Using Griots 6" to polsh....

[NickDW]

I just purchased a Griot's 6" orbital polish and wax package from AG.... *Waits for cheering to stop* .... and I had a few questions I can't find the answer to.

First off, I am using Machine Polish 3 and the Griot's orange pad on a 1999 Ford truck that has some pretty bad oxidation on the hood and roof. There are also allot of swirls and deeper scratches in random places all over the truck.

My question is why when I am polishing the truck does the polish whiten and dry as soon as I stop the polisher. Am I using too little polish?

The second question is even though I've been over one of the sections of the hood about 2-3 times does it still look like there are old water spots on it and in direct sunlight I could still see some light swirls? Am I not using an aggressive enough polish?

I did polish up the hood area I tested and the reflection is very deep looking and the paint looks great but I can still see the very light swirls in the hood.

Thanks in advance for the help and I hope I asked this in the right spot.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

My question is why when I am polishing the truck does the polish whiten and dry as soon as I stop the polisher. Am I using too little polish?

Or you're tackling too large an area. For "correction work", that is when you're trying to remove any kind of paint defects, you really don't want to tackle more than about 20" squarish, 2' is pushing the limit...

And... the worse the paint, the smaller the area you want to tackle at one time.

The second question is even though I've been over one of the sections of the hood about 2-3 times does it still look like there are old water spots on it and in direct sunlight I could still see some light swirls? Am I not using an aggressive enough polish?

Have you watched this video?

How to do a "Section Pass"

(More videos in my Signature Line)

Besides your product, you need to push down with firm pressure and move the polisher slowly over the surface overlapping your passes by 50%

The most detailed article on using DA Polishers I've ever written...

Tips and Techniques for using the PC 7424XP Dual Action Polisher to remove Below Surface Defects

Everything is covered from A to Z

I did polish up the hood area I tested and the reflection is very deep looking and the paint looks great but I can still see the very light swirls in the hood.

Also, (just to make sure), don't go any further until you dial in this one section and get the results you're looking for, this is called a Test Spot.

 

[NickDW]

Thanks for the response Mike. I have watched the video and went through the entire write prior to even ordering my polisher. I'm going to try and take some pictures of the truck I'm working on so maybe I can get some input on how I should work on the defects in the paint.

Just for clarification, I washed the entire vehicle and clayed the hood with Griot's clay and speed wax until I wasn't getting any more junk out of the paint. It was incredibly smooth after claying.

 

[RTexasF]

Machine Polish 3 is a finishing polish. step up your game to a more aggressive polish, pad, or both if required. As Mike instructed the test spot will tell you which combination works.

 

[NickDW]

Machine Polish 3 is a finishing polish. step up your game to a more aggressive polish, pad, or both if required. As Mike instructed the test spot will tell you which combination works.

I just got started using a polisher so I don't really have any other polishes. I was looking at Meguiars Ultimate Compound, would that be a more aggressive compound that Machine Polish 3? Also the only pads I have are the Griot's orange polishing pad and the red wax pad. Other than waiting for something else to ship I don't have anywhere to buy a more aggressive polishing pad.

Also I realized I forgot some more details. The truck has original paint on it from the factory. I was polishing with the Machine Polish 3 with the polisher set to 4.

 

[NickDW]

O.K. I tried using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound today and I really liked the way the hood turned out.

One thing I can't figure out though is what's going on while I'm polishing. When ever I polish either with the Griot's Machine Polish 3 or the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound is the polish dries and gets dusty. I have tried using more polish even to where I thought it was excessive and it still happens. My polisher is set to 5 (not sure how many RPMs that is).
I think next time I'll use one of the tips I read on another thread and try spraying some quick detail spray on the pad before polishing.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Dubbin1]

O.K. I tried using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound today and I really liked the way the hood turned out.

One thing I can't figure out though is what's going on while I'm polishing. When ever I polish either with the Griot's Machine Polish 3 or the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound is the polish dries and gets dusty. I have tried using more polish even to where I thought it was excessive and it still happens. My polisher is set to 5 (not sure how many RPMs that is).
I think next time I'll use one of the tips I read on another thread and try spraying some quick detail spray on the pad before polishing.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Are you doing this outside by any chance?

 

[NickDW]

Are you doing this outside by any chance?

I am outside but I am under a car port in the shade. And today (about 7 or 8 pm) it was raining outside and cool.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

on a 1999 Ford truck that has some pretty bad oxidation on the hood and roof. There are also allot of swirls and deeper scratches in random places all over the truck.

My question is why when I am polishing the truck does the polish whiten and dry as soon as I stop the polisher. Am I using too little polish?

Is this oxidation or clear coat failure?

Lots of people confuse clear coat failure with oxidation. Clear coats can oxidize but usually it's a VERY slow process and comes from absolute neglected and exposure to the outdoor elements. Clear coat failure comes from this type of treatment also.

