POLISHING
First of all, it is my professional opinion that POLISHING is the most important step to make paint look it's best. A properly polished paint surface topped with a $2 wax will always look better than a surface that was not polished but topped with a $7,000 wax, I guarantee it! Polishing CORRECTS paint defects while WAX provides a barrier from the elements (some of the heavier waxes fill-in very minor swirls).
For explanation purposes, I will be using the Sonus DAS pads and Sonus SFX polishes because I feel they are very easy to understand. I have no affiliation with their line of polishes at all. I started out with this system, and I think it makes a great base for understanding the basics of multi-step polishing. The Sonus DAS Orange pad is a cutting pad, their green pad is a polishing pad, and their blue pad is a finishing pad. Within the Sonus SFX line of polishes, SFX1 is used as a rubbing compound, SFX2 is a basic, swirl removal polish, and SFX3 is a finishing polish.
note: Paint should be washed and clay barred for best results at this point.
What is polish?
Polish is an abrasive liquid that is designed to remove a super thin layer of clearcoat to remove scratches, swirls, and other minor paint imperfections. Automotive polishing is similar to wood sanding in that you need to do multiple polishing/sanding steps with decreasing levels of aggressiveness to perfect and smooth-out the clearcoat. Rubbing compounds are seen as liquid sandpaper as they are the most aggressive forms of polishes. A rubbing compound tends to haze the clearcoat. This happens because rubbing compound (SFX1), in combination with a cutting pad (Sonus DAS Orange Pad), removes a thin layer of clearcoat in a sloppy fashion, meaning the clearcoat itself is left uneven and rough, creating an uneven reflection. To restore shine to a paint surface treated with rubbing compound, one should apply a swirl removal polish (SFX2) via a polishing pad (Sonus DAS Green Pad). To perfect a finish and to further refine the reflection, a finishing polish (SFX3) can be used in conjunction with a finishing pad (Sonus DAS Blue Pad). On lighter paint colors, such as silver, this third step is not always necessary. I find a two-step polish works wonders on Saphire Silver Blue, while on some poorly maintained black vehicles, a three-step polish is necessary to perfect the finish.
When to polish?
Polish when your paint surface is showing signs of swirls (aka very light scratches in the paint). The best way to look for swirls in your paint is by looking at the reflection of the sun through the paint. If you can see many thin lines in the paint, you have swirls and they need to be removed. Swirls create a super-fine indent in the clearcoat, making the clearcoat uneven. This results in poor reflectivity of the paint since light is bouncing off of the clearcoat from multiple angles. By removing a thin layer of clearcoat, you are revealing a new, smooth clearcoat, resulting in a deeper, richer depth of shine and greater clarity of refection. Polish is recommended 2-3 times a year for the average vehicle.
Here's a picture of swirls on a Silverado I did a couple years ago. Note the lines revealed on the right side near the sun reflection:
How to apply polish?
Hand polishing takes forever, and I have rarely hand-polished paint, only small, hard to reach places if necessary. Nevertheless, the best way to polish is via machine. There are two types of machines used in detailing to polish...a rotary or an orbital. An orbital is a great start because it is very difficult to damage paint with it. The name "orbital" comes from the idea that the polishing pad both spins 360 degrees and oscillates slightly left and right to mimic a hand motion. The left-to-right movement dramatically reduced heat build-up, resulting in safer operation for the paint. An orbital machine is designed to run at very high rpms, max 6,000 rpm, in order to do the job. Here are my problems with the orbital polisher...it vibrates excessively, which can cause discomfort after many hours of use. The low heat production means it takes many more passes than a rotary to break-down polish to the point where it has to be buffed-off. The positive aspects of this machine is it's small learning curve, ease of use, and lower price compared to a rotary by at least $50. I recommend the Porter Cable 7424, it is very popular amongst the enthusiast detailer. This machine can do at least 90% of what a rotary can do, but it will take longer to achieve the same results. For those who are regularly exposed to severely damaged paint surfaces, a rotary polisher supplies the cutting power and speed to remove that damaged layer of clearcoat efficiently. The rotary gets its name from the fact that the pad is stationary and just spins 360 degrees always, no jiggling. This allows for fast heat build-up and fast polish break-down. The rotary is designed to be operated safely at speeds between 0 and 3,000 rpm's. The problem with the rotary is that its powerplant is designed for torque, whereas the orbital is all about top-end speed to do the job. With this in mind, if the rotary polisher is misused even at the slightest degree, it can jerk back quickly and violently, dramatically increasing the risk of paint damage. The high temperature build-up associated with the rotary means it can burn through clearcoat quickly when combined with an aggressive cutting pad and higher speeds. The rotary is a much more tedious machine to use, requiring concentration every second of operation, whereas the orbital can be tossed around without much care of paint damage. The rotary needs to be flat to 3 degrees angled in order to operate smoothly. Any variation from this means the polisher can cause holograms, additional swirls, or clearcoat burn to result. But, I feel the rotary makes a great companion to the Crossfire's incredibly hard clearcoat. Earlier this year, the rotary in combination with a simple finishing pad and a swirl removal polish made my SSB Crossfire's metallic flake pop like it has never popped before! Popular rotary polishers come from DeWalt, Makita 9227C, and Metabo. Prices range from $200 to $350 for the rotary polisher.
Using polish via a machine:
The idea here is to polish a 2x2 foot section of paint at a time. Furthermore, the rule of thumb is to try to use the least abrasive polish first, see if it does the job, and go to a more aggressive polish until you like the results. New cars rarely need any more than a swirl removal polish in order to look good, unless the dealership mistreated the paint when they "detailed" the car for you. If an aggressive polish is not getting the job done, try to stop using the aggressive polish and start the follow-up process. It took me a while to realize how effective refining the finish with less abrasive polishes had improved my finish. Make a circle on your polishing pad with your desired polish, spread the polish onto the paint surface, start your machine at it's lowest level and make a couple overlapping up and down, left to right passes, then increase to a desired speed. (I am typically at 5,000 rpm with the Porter Cable, and 3,000 rpm with the rotary for aggressive polishing). Once the polish has turned translucent, or the polish is beginning to dust, stop polishing and start buffing off the residue. Check your results in the sun to see how many scratches and swirls you removed, and if you are not satisfied, repeat the process or change polish and/or pad combination. You might have to go down in aggressiveness, or go up in aggressiveness. Each car is different but I wouldn't be scared to attempt a variety of different levels before you are satisfied. I am tired and so wax will be talked about next time! Enjoy and please feel free to ask questions.
When all was said and done for, this is what can result from a three-step polish and some Klasse All In One and P21S wax (sorry folks for not taking a picture from the exact same spot as before, but the whole car was basically bad). Keep in mind this vehicle was driven in the woods almost daily:
Crossfire tip: The Crossfire has very hard clearcoat, so don't get worried about using more aggressive pads on the clearcoat. This vehicle demands more aggressive techniques to remove swirls because soft pads will not have an effect on the clearcoat.
Ciro