Can polishing be done by hand?

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Jrdriver

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I have a black truck I wanna do a full detail on its only 2 years old and the paint feels pretty smooth but I'm still gonna start with a fine clay bar and of course follow with polish I do not have a machine for this I will be doing it by hand can this be done and still achieve good results and what polishes would work best by hand?
 
Jrdriver said:
I have a black truck I wanna do a full detail on its only 2 years old and the paint feels pretty smooth but I'm still gonna start with a fine clay bar and of course follow with polish I do not have a machine for this I will be doing it by hand can this be done and still achieve good results and what polishes would work best by hand?
Click to expand...

Sure you can, just like you can cut down a tree with a hand saw, but a chain saw will make it easier.
 
Ok I was just making sure I know black is an easy color to screw up if you aren't careful but from what I understand GM uses a harder finish and I don't have many scratches or swirls so do you have any recommendations on a polish?
 
You are correct about GM having a harder clear. Which has it's draw back being it's harder to correct. I have never nor will I ever attempt to correct black paint by hand. It's hard enough to correct it by machine less by hand.
If you insist to try it by hand, I would recommend Meguiars Ultimate compound and Ultimate Polish to finish down. Look on AutoGeeks store for a hand held applicator..one for cutting and one for finishing. Good luck.
 
Ok will do like I said the paint is not in bad shape by any means I just have a few spots of haze left from where the dealer buffer some stuff and I would really like to get rid of that more then anything
 
As time is money, it'll be a lot cheaper, faster and better polishing with machine, especially on black! Hand polishing your entire truck's black paint will likely induce more swirls, scratches and headaches (especially if you're not familiar with process and/or use inferior products...polish, applicators, towels) that will make you wish you never started down that road. With all the sales going on, now's the time to buy the good stuff and properly protect your investment.
 
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Yea it seems that might be the best thing I haven't exactly got a straight answer till this thread so now I know it's probably not the best idea
 
Purchase the suggested products

Tape off a 12" x 12" Test Spot

Go at it by hand and time yourself

If you are happy with the results and the time it took... Hand polish the rest

No way I would ever attempt it; knowing what I know
 
Short answer is yes, you can. But its going to massive task. Best way to go is to do one panel a day, otherwise you will develop pain in your arms. All in all, results will depend upon how much time you can devote.

Here are few links that might help you.

CleanYourCar.co.uk • View topic - The Gentle Art of Hand Polishing
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...s/21971-hand-buffing-polishing-technique.html
Man versus Machine

PS: If you plan to do one panel a day, after correction and polishing, do seal it with a wax or a sealant.
 
Hand polishing I would recommend for NEW NEW cars. Even then, it is still hard work and will kill your arm. I tried to polish out an eight year old car with some turtle polish once and could not remove any scratches within a 4 inch work area and my arm was dead from applying pressure.
 
Well it would be like trying to remove the snow from your driveway using a tea spoon... but yes... you can do it ;)
 
As has been suggested, do a panel at a time, apply, remove, and then go to the next. A good clay and hand polish will surely clarify the paint, your truck will look cleaner, glossier.

I recommend using MF Hand Applicators, you'll get a little bit more cut with them versus foam Applicators. Wally World and the large auto parts stores usually have packs of these. Best to use 1 per large panel, use, then place on the side, and pick up another fresh one, and keep going.

Same with MF Towels, have a number of them on hand.

A superb, easily gotten fine finishing polish, and again, usually found at Wally World, and the Auto Parts Stores will be Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205 Ultra Fine Finishing Polish in the Beige qt Bottles. Will set you back about $23-$25 a qt.

This Polish can be used by Hand, DA, or Rotary Machine.

You will not be able to screw up with this polish by hand, easy to work with, and if temps are good, easy to take off also.

Try duplicating a random action when rubbing on application, every which way, back and forth one way and another, circular, etc. By doing this, it will level and smooth the paint better, and have a better ability to removing hazing, clouding, marring, and fine scratches-sleeks.
 
Jrdriver said:
I have a black truck I wanna do a full detail on its only 2 years old and the paint feels pretty smooth but I'm still gonna start with a fine clay bar and of course follow with polish I do not have a machine for this I will be doing it by hand can this be done and still achieve good results and what polishes would work best by hand?
Click to expand...

As for "smooth", you might be very surprised how "not so smooth" your paint actually is, when placing your hand inside a thin plastic sandwich bag, and then feeling the paint on every panel and even your Glass.

It's usually an "OMG Moment"!

Let the Plastic Baggie be your guide, and aid when Claying.

And as RSurfer says, you're actually cleaning-claying-polishing your top Clear Coat on the Paint, not the Black Base Coat.

