SHR orange or yellow pad ?

[nawal]

i used my Porter Cable 7424XP for the first time and it turn out it was not that easy as i thought ! , it was hard the first panel i did which was the fender

it has alot of curves

 

 

as you can see the amount of swirls and scratches that i have >.>

 

 

i managed to get like 98% of swirls and scratches off , but there is some that i cant take even after 5 passes.

 

i couldnt take photos of the left overs , but i will try to take another photo later on

 

my problem is i cant get some scratches off at all using SHR and orange pad , with over 5 passes , my hands/arms are vibrating even with out using the PC >.>

==

 

this is my hood , i wanted to test on a small area

 

 

its my DD , so it has swirls that will show on some light and angles

 

 

on the hood i managed to get the scratches on photos , there is some more on the fender and the hood

 

the scratches are fine , not that deep and barely can feel them with my finger nails

 

my question is should i move to the yellow pad ? or should i use speed 6 on the PC with orange pad with more pressure?

[Chewy]

I'd use speed six with a bit more pressure and make sure you're keeping the pad primed with DS because it'll dry out faster at that speed.

 

On the deeper scratches, I use a rotary like the 4" pads on a drill and then use the PC to correct the damage left by the rotary.

 

Chris

[Chris@Adams]

If your nail catches the scratch it may not come out completely.

[Kingsford]

If you can feel it with your nail then you probably wont get it out.

 

As for the other swirls and stuff, 5 passes is not a lot. When I did my truck this past summer it took me 10, 20, and in some spots 30 passes to get out some swirls and microscratches.

 

The swirls really dont look that bad where you need the yellow pad. I'd just spend some more time with it and put a good amount of pressure on it. I do push until I hear the machine slow just a little bit.

[nawal]

yes my nails do catch the scratch , but i mean barely

it is just like you feel its little not flat with the rest of the paint

 

the finish is crystal clear after removing the swirls ,only the scratches ruin the work done , feels like im not finished correcting it

 

i never noticed the scratches befor , i thought i had only swirls

 

i dont have the focus pads , so they are out of the question at the moment

[Chewy]

yes my nails do catch the scratch , but i mean barely

it is just like you feel its little not flat with the rest of the paint

 

the finish is crystal clear after removing the swirls ,only the scratches ruin the work done , feels like im not finished correcting it

 

i never noticed the scratches befor , i thought i had only swirls

 

i dont have the focus pads , so they are out of the question at the moment

 

 

With enough time, they WILL come out. If you're not willing to order the focus pads (TOTALLY worth it) then go get one of those mom balls at Auto-Zone and use it with some SHR and DS to prime and work the scratches out. Personally, I'd order the focus pads.

 

Chris

[1anonly]

I have a Mom ball and the Focus pads. The ball gave me halograms in my paint. The Focus pads are the way to go. They are worth the money to get IMO.

[6spdg37s]

Last detail I did like 4 passes with the orange pad and while it corrected some of the damage done by being weathered or w.e happened to it the first year of its life

 

I just completed another full detail yesterday/today using 2 passes of yellow/ 2 passes of orange, 2 passes of white and a coat of americana and it is 98% corrected.

[w0lfy]

if all else fails you can go to wetsanding..... but i think a lil more time will get it out

 

As far as the MOM balls errrrrr....... (not intending to endorse another brand, but prevent damage)...... they are only really intended to help clean polish metal/rims, or the new ones for headlight recon. I would really really would never use them on clear coat.... maybe str8 paint but not clear. *****really i wouldn't use them !*****

[Junkman2008]

If your nail catches the scratch it may not come out completely.

 

Bam! Dead on.

 

... As for the other swirls and stuff, 5 passes is not a lot. When I did my truck this past summer it took me 10, 20, and in some spots 30 passes to get out some swirls and microscratches.

 

Exactly. At 5 passes, some scratches are still laughing at you because you have done nothing but tickle them. Remember, the PC is not a powerful machine, it is an effective one provided your technique is good.

 

yes my nails do catch the scratch , but i mean barely

it is just like you feel its little not flat with the rest of the paint.

 

You are totally missing something here. You cannot use your fingernail to say that a scratch not that deep. If your fingernail catches at all, THAT'S DEEP. This is especially true with today's finishes. They use so little paint and clear coat on cars today that any catch of the fingernail is probably through the clear coat. Brands like Toyota and Nissan are really bad about this.

 

the finish is crystal clear after removing the swirls ,only the scratches ruin the work done , feels like im not finished correcting it

 

i never noticed the scratches befor , i thought i had only swirls

 

i dont have the focus pads , so they are out of the question at the moment

 

You know the old saying, "Can't see the forest for the trees." Now you see the forest. The more you buff on them, the less noticeable they will become. Oh, it may take like 50 passes and you will still be able to see them but the more clear you remove, the less noticeable they will become. You just don't want to do something crazy like remove all the clear in that area. At that point the scratch turns into a spot, which is a LOT more noticeable than a scratch. Then you'll really be mad.

 

With enough time, they WILL come out.

 

Chris

 

That totally depends on how deep the scratch is. That is definitely not always the case.

 

if all else fails you can go to wetsanding..... but i think a lil more time will get it out

 

That's an option that I would never suggest to a novice under any circumstances.

[Chewy]

That totally depends on how deep the scratch is. That is definitely not always the case.

 

By the site of those pictures... I believe it'll come out, or at the very least smooth out enough you won't see them easily.

 

I don't care if the ball leaves holograms because I'm going to remove them with the PC when done. He may need more cutting power (looks like it to me) and if he doesn't want to wait for the focus pads, then that's the next best thing IMO.

