gelcoat glassfibre - removing swirl marks via machine

[200Plus Club]

anyone with a bit of detailing experience able to recommend a pad/polish combination for removing light swirl marks on a gelcoated fibreglass bodied car?
have tried mizerna 85re and a soft polishing pad to be safe as a starting point, but its leaving too many marks stil behind in the clearcoat. would need multiple passes over the same panel to clear them all, so obviously need something slightly stronger in cutting effect/pad.
cheers

[yaris sr]

try using g3 cutting compound but only dab it on ligtly use a frecla white mop but make sure all the residue dissappears then get 3m machine polish and use a soft mop on it and once u have done that wash and wax the car

[200Plus Club]

yaris sr said:

try using g3 cutting compound but only dab it on ligtly use a frecla white mop but make sure all the residue dissappears then get 3m machine polish and use a soft mop on it and once u have done that wash and wax the car

i have some white sponge mops already, which are quite firm compared to the polishing mops, might try one of those. does G3 throw a lot of dust/residue? the mizerna is pretty good at leaving no mess once you work it through.

[V8TVR1978]

3M makes a 3 step idiot proof kit on this side of the pond that does miracles.....
Expensive but idiot proof. Color on bottles of liquid match which pad you have to use.
Painters best friend.

[iwanna]

Is it gel coat or clear coat? You mention both in the post.

You might be leaving swirls behind from not working the product long enough, your pads too hard or your pad isnt clean.

[200Plus Club]

sorry its gelcoat, not clear. i'm working the product well until its almost totally gone and the panel just needs a quick wipe with a microfibre towel to polish it off dry. tried mainly soft ish polishing pads so far rather than any harder compounding pads. it would probably take a few goes to do each panel thats all, have been advised to try some mizerna 203s next if not. its polishing up lovely but just not clearing out the slightly stronger swirl marks.

[iwanna]

Ok, gel coat can be intresting.

Step up a compound, refine with light polish.

Work a smaller area and keep an eye out for the heat.

[200Plus Club]

thanks for replies. ordered some slightly stronger cutting polish and will carefully try it over the weekend.

[ARTSPRAY]

i ditched G3 a good while back full of fillers which once washed off reveal the truth about how bad the product actualy is ,plus clean up is a nightmare and almost impossable if you leave it to bake in the sun for any length of time

basicly i start by washing the vehicle with detergent then it is advisable to clay bar it to remove all the remaining contaminants ,i then sand out deeper scratches with anything from 1500 to trizact 3000 ,after that i use menzerna powergloss on 3m orange pads as i have flippin hundreds of them ;-)

i have left menzerna residue for weeks and washed it without any issues

this should leave a good enough swirl free finish but if you realy want to go the extra mile then finish off with either menzerna power finish or products like 3M polish purple or maquirs cunfinish on a soft grey pad

best wax product i have used is turtle wax nono extreme in the green bottles especialy on blacks and dark colours where autoglyme failes miserably

currently i have turned to a fein multitop oscilatibng detail sander fitted with 3" DA pad and same size 3m pads for polishing under door latches etc and for delicate easily burned edges even on plastic bike panels and hard to get at bumper areas ,Bosch do a similar tool for about £89 down at B&Q

technique and experiance will get you the best finish and basicly buffing is an art that needs to be practiced and perfected in order to obtain the best results and highest quality finish


Paul

Edited by ARTSPRAY on Monday 5th December 21:08

Edited by ARTSPRAY on Monday 5th December 21:09

Edited by ARTSPRAY on Monday 5th December 21:11

[200Plus Club]

much improved results with some mizerna 203s and a slightly stronger pad on a kestrel DAS6. thanks to all who helped.

[macgtech]

ARTSPRAY said:

i ditched G3 a good while back full of fillers which once washed off reveal the truth about how bad the product actualy is ,plus clean up is a nightmare and almost impossable if you leave it to bake in the sun for any length of time

basicly i start by washing the vehicle with detergent then it is advisable to clay bar it to remove all the remaining contaminants ,i then sand out deeper scratches with anything from 1500 to trizact 3000 ,after that i use menzerna powergloss on 3m orange pads as i have flippin hundreds of them ;-)

i have left menzerna residue for weeks and washed it without any issues

this should leave a good enough swirl free finish but if you realy want to go the extra mile then finish off with either menzerna power finish or products like 3M polish purple or maquirs cunfinish on a soft grey pad

best wax product i have used is turtle wax nono extreme in the green bottles especialy on blacks and dark colours where autoglyme failes miserably

currently i have turned to a fein multitop oscilatibng detail sander fitted with 3" DA pad and same size 3m pads for polishing under door latches etc and for delicate easily burned edges even on plastic bike panels and hard to get at bumper areas ,Bosch do a similar tool for about £89 down at B&Q

technique and experiance will get you the best finish and basicly buffing is an art that needs to be practiced and perfected in order to obtain the best results and highest quality finish


Paul

Edited by ARTSPRAY on Monday 5th December 21:08

Edited by ARTSPRAY on Monday 5th December 21:09

Edited by ARTSPRAY on Monday 5th December 21:11

Can you please provide some links to some of the products you mention in your post please? (The pads in particular)

Thanks