As has been mentioned, polish, then seal-wax after.

It could take you 2-3 days or sessions to do the entire truck. Better to take your time, not rush, you'll then get the best results that can be achieved by hand.
 
Jrdriver said:
I have a black truck I wanna do a full detail on its only 2 years old and the paint feels pretty smooth but I'm still gonna start with a fine clay bar and of course follow with polish

I do not have a machine for this I will be doing it by hand can this be done and still achieve good results and what polishes would work best by hand?
Click to expand...

Great question and you've already received a number of recommendations to get into machine polishing.


Here's my comments for what they are worth...

Yes you can hand polish your truck's paint just take your time and be sure your polish applicator pads are clean and check the working face of the applicator often to make sure no dirt or debris accidentally gets lodged onto the surface as this would instill scratches each time you rub it over the paint.

The word polish can mean different things to different people. When you come onto a detailing forum like AGO most people will take the word polish to mean remove paint defects like swirls, scratches, water spots and oxidation.

Since your truck is just a few years old it's possible at least in your eyes that the paint looks pretty good. If this is the case and you're willing to put the time and effort into hand polishing I'd say go for it.

You have three basic options,

1. Rub the paint down with a paint cleaner and then apply a wax or sealant.

2. Rub the paint down with a true polish and then apply a wax or sealant.

3. Rub the paint down with a one-step cleaner/wax which will do three step in one.
​
If it were me, I would choose option #3 and go with a one-step cleaner/wax. It will clean, polish and wax your truck in one step and together with a good wash job and claying before you use the one-step cleaner/wax the paint should come out looking phenomenal.


To hand apply a one step cleaner/wax here's a tip...


Use the cleaner/wax heavy or wet. The terms heavy or wet when discussing paint polishing means use an ample amount. Don't use a ridiculous amount but the point being you want lots of liquid on the surface because when it comes to a cleaner/wax the liquid is the chemical cleaners and abrasives and you want plenty of these things working for you.

I point this out because that's how you use a one-step cleaner/wax. It's opposite of using a NON-cleaning wax. When using a non-cleaning wax or what I call a finishing wax or a show car wax then you apply a thin coat.

The reason for a thin coat when using a non-cleaning wax is because theoretically the paint is already clean and smooth, thus you're not trying to work out and defects or blemishes and all you really want to do is lay down a thin, uniform layer of protection.


Make sense?

Here's a very high quality one-step cleaner/wax,


Pinnacle XMT 360 Corrects, Cleans, Seals


If you want to work by hand take my word for it... having the right hand applicator pads is going to make a HUGE difference.

Here's an article I wrote showing some tools for working by hand that I think you'll like.


Tools for polishing paint by hand



If you decide you want to get into machine polishing we can help you with that too!


For time reference, here's a project where I did one half of the hood by hand and the other half by hand. The steps for each side included,

Clay
Compound
Polish
Wax


Man versus Machine



The machine side took me 30 minutes. The hand side took me 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Note I achieved the same results on both sides of the hood but I kid you not, working by hand - especially rubbing a compound over the paint by hand to remove swirls and scratches, requires more skill than is needed to use a simple tool like the Porter Cable 7424XP or the Griot's Garage 6" DA or the Meguiar's MT300.

With any of these three tools you basically turn the tool on and guide it over the paint. When working by hand you have to PRESS HARD and RUB FAST and you really need to know what your doing or you'll put scratches in the paint in the process.

When I taught the Meguiar's Detailing 101 classes at Meguiar's from 2002 to 2009 I always stared the hands on portion with a demonstration of how to do this type of work by hand, that is compounding, polishing and waxing. I would choose a black or dark colored car.

After watching me remove the swirls and scratches from a section of paint about 12" square most people would comment...


That's too much work



Especially after I would next demonstrate how to use a simple dual action polisher where you basically turn the tool on and simply guide it over the paint and it does all the work. No real technique needed.

Hope that helps...

:)
 
If I were not using a machine I would use the Meguiar's Black Wax.
 
Try prima amigo by hand it works well. Mothers California gold cleaner wax does too. But IMO the prima is easier griots garage has items that work well too. Just depends where you want to buy it and how much you want to spend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I would just open the checkbook and order a machine. Something like the GG6 will make your life do much easier..
 
If I were going to try by hand I would try Essence 1st and probably top with reload. It has some cut and has filling ability which by hand is what I believe would give the best results for the work involved.

Just just did my car with them by machine them to give it protection for winter and time to decide to use them as a permanent solution or to top with WG uber coating which on my other car gave it a real glass like appearance.
 
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