Compounding a dark single stage paint job, how to clean foam during use ?

C

chaznad

New member
Joined
Mar 11, 2013
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
Hey guys im new to the whole car care world.. My sister has a darker blue 2004 saturn that was repainted with a cheapo S/S paint job... over the past few years the florida sun beat on it plus she never washed or waxed it so basically its oxidized and faded... we decided that we were gonna have it painted 2 stage this time but before we did that I decided to take a makita 9227c ( with white 3m foam pad) to it with some Megs ultimate compound and surprisingly its looking pretty damn good ( much better then before at least ) .. the problem im having is after each section ( 2'x2' ) the foam pad is loaded with the blue paint which makes it impossible to continue without creating a mess..... After finishing the first section i have to wash the pad before going on otherwise the paint left on the pad works into the new section... any tips on what to do .. i tried wiping it with a dry cotton towel but that still doesnt help
this is where im at

IMG_0290.jpg

IMG_0347.jpg
 
ive only done the hood and headlights and front bumper
 
If you don't want to buy a pad washer, get more pads. Why are you polishing if your going to re-paint? Anyway, nice recovery.
 
well i have the time right now plus its pretty fun.. They plan on painting it in the near future 6 months or so .... So i figured id clean it up as well as i can so she can drive it without it looking like a wreck....
Well i only have 1 pad right now and i wanna knock it out tomorrow so i guess ill just keep doing what im doing
BUT after i wash it do I have to completely dry the pad or can i use it damp .. thats whats been the pain in the butt, throwing it in the dryer for 15 minutes
 
Nothing wrong with washing out a pad after each section is finished if that's the only pad you have right now and don't want to buy more, or can't buy more at this time. It's called improvising..or doing the best you can with what you have, where you are at.

What you're doing is actually great practice. If you plan on repainting it anyway, then you certainly can't hurt it. Actually, with a rotary, and in my opinion, it's a good way/place to learn. If you can fix it, then good. If not, it's not a big deal. So far, you've made a vast improvement on some solid oxidation issues. Nice transformation.

I know you used Meguair's Ultimate compound, and you mentioned using a 3M pad, but you didn't specify which 3M foam pad (color), or the size of the pad. Providing this information may just help others help you.
 
chaznad said:
well i have the time right now plus its pretty fun.. They plan on painting it in the near future 6 months or so .... So i figured id clean it up as well as i can so she can drive it without it looking like a wreck....
Well i only have 1 pad right now and i wanna knock it out tomorrow so i guess ill just keep doing what im doing
BUT after i wash it do I have to completely dry the pad or can i use it damp .. thats whats been the pain in the butt, throwing it in the dryer for 15 minutes
Click to expand...

Spin it dry with your Makita. Start out slow so that you don't rip the velcro.
 
Hoytman said:
I know you used Meguair's Ultimate compound, and you mentioned using a 3M pad, but you didn't specify which 3M foam pad (color), or the size of the pad. Providing this information may just help others help you.
Click to expand...

Im using the 8" 3m white waffle foam pad that uses the hook and loop design
 
Rsurfer said:
Spin it dry with your Makita. Start out slow so that you don't rip the velcro.
Click to expand...

I meant to mention that. Thanks for bringing it to his attention. Spinning the pads out works great.
 
I'm not sure, but I think the 3M white is their cutting pad...let me check for you. Ah yes, here it is, and white is their cutting pad. 3M Perfect-It Plus Foam Compounding Pad 8 inches, apply rubbing compound, 3m buffing pads

Do you have access to a dual action polisher? Regardless, you might try something that was suggested to me by TuscaroraDave, and that is refining the surface (on a test spot) using the same Ultimate Compound and changing the pad to a polishing pad, then move to Ultimate polish with a polishing pad, or with a finishing pad. You may, or may not want to go straight to a polish. It depends on what the paint is telling you.

There are several ways to "mix it up", refering to refining a working technique. To my knowledge there's no "set rule" stating to use this polish with that pad. You could use the UC with a finishing pad, or UP with a cutting pad.

Do a few more test spots will tell you what you need to do. See if you can get the finish to satisfy you.
 
Great turnaround so far! :applause:
You have FAR more patience than I do, trying to go at that with one pad. :eek:

As bad as it started out.... I fear that most of us would have gone through up to a dozen on that puppy. ;)
 
chaznad, after washing the car did you Clay it? I think the claying would have helped in removing the dead paint and some oxidation.
I have used the Meg UC followed by Meg UP and then Meg wax on my 97 Saturn. I used a 6" RO Palm Polisher with a yellow foam bonnet.


Steelman
 
Being SS you might want to try some Megs #7 to rejuvenate oils in the paint.
 
Hey guys... thanks for the credit given .. i am a very patient person actually. As a matter of fact its 1:15 am and i just finished it in my garage after 5-6 hours just compounding it ..... it actually looks pretty darn good especially compared to what it looked like....
To answer a few of the ?'s asked.. I do not have access to a DA polisher.. however i do have a 3M polishing pad ( the black 8" waffle foam pad ) . I dont think im going to polish it though.. I was planning on washing it tomorrow morning with some megs ultimate wash and wax and then wax with megs gold class and call it a day.. especially after having to wash the pad about 15 times
To answer another ? .. i did not clay just washed it , i didnt have any on hand and figured the process was going to be hell with or without the clay anyways ...
also Ill look up the Megs #7

Do u guys think the polishing is necessary ? I just dont know if i can spend another 6 hrs on it just to polish
 
Megs 7 will give the paint a lot more depth for sure.
And yes might as well polish it. It actually will take a lot less time than compounding. (Like half as long.)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using AG Online
 
The result wasn't too bad but I would have just hit it with a wool pad and Megs 105 and seriously just rip into the damage and just tear it off instantly. As far as pad cleaning goes, if you don't have enough pads, well you just have to keep cleaning it. After that, I would have finished off with 205 on a rotary followed by a Flex with a finishing pad and 205 to de-swirl it. A wax after that if you really want to would have been good to finish it off. Not just that but you would have taken a bit more damage off in the process leaving a better shine to what is currently available. I always find when it comes to BAAAAD fade like this, just use the serious stuff and save yourself a lot of pain. :xyxthumbs:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top