scratch x on new paint?

[grpape]

what's up guys,
I have some new paint that has swirl marks and holograms in it. I already tried the #9 swirl re-mover, and it helped a bit, but did not take all the imperfections away. Can I use scratch x on the new paint? I'm thinking that since it needs a sealant, it is a polish/cleaner polish, which is okay for new paint. Also, I've been doing this by hand. I don't or will not be getting a PC anytime soon. Any help will be greatly appriciated!

aloha, Derrick

[Mike Phillips]

Re: scratch x on new paint?

Originally posted by grpape
what's up guys,
I have some new paint that has swirl marks and holograms in it. I already tried the #9 swirl re-mover, and it helped a bit, but did not take all the imperfections away. Can I use scratch x on the new paint? I'm thinking that since it needs a sealant, it is a polish/cleaner polish, which is okay for new paint. Also, I've been doing this by hand. I don't or will not be getting a PC anytime soon. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

aloha, Derrick

Hi Errick,

How old is your paint?
Just out of curiosity, what are you working on?
How long did your painter tell you to wait before applying a wax or paint sealant?

Best results for removing swirls with M09 is with a rotary buffer, you cannot remove swirls effective with this product by hand.

ScratchX is not what Meguiar's refers to as body shop safe, for this reason it is not recommended for use on fresh paint that is under the window of time your painter has recommend to wait until applying a wax or a paint sealant.

[grpape]

Mike,
you pretty much answered my question. The paint is about a week old. You stated on another thread of mine to use #80 with a PC. However, I don't own one yet. Would/could you reccomend any other option. I best be getting my hand on a PC "toots sweet".

aloha, Derrick

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by grpape
Mike,
you pretty much answered my question. The paint is about a week old. You stated on another thread of mine to use #80 with a PC. However, I don't own one yet. Would/could you recommend any other option. I best be getting my hand on a PC "toots sweet".

aloha, Derrick

Hi Derrick,

Let's start over...

You have some brand new paint with swirls,

Originally posted by grpape
I have some new paint that has swirl marks and holograms in it.

Technically, brand new paint shouldn't have any swirls, if it does then they were instilled by the people that buffed on the paint after it was painted. Instead of you trying to correct their mistake, perhaps you can bring it to their attention and have them compensate you for their mistake?

I don't think I would let them re-buff the finish because chances are if they couldn't do it right the first time, they won't be able to do it right the second time.

Instead, have them purchase you a G100 and then you can fix it yourself.

Just an idea...

As far as removing paint by hand in an effort to remove swirls and holograms, it's going to be pretty hard to do without ScratchX.

You're really caught between a rock and a hard place.

The rock
The best time to machine buff the paint is right now while it still fresh and hopefully still soft enough to make it workable. The more time that goes by the harder the paint will become and thus become less workable, and more difficult to remove defects out of.

Remember, in order to remove a below surface defect you need to remove a little paint, so paint hardness, or paint softness will always be a key factor which will determine what you can and cannot do by hand, and sometimes by machine in extreme cases.

The hard place
You're working on fresh paint and technically you should only use body shop safe products, therefore the aforementioned admonition to not use ScratchX until after the recommended cure time. This rules out using the one product Meguiar's offers that will effectively remove below surface defects, (remove a little paint), and thus limits you to what you can do by hand.

Option
Wait until the painters recommend time period for curing and then use the ScratchX.

Mike

[tkn]

Can Scratch X use with orbital buffer/polisher with W8006 ?

[Scimmia]

I'd try the #80 by hand. I've used it, it was a lot of work, but it worked, and I'd imagine it would be even easier on fresh paint that would be softer like Mike mentioned. #80 is quite a bit more agressive than #9.

Megs doesn't recommend using ScratchX by machine, IIRC. I believe they say it can gum up, but there have been a few successfull reports of people trying it on a PC with good results. I would think you'd be better off just getting a product made for machine application. ScratchX may work in a pinch, but why take the chance?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Scimmia
I'd try the #80 by hand. I've used it, it was a lot of work, but it worked, and I'd imagine it would be even easier on fresh paint that would be softer like Mike mentioned. #80 is quite a bit more aggressive than #9.

Megs doesn't recommend using ScratchX by machine, IIRC. I believe they say it can gum up, but there have been a few successful reports of people trying it on a PC with good results. I would think you'd be better off just getting a product made for machine application. ScratchX may work in a pinch, but why take the chance?

grpape could try M80 by hand using a foam wax applicator pad, it is not as effective at removing below surface defects as ScratchX is by hand, but with a little care and passion behind the wax pad, he may be able to work out some of the swirls.

If possible, the root cause of the problem should be addressed, and that's how did the fresh/new paint become swirled in the first place?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by tkn
Can Scratch X use with orbital buffer/polisher with W8006 ?

ScratchX contains a polymer that becomes gummy on the surface when heated, if you use a slow speed, or don't spend too much time in one place you can use ScratchX by machine. A better option is to use the M80 Speed Glaze. If M80 Speed Glaze is unavailable, then knowing ahead of time not to get the surface too warm, you could use ScratchX.

If ScratchX does become gummy on the surface, you can spray on some Quik Detailer, or any mist and wipe product and this will help you to remove it. With slow moving traditional orbital buffers, ScratchX is not much of a problem, but with the dual action polisher like the G100, the smaller pad size and potential for higher OPM's, (Oscillations Per Minute), heat can be a problem. To avoid this you can either turn the speed down, or speed your arm speed up, but both of these things are typically the features that the dual action polisher relies on to remove swirls.

Mike

[grpape]

Thanks Mike,
I think I'll wait till the reccomended time period is over, and then use the scratch X. If I am able to get a PC, I'll definatly get my hands on some 80 and go at it. Thanks for the help and quick reply!

Derrick