Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

[locorecto]

I wanted to protect my car’s GRAY paint and improve its look by compounding and polishing it. I decided to first tackle the most exposed areas (hood and roof) since it stays outside all time. Since there were some scratches on the hood, I decided to use a 2000 grid sand paper to do a very light wet sanding. I don’t have a buffer but I have a Meguiars DA Power System with burgundy and yellow pads and a drill. I also used the Chemical Guys Compound and Polish Kit that contains 4 different products: V32 Compound (Removes 1200-1500 grit scratches), V34 Compound (Removes 1500-2000 grit scratches), V36 Compound (Removes 2000-2500 grit scratches), and V38 Polish (Removes 2500-3000 grit scratches). I also used Meguiar’s M21 to seal.

I first cleaned and wet sanded the hood (very lightly) using circular motion (which is not a good idea after reading some posts). I applied the full compounding/polishing kit (V32, V34 using burgundy pads and V36, V38 using the yellow pads). After applying V34 I saw there were some minor swirl marks but I thought they would go away with the V36, V38 polish. I then proceed to apply and remove the M21 by hand. After completing every steps, the end result was very glossy but I can still see some small swirl marks in certain angles.

I my opinion, I think I should have go to a 2500 and then 3000 grit sanding after the 2000 grit.
Can anyone recommend something to improve the look of my hood and then process with the rest of the car? What did go wrong?

[locorecto]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

Another theory is that I might have not be that thorough while using the DA power system. I have read that you need to do some extra work when working with this tool as it doesn't work as fast as a regular DA Polisher.

[Nick Winn]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

Welcome to MOL. Do you have spiderweb like swirl marks in the paint you are trying to remove? Or do you have actual sanding marks left in the paint?

[locorecto]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

Thanks for the quick reply.

Welcome to MOL. Do you have spiderweb like swirl marks in the paint you are trying to remove? Or do you have actual sanding marks left in the paint?

I think they might be "spiderweb like swirl marks" since they were very fine. I would try to take a picture and post it tomorrow just to be on the safe side. In either case, what would be the right way to go?

[locorecto]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

After carefully looking at the mark they are definitely sanding marks left from the initial wet sanding and not spiderweb swirl marks as I mentioned before (I couldn't get a good a good enough angle to take a picture). What do you guys recommend?

[adadkins]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

I recently did some paint touch up and blending on my truck, so here's what I did. I carefully wet sanded the area, using linear (not circular) motions, with 2000 grit to remove the more serious defects, then went directly to 3000 grit. Make sure to use a sanding block of some sort to avoid applying uneven pressure to the area being wet sanded. Once satisfied with the wet sanding results, I applied M105 using a DA and polishing pad. After working the area, I was amazed at how well the M105 worked to remove any trace of sanding marks. Next I applied Ultimate Polish using the DA with a polishing pad to refine the area to a mirror shine.

This was just my experience, so take it with a grain of salt. Somebody with more experience may have better suggestions for your situation.

[Nick Winn]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

In general, the most effective way to remove sanding marks from 2000 grit hand sanding is going to be with a rotary machine, a wool pad or foam cutting pad, and a compound like our M105 Ultra Cut Compound. As dual action polisher machines like our MT300 become more powerful, they are starting to be able to efficiently remove very fine sanding marks like 3000 grit with an aggressive pad, compound, and technique. I don't beleive our DA Power System drill attachment is going to be able to remove 2000 grit hand sanding marks. It if is possible, you are going to have to work very very aggressively, which obviously is not ideal.

[locorecto]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

Thanks all for the advice. I know I screwed up by using a 2000 grid sand paper without the right tool to remove the grid marks. However, I don't want to buy an expensive tool to fix this problem. I know the DA Power System is not powerful enough to remove the 2000 grid sand marks by itselft. However, would it help if I do a 3000 grid hand wet sanding and then a 5000 grid and then several passes (6-8) with my current DA power system maybe using the 3 inch Microfiber Cutting Pad and the M105?

Hopefully this is a good learning experience and I don't end up ruining my hood.

[amblin83]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

Simply get yourself a 8mm-M14 drill adapter for your drill , a M14 thread 3" backing plate and now you have a slightly dodgy rotary buffer

The effectiveness is highly dependent on the actual rpm of your drill though.

[amblin83]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

https://www.ebay.com/itm/142404261664

It's this stuff. In theory you can attatch 6" plate to it but I personally would not recommend going over 3 inch because the thing is not precision made and larger plates may wobble around and overheat your drill.

[amblin83]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

I hate the 10 minutes editing time limit.

And I highly recommend dewalt 996B impact drill. A very capable wireless drill by itself and most importantly it has 3 speed settings 450, 1300, 2000rpm perfectly suited for low-medium speed waxing and polishing. And it came with a handle

[locorecto]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

Simply get yourself a 8mm-M14 drill adapter for your drill , a M14 thread 3" backing plate and now you have a slightly dodgy rotary buffer

The effectiveness is highly dependent on the actual rpm of your drill though.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/142404261664

It's this stuff. In theory you can attatch 6" plate to it but I personally would not recommend going over 3 inch because the thing is not precision made and larger plates may wobble around and overheat your drill.

This sounds like a promising idea to overcome the limitations of Da Power System. My drill doesn't have a handle which would have been great. I would get the adapter and try it on a small spot to make sure it works. Thanks for the ideas.

[BillE]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

Stepping up to 5000 can really make difference in how easy those sanding marks can be removed with compounding and polish.

Just remember to go a different direction from what you sanded the last time...like 90

[locorecto]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

I tried about 10 slow passes with my DA System and a 3000RPM power drill, the burgundy pad and the Ultimate Compound. That helped a little but the mark were sill there. So I ended up purchasing an rotary adapter for the drill and put the burgundy pad with the UC at about 1200 to 1500 RPM. Men, those bastards were gone after just 2 passes. The paint ended up a bit dull so I had to move to the Ultimate Polish but this time using the yellow pad and the DA System. The result were very acceptable compare to what it was before and given the tools I used.

The only complaint I have is that since my drill didn't have a handle, it was somehow difficult to keep the pad from bouncing off the surface of my hood when using the rotary adapter. That produced some inconsistent result at the beginning. So I had to start at a slower rpm and hold the drill by its body very steadily.

[amblin83]

Re: Minor Swirl Marks after Sanding/Compound/Polish/Wax

Glad to hear it worked.

Apart from rpm, pressure is also very important, you should press the pad FIRMLY against the paint surface, but not too hard that the pad becomes over depressed and you risk creating new swirl marks. This only apply when using dense cutting pads. Apply only light to medium pressure on finishing pads because those were very soft.

It's also very helpful if your drill had the torque limit function, because when you set it to low torque and you pressed it too hard, the clutch will simply slip , stop the rotation and won't scratch the paint.