Anyone use an IR Thermometer when they buff?

[MichaelM]

If so what temperature do you normally bring the paint to when buffing?

TIA,
Mike

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

I do not use a device to measure the surface temperature. I learnt the hard way through years of experience. After a while, you get the "feel" of what certain paint will handle from the rotary.

Tim

[TOGWT]

Re: Anyone use an IR Thermometer when they buff?

Originally posted by MichaelM
If so what temperature do you normally bring the paint to when buffing?

TIA,
Mike

Probably a good idea unless you have a good ‘feel’ for temperatures-when polishing clear coat surface temperature should be limited to 100oF (138oC) as urethane starts to soften at 115oF, just like any other plastic material, polishing at this or elevated temperatures will cause scratches to be driven deeper into the surface due to urethane expansion and foam/wool pad friction on the softened paint surface.
Information resource: Heat Vs Urethane Coatings, The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Paper #920738
JonM