How are swirls removed

[ChargerMatt]

Okay, I know it's not heat or else the PC wouldn't do jack.

 

So is it a chemical reaction? Is it the "grit" of the "compound"?

 

Enlighten me

[Adamized]

Some people have images of it. But, in a nutshell, the pad and chemical work as a team to level out the clear coat. This leveling out removes the swirls and creates that depth and shine everyone is looking for. Again, in a nutshell.

[ChargerMatt]

Some people have images of it. But, in a nutshell, the pad and chemical work as a team to level out the clear coat. This leveling out removes the swirls and creates that depth and shine everyone is looking for. Again, in a nutshell.

 

That sounds right for minor swirls, but when it comes to removing a scratch down to the primer, that would mean everything else levels out down to the primer.

[04silverado]

i've also been wondering the same thing

[XQIZT]

Part of it is softening the sharp edges of the scratch/swirl, so its less of a sharp "V" shape and more of a broad "U" shape. Part of it is actually removing some clear coat on a microscopic level to remove the swirl entirely.

 

Kinda like using sandpaper......kinda.

[ChargerMatt]

Part of it is softening the sharp edges of the scratch/swirl, so its less of a sharp "V" shape and more of a broad "U" shape. Part of it is actually removing some clear coat on a microscopic level to remove the swirl entirely.

 

Kinda like using sandpaper......kinda.

 

So is it heat, a chemical reaction, or the grit? Or all of the above?

[Sandalwood]

So is it heat, a chemical reaction, or the grit? Or all of the above?

 

I'd say grit.

 

The pads and compounds have different coarseness, just like sandpaper.

[Odds and Ends]

In a word......Friction. But, since friction causes heat, it's a little of both. The abrasiveness also comes into play just like the sandpaper analogy.

 

One reason why the PC is safe is because it's motion doesn't transfer much of the heat to the surface of the car. A rotary does transfer heat and hence the term "burning the paint". But to answer your question, friction is how swirls and scratches are eliminated. Notice I didn't say "removed", because you aren't actually removing them, but as Mike described, you're leveling the surrounding areas down the the depth of the swirl or scratch.

 

- Darryl

[mjhpadi]

I was always told that the chemicals also help fill in the tiny imperfections in the swirls to make them disappear...can't confirm that but it seems to make sense.

[THE Mook]

I was always told that the chemicals also help fill in the tiny imperfections in the swirls to make them disappear...can't confirm that but it seems to make sense.

 

 

SSR, SHR, and FMP do not have filler in them.

 

Mike put it best, essentially making a V look softer on a microscopic level.

 

It's the liquid and solid in the polish that makes it a diminutive abrasive. As the air, heat, and oscillation break it down, the swirls work themselves out. For deep scratches, say down to the primer, you are leveling everything between the primer and your hand.

 

 

Mook

[mjhpadi]

I stand corrected, I do know that those products do work and they remove swirls without a lot of hard work!

[Doug123]

The way I heard Adam say it was that the polishing rounds off the edges of the swirl so you don't see them. The abrasiveness of pad and polish do the work. Heat is a byproduct of the abrasion. If only heat was required you could remove swirls with a blow dryer, right? A PC pad does not get hot (barely warm) or heat up the finish much, yet the swirls go away, thank goodness.

[Theis]

I like to think of it as a human body kinda minus the self healing the scratch is the cut/scab and after you get rid your scratches it's kinda like a scar it's like there but really hard to see...I know it was a bad analogy but it seemed right for me