Clear coat failure cannot be fixed. The problem is "throughout" the layer or matrix of the paint. Oxidation is "topical", that is the problem is on the surface only.

Here's a question...

Do the products and technique work on the side panels okay?

If so, then the roof and hood, the only horizontal panels on a truck are probably past the point of no return and that's also probably why your products are drying up on you.

 

[NickDW]

Is this oxidation or clear coat failure?

I'm pretty sure it's oxidation. I am able to polish out the oxidation and scratches it just looks like the polish is drying while I polish. I am only able to get about 3 passes on a 16 - 20" section before the polish starts to whiten and dust starts coming off of the pad.

Don't get me wrong, now that I stepped up to Meguiar's Ultimate Compound "most" of the defects came out and the hood looks a great deal better. Not quite perfect though as there appears to be etching in the hood from water spots although the hood feels very smooth to the touch.

Do the products and technique work on the side panels okay?

I haven't tried working on the side panels yet because I am trying to make sure I am working the polish correctly.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I haven't tried working on the side panels yet because I am trying to make sure I am working the polish correctly.

Do a test spot on the side panels just to see if the products work differently and/or better than on the horizontal surfaces as a way of troubleshooting.

rops:

 

[NickDW]

Here are a few before pictures of the hood and one from the driver side.

I'll post some after pictures of the how the hood currently looks later.

Close up of the hoods paint condition.

Here is the pic of the rear driver side that has some pretty bad scratches.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

What I see is a hood that is completely flat from both oxidation and neglect and the sides are shiny and glossy.

Is that how the sides were when you started or is the way they look after you polished them?


The hood looks pretty shot, even after you polished it, it's still in pretty bad shape...

Here's a cropped out section from one of the full size images you posted, while the area you polished is improved, there's still what looks like a lot of surface deterioration left behind...

 

[NickDW]

Is that how the sides were when you started or is the way they look after you polished them?

The sides are already very shiny and I still haven't done any correction on them yet.

All of those hood are shots I took after I polished the hood with a cheap wallie world orbital before I purchased my Griots orbital. The hood looks 100 times better now but I can see etching from water spots in the hood and there's still some swirling (I think I caused from dry buffing).

I'll post the picks of the hood no in a few minutes.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

The sides are already very shiny and I still haven't done any correction on them yet.

That's what I guessed and I think that's what I was alluding to in my firsts posts to the thread, the point being is that the sides are in good shape because the sun doesn't beat directly down on them, nor will dirt and water build-up on them the way they will on a horizontal panel.

Clear coat failure mostly happens to the horizontal panels because it bears the brunt of both the sun and the elements over time.

Give the GG ROP a test and as a rule of thumb, the worse the paint, the smaller the section you carve out at one time.

Looking forward to the after pictures!

Cross your fingers...


:xyxthumbs:

 

[NickDW]

Here are some after shots of the hood taken under the car port.

Kinda blurry, I was trying to zoom in to take a picture of the etching I was talking about from the water spots.

Another blurry attempted close up.

This is taken about 1' from the hood straight down.

Those white spots are chips in the clear coat that have wax in them now.

Those trees in the reflection are from 3 or 4 houses down the street. (Not sure if that matters)

It looks a great deal better than before I polished it but it still has some issues. The roof looks horrible and I'm almost scared to mess with it.

 

[Adam]

You have done a great job so far. The problem with orbitals is that they lack the grunt needed to correct paint properly. Whilst they are great in the hands of a beginner, they are very slow. You may have to do several passes to achieve the results you want. Don't be scared to keep going. You're doing an excellent job so far and the only way you're going to damage the finish with an orbital is if you drop it on the car. As for the dusting, if you're using a heavy cutter then yes you will get dusting. Don't worry about that too much, just experiment with the amount of polish you use. Just remember that less is more and you don't need to use a lot.

 

[NickDW]

You have done a great job so far. The problem with orbitals is that they lack the grunt needed to correct paint properly. Whilst they are great in the hands of a beginner, they are very slow. You may have to do several passes to achieve the results you want. Don't be scared to keep going. You're doing an excellent job so far and the only way you're going to damage the finish with an orbital is if you drop it on the car. As for the dusting, if you're using a heavy cutter then yes you will get dusting. Don't worry about that too much, just experiment with the amount of polish you use. Just remember that less is more and you don't need to use a lot.

My main problem is that the polish seems to be drying as I work no matter how much I put on the pad, allot or a little.
I stepped up to Meguiar's Ultimate Compound to get those results as the Machine Polish 3 I was using didn't seem to be doing very much.

P.S. thanks for the compliment Adam.

 

[Adam]

Had a similar issue with a product they used at work called tru grit. As soon as you went near it with a rotary it dried and clumped up. Annoyed the absolute hell out of me. Really bad when you're working on soft Japanese paint. Ended up using Autosmart Cherry Glaze to give it some lubrication. I now use Menzerna polishes exclusively and have no problems.