct sunlight, not diffused lighting like you've done here. You'll never see swirls in this lighting. Besides the silver paint does a great job at concealing them regardless.

Also the fact you're using pads and a tool that we can't make comparisons to makes it impossible to help you with improving your technique. I know people cringe at spending $150 on a polisher when they aren't sure if they will use it, but if you've been polishing for 5 years, and worked on a lot of cars, the cost of a new paint is $500 for a panel to thousands for painting and entire car--using the right tool for the job shouldn't be such a painful expenditure.

Finally as others have said---you can't remove what you can't see. So use proper lighting, and work on a small spot to make it perfect. Once you know what pad, chemical, and technique works, then you can be confident that you can do the rest of the car without wasting time.

Richard

[MiniMaybee]

Diffused or not it looks nice. Is that Oxygen Blue? I'd love to see some more once you're finished. One in direct sun and once in diffused if you please.

[OctaneGuy]

Based on post #1
"Herman is a 5 year old pure silver and black daily driver"

re: diffused lighting
I was referring to the fact that he spent a lot of time polishing only to find the swirls were still there---so I just wanted to make sure that he's using the right kind of lighting to see the problems, otherwise he might be under the impression that the paint is now fixed.

Richard

Originally Posted by MiniMaybee

Diffused or not it looks nice. Is that Oxygen Blue? I'd love to see some more once you're finished. One in direct sun and once in diffused if you please.

[MiniMaybee]

See - So shiny it took on the sky's color. Guess I should read closer.
But hey, after spending 30 hours on the paint, last thing you want to see are swirls so diffuse is good!

[OctaneGuy]

It's all about the details....lol.

re: 30 hrs
Haha so true. =)

Originally Posted by MiniMaybee

See - So shiny it took on the sky's color. Guess I should read closer.
But hey, after spending 30 hours on the paint, last thing you want to see are swirls so diffuse is good!

[andrewholmes]

a quick update!

[MiniMaybee]

Nice work! I like seeing MINIs without a gaping hole in their bonnet.

[andrewholmes]

well herman went for a tour and ended up at an old english style mansion for some more photos

[CR&PW&JB]

Very impressive, Andrew !

That was a lot of work, but now that you're done, I bet you feel great. Nothing like that sense of accomplishment after working hard.

BTW... did you do something to remove the egg yolk in the parking light, or is just not showing up in the pics ?

[andrewholmes]

Originally Posted by CR&PW&JB

Very impressive, Andrew !

That was a lot of work, but now that you're done, I bet you feel great. Nothing like that sense of accomplishment after working hard.

BTW... did you do something to remove the egg yolk in the parking light, or is just not showing up in the pics ?

thank you for the comment ( and again for the help ) Yep, one of the "mods" i have done was the whole interior and exterior light upgrade so all of my front lights are the same colour now. They are the large "solver" coated ones that still flash amber.

BTW. i went for coffe this am with "big daddy" and blue and i think i "inspired" him to do a detail on his mini! I also had to pull out the ownership on it herman later when i was taking a few photos because a couple that stopped to talk didnt believe he was going on 6 years old!! ( felt pretty good )

[CR&PW&JB]

I searched some sites and could not find a replacement bulb for the parking light that wasn't orange. Where did you find it ? Got a part number ?

And if you turned a MINI owner into a detailing fanatic, your MINI must look even better in person.