 

Chris

[nawal]

thanks for the reply and input

 

the focus pad are not an option atm , i will need to order them when the new green pad come out , and when towels are in stock

 

i took some pics today , ill add the link only since the pics are large

view them at 100% to see the scratches

and

 

they are macro photos so dont freak out !

 

are this type of scratches removable with a PC ?

 

the small dots/holes are done from sand , from stuff like this ...

(not my car , and not my photo)

 

here is a pic befor and after on part of the hood

Edited November 11, 2010 by Junkman2008

[Chewy]

You can see how you've smoothed or rounded the edges on the scratches. IMO you can do a bit more but it'll never be perfect. I think you can get it to a point that most people wouldn't see them. The DA will just take A LOT longer then if you had some sort of rotary.

 

If you were going for perfection, you wouldn't be out in the dunes with it... lol

 

Chris

[Junkman2008]

By the site of those pictures... I believe it'll come out, or at the very least smooth out enough you won't see them easily.

 

I don't care if the ball leaves holograms because I'm going to remove them with the PC when done. He may need more cutting power (looks like it to me) and if he doesn't want to wait for the focus pads, then that's the next best thing IMO.

 

Chris

 

You realize that holograms are light burns in the clear coat? Although you can fix them, I would avoid them at all cost. After looking at his macro shots, you can easily see that the PC is NOT going to remove them.

 

 

That's an excellent macro shot. I wish more people knew how to use that function.

 

Those are definitely NOT coming out with the PC. Those would need to be professionally removed by wet sanding. That is NOT something I would advise you to try.

[Chewy]

You can see how you've smoothed or rounded the edges on the scratches. IMO you can do a bit more but it'll never be perfect. I think you can get it to a point that most people wouldn't see them. The DA will just take A LOT longer then if you had some sort of rotary.

 

If you were going for perfection, you wouldn't be out in the dunes with it... lol

 

Chris

 

As I restated above AJ.

 

I'm sorry but holograms are created due to bad technique. ( I think we all know that) ANYTHING will create that on a rotary if not used properly. (Right?) The ball works. I don't think it's better than the focus pads but he needs something NOW. Make sure it's primed well and work slowly checking your work. I think you can make these better, but NOT make them go away.

 

As stated above!

 

Remember low and slow... Take it easy... If you're scared to try it... Don't do it. IMO how do you learn if you don't make a mistake?

 

Chris

Edited November 11, 2010 by Chewy

[Junkman2008]

As I restated above AJ.

 

I'm sorry but holograms are created due to bad technique. ( I think we all know that)

 

Okay, then explain why if you use that same "bad technique" with the PC, you will not create one hologram? Because the PC doesn't have enough power to create that slight "burn" in the paint.

 

Focus pad all you want, those scratches are not coming out unless they are wet sanded out and they really look too deep for that.

[6spdg37s]

just curious is the only way to get a halogram is have someone messin with your paint with a rotary ?

[Junkman2008]

just curious is the only way to get a halogram is have someone messin with your paint with a rotary ?

 

That is the most common way but you can get some with the Flex too if you crank it all the way up and use some nasty cutting compound with a nasty cutting pad. That will actually remove paint.

[Chewy]

Okay, then explain why if you use that same "bad technique" with the PC, you will not create one hologram? Because the PC doesn't have enough power to create that slight "burn" in the paint.

 

Focus pad all you want, those scratches are not coming out unless they are wet sanded out and they really look too deep for that.

 

I'm trying to figure out why you left out part of my statement...

 

I'm sorry but holograms are created due to bad technique. ( I think we all know that) ANYTHING will create that on a rotary if not used properly.

I think my point isn't being made or you're only reading part of my posts.

 

I'm saying there's no way to remove them completely, but you can mask them some with the right tools and technique.

 

If he's wanting perfection, it isn't going to happen.

[Junkman2008]

No way to remove them completely without professional intervention? Yes, I agree 100%. But as deep as they are, there ain't much masking you can do. Those puppies are deep. That macro shot is just as good as me standing there checking them with my fingernail.

[nawal]

ok thank you guys, i do understand now that i wont be able to remove them with a PC

 

but i dont understand the "holograms" thing ! , do i have it on my paint ?

or you mean i will get them if i use "MOM balls" incorrectly

keep in mind i have no idea what "MOM balls" is , sounds nasty tho !

[Chewy]

No you don't have any that I can see... Yes, really any rotary used incorrectly will cause them.

[Junkman2008]

ok thank you guys, i do understand now that i wont be able to remove them with a PC

 

but i dont understand the "holograms" thing ! , do i have it on my paint ?

or you mean i will get them if i use "MOM balls" incorrectly

keep in mind i have no idea what "MOM balls" is , sounds nasty tho !

 

Here's what hologram look like and these are wicked:

 

 

That's what a hack with a rotary polisher will do to you car. A "MOM Balls" is a Mother's Powerball, which is basically a cut up circular sponge on a stick. Great for shining up you exhaust tips but that's about it. I would never use one on my paint, even though they make one supposedly for paint (oh the horror).

[Chewy]

I've used them before I found adams. They work, but they're not my #1 or well #3 choice. Like AJ said... For chrome wheels, and exhaust tips and the such they are the BOMB!

 

For future use, I'd get some focus pads. They are nice to have in your arsenal. Just practice on something you don't care as much about. Maybe go buy a hood or trunk from a junk yard and try them out. You'll be amazed what you can learn from that.

 

Chris