Polishing mops
Discussion
fuzzy01 said:
Hi all, I'm thinking of buying a polishing mop as I have a few light scratches and abrasions to get rid of. Any help / suggestions about makes and use (rotary or orbital etc) much appreciated. Many thanks.
Unless the scratches are so shallow that you can polish them out by hand all a machine will do is make them bigger.
johnS2000 said:
If you want some help I have a machine ( that will not make them worse ) and a range of polishes and live in Maidstone .
Polishing of paint, or any other substance, follows basic rules and if you try and polish anything but the most minor defects it simply makes them bigger. The surface of a mop is compliant so it rounds off the edges of a defect causing it to widen. Knocking the edges off of a scratch may make it less obvious but it will still be there only wider and, perhaps, just a little bit shallower.
Of course this is all basic stuff that I'm sure GG33 actually knew all along.
Polishing paint is removing paint .
Until the scratch is gone .
By hand or machine .
Using a machine, paint is removed faster and with less effort .
Using a mop on a machine removes paint very quickly and inflicts more ( but smaller ) scratches .
I do not own or use a mop .
I do not think the OP ,when he mentions mops , actually means mops .
I use ,as do most people a sponge pad .
I have a variety of sponge pads varying from mild polishing pads to finishing and glazing pads as well as pads for applying an LSP .
Although I am not a pro detailer I can get a scratch free surface as long as the scratches in question are in the clearcoat and not gone through to the colour coat .
Not wishing to do the pro-detailers on here out of any revenue but I do not mind helping people out as long as a minor bit of swirling does not turn into full details
Until the scratch is gone .
By hand or machine .
Using a machine, paint is removed faster and with less effort .
Using a mop on a machine removes paint very quickly and inflicts more ( but smaller ) scratches .
I do not own or use a mop .
I do not think the OP ,when he mentions mops , actually means mops .
I use ,as do most people a sponge pad .
I have a variety of sponge pads varying from mild polishing pads to finishing and glazing pads as well as pads for applying an LSP .
Although I am not a pro detailer I can get a scratch free surface as long as the scratches in question are in the clearcoat and not gone through to the colour coat .
Not wishing to do the pro-detailers on here out of any revenue but I do not mind helping people out as long as a minor bit of swirling does not turn into full details
johnS2000 said:
Polishing paint is removing paint .
Until the scratch is gone .
By hand or machine .
Using a machine, paint is removed faster and with less effort .
Using a mop on a machine removes paint very quickly and inflicts more ( but smaller ) scratches .
I do not own or use a mop .
I do not think the OP ,when he mentions mops , actually means mops .
I use ,as do most people a sponge pad .
I have a variety of sponge pads varying from mild polishing pads to finishing and glazing pads as well as pads for applying an LSP .
Although I am not a pro detailer I can get a scratch free surface as long as the scratches in question are in the clearcoat and not gone through to the colour coat .
Not wishing to do the pro-detailers on here out of any revenue but I do not mind helping people out as long as a minor bit of swirling does not turn into full details
Foam pads are even more compliant and therefore increase the effect of making defects bigger. The idea of polishing is not to remove paint despite the fact that this is an inevitable side effect.Until the scratch is gone .
By hand or machine .
Using a machine, paint is removed faster and with less effort .
Using a mop on a machine removes paint very quickly and inflicts more ( but smaller ) scratches .
I do not own or use a mop .
I do not think the OP ,when he mentions mops , actually means mops .
I use ,as do most people a sponge pad .
I have a variety of sponge pads varying from mild polishing pads to finishing and glazing pads as well as pads for applying an LSP .
Although I am not a pro detailer I can get a scratch free surface as long as the scratches in question are in the clearcoat and not gone through to the colour coat .
Not wishing to do the pro-detailers on here out of any revenue but I do not mind helping people out as long as a minor bit of swirling does not turn into full details
Byteme said:
Foam pads are even more compliant and therefore increase the effect of making defects bigger. The idea of polishing is not to remove paint despite the fact that this is an inevitable side effect.
I'm sorry, but these statements are inaccurate. The idea of polishing is to remove paint (yes, clear coat is paint without pigment). The only way to remove defects in the clear coat is to remove a fine layer of it until the surace is smooth. You cannot polish without removing paint as that is actually what the purpose of polishing is. It is not, as you say, an inevitable side effect. Foam pads come in different densities which are more or less aggressive in abrading the paint surface. That, along with the grit particles in the particular polish used determine the amount of paint that is removed.
Edited by KarlFranz on Thursday 28th August 18:08
johnS2000 said:
The idea of polishing is too remove as little paint as possible to achieve the desired effect of defect removal.
I wonder what Paddy or Kelly think of your theory that polishing makes scratches bigger ,
They'd have to agree, it's fact.I wonder what Paddy or Kelly think of your theory that polishing makes scratches bigger ,
You nearly got there with your first sentence when you say "as little as possible". That's why you don't blitz scratches and defects with a machine. Go back to my original post, read through and I think you may get there.
KarlFranz said:
I'm sorry, but these statements are inaccurate. The idea of polishing is to remove paint (yes, clear coat is paint without pigment). The only way to remove defects in the clear coat is to remove a fine layer of it until the surace is smooth. You cannot polish without removing paint as that is actually what the purpose of polishing is. It is not, as you say, an inevitable side effect.
Foam pads come in different densities which are more or less aggressive in abrading the paint surface. That, along with the grit particles in the particular polish used determine the amount of paint that is removed.
Why are they inaccurate? Why do you think the purpose of polishing is to remove paint? If you really believe that wouldn't chemical paint stripper be far more effective?Foam pads come in different densities which are more or less aggressive in abrading the paint surface. That, along with the grit particles in the particular polish used determine the amount of paint that is removed.
Edited by KarlFranz on Thursday 28th August 18:08
Byteme said:
Why are they inaccurate? Why do you think the purpose of polishing is to remove paint? If you really believe that wouldn't chemical paint stripper be far more effective?
For the same reason you wouldn't use a jackhammer to remove a nail. As I explained before, the way polish works is by removing a very fine layer of paint. It is not a side-effect. It is the intended purpose. I'm curious of how you think polishing actually works. 
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff