G220 on Lacquer

[Martod]

Anything special or different needed when working on lacquer paint with the G220? Just got mine and looking to remove the swirls in the Black paint.

Thanks

[Martod]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

My 79 Vette and i are feeling unloved.

[Mike Pennington]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

Hi Martod,

Just keep the same overall philosophy...

Use the least aggresive method. That would include the pad choice, downward pressure, OPM's of the machine, arm movement etc...

Lacquer will be pretty easy to work on, so you shouldn't have any real issues.



Curious - How bad are the swirls and what products do you plan on using?

Also, you mentioned the G220, but it shows your location as USA?? if that is true, you will need the G110 in the USA....

[Martod]

Re: G110 on Lacquer

OOPS I do have the G110, should have looked at the unit and not just the manual. The paint is original, 30 years old and the swirls are light but everywhere. Was planing on using SwirlX. I have some more serious scratches in places, some i don't expect to remove, and plan to start with SwirlX and move to scratchX if needed. I was going to use the yellow polishing pad. Any suggestions on the speed for each product?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

What do you know about the history of this 30 year old paint? If it has been polished numerous times in the past the paint may be getting a bit thin, especially around the edges. You may want to work the edges by hand first, just to play it safe.

Since you're working on single stage paint, you may want to go with M80 Speed Glaze rather than SwirlX. Yes, SwirlX makes use of SMAT technology, but M80 is just so beautifully matched to single stage paints because of the polishing oils it contains, and the concentration of those oils. The paint itself should be pretty workable with M80 and a yellow 8207 pad (several 8207 pads!) and give you a beautiful deep, wet finish. But you will transfer a lot of paint onto those pads, so make sure to have several on hand.

You should run the machine at speed 4 -5 with only light to moderate pressure to start. Do a test spot or two first and see how the paint responds to your input - start off with an easy approach first.

By the way, great signature line you've got there Martod!

[Andy M.]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

Welcome to MOL!

As stated the history of the paint has a lot to do with it. Do you have a paint guage? That would also help to find any thin spots on your vehicle.

Andy M.

[Martod]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

Michael
Thanks
The car only has 14k on it.The owner before me had a large collection and the car pretty much sat under a cover in a warehouse for 6 years. Based on the scratches It doesn't appear to have bee polished during this time. Is the M80 the least aggressive product? Can I clear to paint off the pads or are they done after this?

Andy,
Don't have a paint guage and not sure that they work to well on fiberglass. I assume there's one that will but I'm sure they're big $$$s.

Thanks

Dan

[Michael Stoops]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

14k miles on a 30 year old 'Vette? Wow, that's pretty awesome!

Yes, M80 is actually less aggressive than SwirlX but it also uses a totally different type of abrasive technology. Coupled with the polishing oils found in M80, it really is a fantastic match for the paint on your car. Since M80 is from our Mirror Glaze Professional Line you won't find it at Wal-Mart and your typical auto parts stores - you'll need to source it through an automotive paint store or what's known as a PBE store. You can search for such stores in your area at www.meguiars.com/dealerlocator - just put in your zip code and then select "Meguiar's Professional Products" before hitting the "Find Dealers" button.

As for the usefulness of the pads after buffing out this single stage paint - they're still perfectly useable, but to achieve the maximum result you will want to swap out to a fresh pad a few times in the course of buffing out this paint. The pads will pull color, and it will look like a lot of paint is coming up, but it isn't anywhere near as much as you'd think looking at the pad; they will be totally black in fairly short order. This is perfectly normal with the type of paint you're working on.

[Martod]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

Michael

I really appreciate all the feedback and advice, its great! Already ordered M80 and extra pads online.
So when i work on the scratches M80 => SwirlX => ScratchX => live with it?

By the way the mileage is only half of it, the car is 100% complte, stock original.

Thanks again

Dan

[Michael Stoops]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

So when i work on the scratches M80 => SwirlX => ScratchX => live with it?

Well, yes and no. At first, as you're learning the machine and getting to know the paint, probably. But don't be afraid to give M80 a couple of goes before moving on to SwirlX. If we've been able to accomplish a high degree of correction with M80 on a clear coat finish, which generally is much harder than single stage, then you should be able to get outstanding results on the Vette.

[Andy M.]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

Welcome to MOL!

As stated the history of the paint has a lot to do with it. Do you have a paint guage? That would also help to find any thin spots on your vehicle.

Andy M.

Sorry about that. Didn't read the vette part!!!

[Martod]

Re: G220 on Lacquer

No worries.