Final Polishing

[Johnnystaff]

I am new member who has often admired the remarkable highly polished finish that car detailers can achieve on paintwork.
I have made myself a musical instrument (an ukulele) and was talked in to using French Polishing as the timber finish. The instruction I was directed to told how to put on a number of coats of the Shellac but then finally to lightly sand down with 1200 wet & dry then use Meguiars No 7 for a great gloss finish.
I would like to know if car detailers use 1200 paper or finer grades to remove any minor imperfections and any other preparation that is done to the dulled sanded finish before applying Meguiars No 7 Glaze and how they would suggest applying and finishing this high polish finish.
Would you use a buffing cloth by hand (will this remove the dullness left from the fine sandpaper) or a rotary polishing buffer?

[Murr1525]

Re: Final Polishing

Well, 1200 isnt very fine for car finishes.. can look at 2500-3000 or so for that. And then you would need some kind of product that was abrasive to remove the sanding marks. #7 is only oils.

I dont know how Shellac may respond differently. If the Shellac is very soft, then the #7 and the abrasiveness of the cloth may be enough.

[greg0303]

Re: Final Polishing

Welcome to Meguiar's Online.


Meguiar's always recommends to use the least aggressive method to get the job done.

Removal of paint defects equals removal of paint. Modern factory paints are thin. Leaving enough paint, after sanding/ compounding/ polishing, is crucial to ensure UV protection and prevent paint failure for the duration of vehicles' life.

Sanding is the most aggressive way of paint removal followed by heavy compounding with wool/ foam cutting pads. Those processes are reserved for serious paint defects: orange peel, deep scratches and water spots. Minor problems can be resolved by using minimal abrasive products, like cleaner waxes or mild cleaner/ polishes.

The best products for final polishing/ high gloss finish are:
modern clear coats - M205 Ultra Finishing Polish, Ultimate Polish, M81 Hand Polish;
single stage paints - M03 Machine Glaze, M07 Show Car Glaze, M80 Speed Glaze.

They should be used with soft finishing pads.

[peterr89]

Re: Final Polishing

hello, welcome!