Color Sanding And Buffing - Good Reflections

Step 1 is to cut the paint surface, usually the clear coat in a modern two-stage paint job. Heavier texture will require coarser paper to correct, though there's no question that the better the paint is laid down in the first place, the better the final results. Usually 1,000 grit is the coarsest used, followed by 1,500 grit to make the polishing easier. We had very nice paint, and went straight to the finer 1,500 grit, using a hand pad.

Clear will sand off in a white slurry, and the surface will show an evenly flat sheen with no shiny spots visible when wiped dry. Here, the side of the hood to the left is finished and evenly sanded flat, while the right side of the photo shows that more sanding is required.

A good buffer is mandatory to achieve good results. Unlike a sander, which operates at high rpm, a commercial paint buffer operates at 1,800-2,500 rpm, depending upon the model. Buff pads are traditionally wool fiber and come as coarse cutting pads (right) and fine polishing pads (left). Foam polishing pads are also in common use, and favored by some technicians.

Paint specialists seems to have their favorite brand of compounds. We like 3M brand products, and are using their Perfect-It III cutting compound. Compounding should be done in a well-lit shady area, and never under direct sunlight. Work is done over a small section at a time; here we're applying a ribbon of compound to an area of the hood for buffing.

The technique is to let the operating buffer pick up the compound and spread it over the work area, working the buffer side to side with light pressure. This covers the portion of the panel being buffed with a nice even layer of compound. The buffer is run at light pressure back and forth over the area until the compound dries and works off in a haze.

Edges are a special consideration since the buffer can easily catch and burn, or scrape the paint. Always be aware of the direction of rotation of the buffer and how the buffer is tilted, which determines which side of the pad is in contact with the panel. Always make sure the pad is working off the edge. As shown here, the buffer is tilted so that the nose of the pad is the working surface, and the buffing pad is gliding off the edge.

Attempting to cut into an edge, as shown by the buffer position here, causes the pad to grab and may quickly damage the fragile paint surface. A mistake here usually requires a return trip to the paint booth.

Once the entire hood is compounded, it's noticeably glossier than before, though close examination shows swirl marks from the buffer. The polishing step makes the surface even glossier and removes the swirls. Always wipe the surface completely clean with a wet rag to remove all traces of the compounding dust before changing to a finer compound, since the residue will contaminate the results.

We changed pads to a Schlegel number two Buff, a fine-polishing wool pad, in preparation of the final polishing, sometimes called glazing. A foam pad, as favored by some paint technicians, can be substituted here, though the traditional wool pad yields equivalent results.

Applying the glaze (polishing compound) is just like with the cutting compound, again working a panel one section at a time. Here we're putting down a ribbon of 3M Micro-finishing Glaze.

The final glazing is done with much the same technique as the cutting compound, though the finish buffing is done with a very light pressure, just letting the buffer skim the surface with a slightly faster hand stroke until the glaze is worked off the surface.

This is the kind of paint finish that makes all the work seem worthwhile.