Well Mike that bites, but there is some satisfaction in knowing the facts.
I can't help but notice you specifically reference the use of the Rupes buffer in your relies. I didn't think that was a beginners buffer, both for ease of use and cost to purchase.
So can I swing this vinyl massage with a PC or a GG buffer and use the Rupes ultra soft pads and fine cut polish?
Not sure if you read what I wrote or scanned it?
Here's a portion of what I wrote to address your requests for an easy to use polisher on a budget.
Mike Phillips said:
For the graphics, you could try the least expensive approach to "improve" them and that would be to purchase either a Porter Cable 7424XP or a Griot's Garage 6" DA Polisher.
Then get a 5" backing plate.
Then get a 6" RUPES white foam polishing pad and the RUPES Diamond Ultra Fine Cut Polish and try to duplicate my results.
Being a solid black color I would keep your expectations low and hope for the best.
So I did list what I consider the least expensive approach for tools that Autogeek sells.
I noticed someone recommended the HF polisher and that is an option but I've never been able to find the HF discussion forum to get support for the HF company.
When I described what I used on the most recent graphics I've machine polished I did describe the RUPES BigFoot 21 and that's because that's what I used and that's what worked.
My guess is a random orbital polisher that uses a 8mm orbit stroke will also work just as well as long as you use the softest foam pad you can find and stick with an ultra fine polish from a company with a stellar reputation for abrasive technology. Not a cheapo polish.
For clarification, in my book "The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine" on pages 92 and 93, as an attempt to bring some type of standardization to the detailing industry I divide abrasive products into 4 categories,
- Aggressive Compound
- Medium Cut Polish
- Fine Cut Polish
- Ultra Fine Cut Polish
And what I'm recommending to you is to stick with a product that falls into this last category and use the best brand your budget allows. There are great products on the market and the rest.
Also, most companies DON'T label their products like I divide above. That's because there's no rules or regulations governing what words companies use to describe a product.
That's why you'll find synthetic paint sealants on the market labeled with the word POLISH when in fact they are NOT a polish but a synthetic paint sealant.
That's where a forum like this comes in handy because people like me and many of our forum member can help clear up any confusion. In the future I hope to see more companies start to use the above standardization practice to help the consumer (their customers).
RUPES is a company that does a good job of this and you can see what I mean in my article here, scroll down to post #2 as there are pictures of the face of the bottles.
The RUPES LHR21ES Random Orbit Polisher and Polishing System by Mike Phillips
I also explain the above in my new RUPES book and my Boat Detailing book.
The big pictures is this....
Glossy vinyl graphics do not like to be abraded. You state the graphics on your Corvette have swirls and scratches. There is no way to abrade these graphics like you can abrade paint.
There's no "vinyl polishes" on the market. The most you can do is "try" to improve them and I have found the ultra soft RUPES foam polishing pad and their ultra fine cut polish to work well for this by real-world hands-on experience, not conjecture. So this is what I initially recommended.
Knowing you are new to machine polishing I also included a less expensive path that included two quality random, orbital polishers.
In most cases, after purchasing a random orbital polisher like the PC or the Griot's you're going to WANT a 5" backing plate. The PC doesn't come with one and the Griot's comes with a 6" backing plate. So I recommended getting a 5" backing plate.
With a 5" backing plate then "yes" you can burn and turn the RUPES white foam pad. You can also burn and turn a LOT of soft 5.5" pads like the Meguiar's black thin foam discs or the new Lake Country ThinPro buffing pads which I wrote and posted an article about here yesterday.
Lake Country ThinPro Foam Buffing Pads exclusively at Autogeek
The red pad in the picture above on the top of the pile on right side is a soft foam waxing pad and would be equivalent to the RUPES white foam pad.
Another SPECIFIC ultra fine cut polish would be either the Menzerna SF4500 (name has changed to Menzerna Super Finish Plus SF-3800), ), or the SONAX Profiline Nano Polish.
There are more FINE cut polishes on the market than ULTRA FINE cut polishes so it can be tricky to get the right product.
Again, I merely posted and recommended the RUPES combo because that's what worked for me in the REAL world and in the case of the all original 1978 Trans Am it was VITALLY important I didn't make a mistake on the vinyl graphics that are now
38 years old.
Plus the car belongs to a very good friend.
I appreciate your taking the time to help me.
Thank you
Bob
You're welcome. I hope at any level I have helped. I'd encourage you to ask your same questions on ANY other discussion forum or any group on Facebook and then compare the quality and detail of the help you get and then definitely go with the help you deem the best.
My writing style is what I call "Bullet Proof". What this means is if I post something to the public forum the I've already looked at in inside out as I know there are people that always want to find a flaw or mistake in just a single word I write. So I pick and choose each word I post very carefully.
And then I know it will stand the scrutiny some will give it and endure over time.
Good luck with your graphics and the paint on your very cool Corvette.
