New Ryobi Buffer

[OUMike]

Okay. So today is my 22nd birthday and my father bought me a brand new Ryobi buffer. It's a 10' orbital.

 

I've never really used one before. Is there anything I need to know? Any tips or hints to getting the best finish? I have some swirl marks I'm gonna be removing, and I've read that a swril remove and a polish are essentially the same thing. Anyone know what the best polish is for dark applications??

 

Thanks a lot fellas

[Dana_15]

This is a pretty good video

 

http://autopia-carcare.com/mepovi.html

 

just download it.

 

As for polishing, obviously clay bar or use paintwork cleanser first. If you are just removing swirl marks and very minor scratches use a very light polish, like

 

http://autopia-carcare.com/fs-usmr16.html

 

or

 

http://autopia-carcare.com/son-420.html

 

^^^I used that stuff on my wifes last car an 03 Baja which was black and it

"erased" clear coat scratches, swirl marks and spider web scratches. It is a very light polish.

 

THis is good readin also

 

http://autopia-carcare.com/inf-paint-polish-clinic.html

 

Klasse is highly recommended as a sealer and Klasse glaze will give you some depth. Also to minimize swirl marks, do NOT wax in circles but in long strides

complimenting your body lines. Be liberal with the polish, personally I like to remove it by hand with a micorfiber towel and a quick detailer.

[OUMike]

This is a pretty good video

 

http://autopia-carcare.com/mepovi.html

 

just download it.

 

As for polishing, obviously clay bar or use paintwork cleanser first. If you are just removing swirl marks and very minor scratches use a very light polish, like

 

http://autopia-carcare.com/fs-usmr16.html

 

or

 

http://autopia-carcare.com/son-420.html

 

^^^I used that stuff on my wifes last car an 03 Baja which was black and it

"erased" clear coat scratches, swirl marks and spider web scratches. It is a very light polish.

 

THis is good readin also

 

http://autopia-carcare.com/inf-paint-polish-clinic.html

 

Klasse is highly recommended as a sealer and Klasse glaze will give you some depth. Also to minimize swirl marks, do NOT wax in circles but in long strides

complimenting your body lines. Be liberal with the polish, personally I like to remove it by hand with a micorfiber towel and a quick detailer.

 

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So your saying apply wax by hand in a straight line vs. the random orbital? When I did that clay job I did the wax straight up and down. Seemed to work pretty good. I just used some spray wax to hold me over recently. Didn't do as well....forgot about the whole straight line.

[Dana_15]

So your saying apply wax by hand in a straight line vs. the random orbital?  When I did that clay job I did the wax straight up and down.  Seemed to work pretty good.  I just used some spray wax to hold me over recently.  Didn't do as well....forgot about the whole straight line.

 

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The buffer is pretty much for polishing and sealing. I wax by hand. I've used my buffer to wax and I swear doing it by hand and going by the contours of your truck looks better

 

here's a good thread on it

 

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/showth...ht=wax+circular

[OUMike]

So your saying apply wax by hand in a straight line vs. the random orbital?  When I did that clay job I did the wax straight up and down.  Seemed to work pretty good.  I just used some spray wax to hold me over recently.  Didn't do as well....forgot about the whole straight line.

 

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The buffer is pretty much for polishing and sealing. I wax by hand. I've used my buffer to wax and I swear doing it by hand and going by the contours of your truck looks better

 

here's a good thread on it

 

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/showth...ht=wax+circular

 

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good tip. I'm just really scared of doing it by hand. I think I'll try it both ways and see which results I like better.

 

Thanks a lot, you've been most helpful! I'll post pictures of results as I get them.

[OUMike]

ok. So I'm poor. I can't really afford to buy all the products at once, so I'm getting a little at a time. I just bought a microfiber towel for drying and Mcguiar's NXT Tech Wax. It's supposed to be great stuff. I also been reading on Meguiars forum about their ScratchX, and I think thats gonna be my next purchase along with another clay kit and possibly an additional microfiber for polish or wax removal.

 

Upon further reading I noticed that people are using a "follow up polish" after using an abrasive product like ScratchX. Has anyone tried this? Can I sub in a sealant here? I have a little bit of Meguiar's basic polish left if not.

 

My next question is about bonnets. Which do I use for which product? I'm assuming to use the polish bonnet that came with the kit for the wax, and the microfiber one if I choose to remove the product with the machine.

 

For the ScratchX and follow up polish which bonnets do I use? I've been hearing about Cutter bonnets and such. I'm also having a little trouble finding a 10'' bonnet for my machine.

 

Thanks a lot fellas

[LikeaRock14]

Stop in Napa or anywhere where you know they carry 3M or Meguiars products, pick up some of their Swirl Remover. Both are meant to be a finishing polish to polish out swirls or "holograms" from buffing with a rotary. Really all "swirl removers" are all supposed to be used in this way. A more abrasive polish like Optimum Polish, Poorboys SSR2, or even a compound like SSR2.5, Menzerna IP, Optimum Compound, etc. are what really polish out scratches.

