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Buffing; How-To and where to start for beginners
Submitted to The Shop
Many have asked many questions on buffing for beginners so I thought I'd write up a quick info guide for beginners looking to do their own buffing!
There are many factors that usually go into buffing or polishing. The substrate, the compound, the machine, the pads and much more.
As a beginner, there are ways to jump right in and not do too much damage to your paint. As you get better and more comfortable with the process you can always move up a level with a stronger, more direct machine.
One of the most important parts of the process is the substrate. It must be clean and free of any debris that can be ground more into the surface and cause more damage. Sometimes just washing it will not be enough.
Wash the car and fully dry
Use a clay bar. This will remove any and all debris from the surface after the wash. Highly recommend NOT to skip this step.
Make sure to use a clay bar lubricant. This will help the clay bar glide across the surface and pull any debris up. If no lubricant is used this will cause much more damage to the surface with the bar being sticky.
Mask off any and all areas you do NOT want to buff or polish. Going over these areas can destroy the pads. Areas can be trim, emblems, stickers, tail lights, badges, etc.
Machines
There are many types of machines on the market today and different kinds of machines that can give you the same results. This portion all depends on your knowledge and expertise on buffing. If you are a professional, using a more powerful and direct machine will get the job done quicker and more efficient. DA (dual action), Rotary/Circular and Random Orbital.
Always remember, Start slow and low on the machine and work your way up in speed as you go through the different stages. Compound, Polish and Finish.
A DA (dual action) polisher can be used as a buffer and polisher but most times this is used for sanding and prepping. This is one of the more powerful machines that can be used by a professional to understand how the machine throws. You can cut quickly into the surfaces if you have never used a DA. Not recommended for beginners.
A Rotary or Circular polisher would also be used by professionals. This is a solid shaft and direct drive machine that is the same makeup as an angle grinder. Normally the machines can run between 600 - 3000 RPMs. Sweet spots are usually between 1000 - 12000 RPMs and DO NOT EXCEED 1800 RPMs. This machine produces a lot of heat to melt the surface and can easily burn through a surface rather quickly if you don't know what you're looking at on the surface. Too strong and powerful. Not recommended for beginners.
A Random Orbital polisher will be the best machine to use as a beginner. This machine looks like it spins like a Rotary or DA in action but it actually has a free rotation that will not allow you to dig into the surface and burn through. Slower throw in the beginning for compounds, speed up a bit more for polishing and speed up once again for the finish stage.
Pads and Compounds
There are a plethora of pads available on the market. Normally the manufacturer has a system they created with their pads and polishes. Unfortunately the color of pads and compounds dont really matter because each manufacturer has their own steps and stages and different color of pads.
Wool pads - These are highly abrasive and are usually only used for cutting operations. The cutting can level out deep scratches but leaves scratches and marks on its own. You always have to follow up with a polishing operation to restore shine and gloss to the clear coat. Wool pads are normally used for gel coats like on boats.
Microfiber pads - These are less abrasive than wool pads but still provide lots of cutting power. There are microfiber pads for the cutting and polishing stages.
Foam pads - These are the most commonly used pads and have different hardness for cutting, polishing, and finishing operations. Foam pads are preferred because they leave fewer marks and imperfections behind and have a more significant margin of error before they produce defects or damage the paint. Foam pad sets are usually color-coded to differentiate the purpose and hardness of each pad as per the manufacturer.
The size of the pads will be determined by the size of the project. The larger the surface the larger the pad. You will cover more area quicker. Most users prefer 5.5 inch or 6.5 inch pads when using a Random Orbital Polisher. This is excellent size for these tools with a great compromise between section size and efficiency. 6.5 inch pads will cover more surface area, while 5.5 inch pads will allow for a more powerful polishing action. I like to use a 3” pad when working in tighter areas. When moving up to a rotary machine a 10” pad would be ideal for the size of your mustang as more surface area on the pad will be best to generate that heat that melts the scratches in.
I personally like to use foam pads for my compounds, polishes and finishes start to finish.
Buffing compounds come in paste form and contain varying amounts of abrasive particles that do the cutting and polishing and lubricants that reduce the friction and keep the surface cooler. Just like pads, there are compounds for cutting, polishing, and various steps in between.
There are also single-stage compounds that are designed to remove scratches or blemishes and polish the paint in one operation.
Each manufacturer has its own standards for pads and compounds. While there is a loose correlation between products from different manufacturers, always test your setup before going full blown on the car.
Keeping all your pads clean will always help to get a better finish quicker and also cause less problems through the process.
You can always take a microfiber cloth to the pad as you turn the machine on and take off any light particles that are stuck while polishing. Sometimes when you apply too much compounds the pads gets thick with white power and this will need to be removed off the pad before buffing.
If your pad is really thick and heavy with compounds then soaking it in warm water with dish soap will help break up all the compounds and a quick scrub with your hands will help clean the pads. Always leave pads out to air dry.
Sample buffing process:
1. Attach the pad to the center of the backing plate on your polisher.
2. Prime the pad by applying a few small drops of polish evenly across the face of the pad into the pores of the pad.
3. Work the polish into the pad with your fingers and repeat until the entire face of the pad contains polish. You want to use the least amount of polish you can to cover the face of the pad.
4. Apply three dime sized drops of fresh polish to the face of the pad near the edge.
5. Place the pad against the surface you're working on and move the pad around the surface a little to distribute the polish. (machine still in OFF position)
6. Turn the machine on low and move it across the surface to completely distribute the polish.
7. Turn the machine to medium or medium-high and begin polishing the surface.
8. Make sure you periodically clean the pad or change it out for a fresh one.
9. Repeat steps 4-8 until you start to see less swirls and scratches
10. Repeat steps 1-8 for each step of the process: Compounds, Polishes, and Finishes.
Remember!
If you are a beginner you will not get perfect results the first time and know when just starting out it needs to be “good enough” to start. If you strive for perfection as a beginner you will damage the surface from working the area too much to try to get rid of the scratches or swirls.