Using a Swril Remover by hand will remove a lot of the lighter swirl marks but in order to remove most of them (you can't ever remove every last one, and if you try to you're waisting time) and a wax like NXT that has micro-abrasives and "fillers" will hide some of the lighter ones that are left behind.

Waxing can be done in any motion you'd like, you shouldn't cause swirl marks with wax unless your finish is heavily contaiminated and/or your applicator is, rtc. Some waxes leave a better shine when applied in straight lines, some leave a better shine when applied vertically to panels. I actually favor using some liquid carnaubas in a top-to-bottom motion, comes off a Bbit easier IMO and I've noticed a slight improvement in shine over straight horizontal lines

 

Dolan

[OUMike]

Stop in Napa or anywhere where you know they carry 3M or Meguiars products, pick up some of their Swirl Remover. Both are meant to be a finishing polish to polish out swirls or "holograms" from buffing with a rotary. Really all "swirl removers" are all supposed to be used in this way. A more abrasive polish like Optimum Polish, Poorboys SSR2, or even a compound like SSR2.5, Menzerna IP, Optimum Compound, etc. are what really polish out scratches.

Using a Swril Remover by hand will remove a lot of the lighter swirl marks but in order to remove most of them (you can't ever remove every last one, and if you try to you're waisting time) and a wax like NXT that has micro-abrasives and "fillers" will hide some of the lighter ones that are left behind.

Waxing can be done in any motion you'd like, you shouldn't cause swirl marks with wax unless your finish is heavily contaiminated and/or your applicator is, rtc. Some waxes leave a better shine when applied in straight lines, some leave a better shine when applied vertically to panels. I actually favor using some liquid carnaubas in a top-to-bottom motion, comes off a Bbit easier IMO and I've noticed a slight improvement in shine over straight horizontal lines

 

Dolan

 

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Great tips.

 

Yea, I'm not really sure what caused the swirls. I've always done everything by hand, but I'd also always used old towels to dry it with. I'm thinking that is probably what caused it. I'll check out the 3M swirl remover and a sealer of some sort.

 

I'll be using random orbital, so I don't think I should have any trouble with swirls now.

[LikeaRock14]

Each should be no more than $15/bottle I think, it's been a while since I've boughten either.

Swirl marks can be caused during the wash process, drying, waxing/removing wax, etc. It all depends on methods and what tools you're using to do the job. You can't "prevent" swirl marks but you can slow down their appearance at best.

Use NXT before your sealant, also wait 24 hours before applying anything over NXT. I can't remember what the curing time is for NXT but 24 hours is about right for most synthetics.

[OUMike]

Each should be no more than $15/bottle I think, it's been a while since I've boughten either.

Swirl marks can be caused during the wash process, drying, waxing/removing wax, etc. It all depends on methods and what tools you're using to do the job. You can't "prevent" swirl marks but you can slow down their appearance at best.

Use NXT before your sealant, also wait 24 hours before applying anything over NXT. I can't remember what the curing time is for NXT but 24 hours is about right for most synthetics.

 

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I thoguht you seal then wax

 

or is the sealant doing just that.....sealing the finish product?

[Dana_15]

I thoguht you seal then wax 

 

or is the sealant doing just that.....sealing the finish product?

 

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I never heard of that either, but I'm no expert. Most quality sealers have a

cleaner polish in them and they will rip off your wax and even itself. For example Klasse All-In-One can't be layered because it will just remove itself. Wax is generally just a 'topper'. When I sealed the black on my Silverado it was DEEP, but after I waxed it Mequires NXT Tech wax and later P21S the shine was incredibly sharp and retained the deepness. As for bonnets I purchased quite a few myself and well just used them once, I couldn't get all the wax, polish or sealer off so I had to remove by hand anyways so why bother. A nice microfiber towel and a quick detailer works just as good. I'm having problems posting tonight for some reason so I might be repeating myself. NXT tech wax is good stuff but let it completely haze over before you remove it or it will be a pain to remove it.

[LikeaRock14]

A sealant is just a fancy way of saying "synthetic wax", that's really all it is. Sealants need to bond to the surface so that's why they require curing times before adding a second coat. You can layer any quality sealant, they don't contain cleaners (some do but most don't) but the chemicals in them will strip off any carnauba wax you have on your truck. Synthetics last longer than carnaubas and make your paint pop more than a carnauba does making them better for light colors as well.

Like I said, NXT has micro-abrasives in it as well as fillers so NXT will strip a sealant or carnauba but you can apply anything on top of it. A good OTC combo for some people seems to be NXT followed by Meguiars #26.

[OUMike]

A sealant is just a fancy way of saying "synthetic wax", that's really all it is. Sealants need to bond to the surface so that's why they require curing times before adding a second coat. You can layer any quality sealant, they don't contain cleaners (some do but most don't) but the chemicals in them will strip off any carnauba wax you have on your truck. Synthetics last longer than carnaubas and make your paint pop more than a carnauba does making them better for light colors as well.

Like I said, NXT has micro-abrasives in it as well as fillers so NXT will strip a sealant or carnauba but you can apply anything on top of it. A good OTC combo for some people seems to be NXT followed by Meguiars #26.

 

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ahhh that makes sense. Thanks a load man. You rock.