How can you tell if paint is hard or soft?

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InTheBuff

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I see a lot of folks that talk about paint being hard or soft. How can you tell ahead of time if paint is hard or soft?

For instance, it seems as though the Honda Nighthawk Black Pearl has a reputation for being "soft." Whereas there is discussion about certain ceramic clears being "hard."

So, how do you know what kind of paint you are working with and should the paint hardness be a factor in what pads and compounds are used?
 
i think its just learned overtime. Honda has soft clears--- BMW,Audi,Volkswagen all have hard clears
 
and yes paint hardness does factor pads and polishes used. You could probably get swirls out of a honda with a white pad and a finishing polish----- while that same combo wouldnt even touch the swirls on my volkswagen
 
maddenbowler said:
and yes paint hardness does factor pads and polishes used. You could probably get swirls out of a honda with a white pad and a finishing polish----- while that same combo wouldnt even touch the swirls on my volkswagen
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Pretty much sums it up. Best way to tell if you have soft or hard clears is to just do a sample spot and see how many swirls remove. Always start with white and lesser swirl removers when figuring a clearcoat's strength. If you start out heavy, you will marr the paint.
 
Try your least aggressive pad and polish combo, then step it up if you need to. :cheers:
 
softness or hardness of paint in general is speaking to the degree at which correction can be done while polishing. Something softer usually corrects quickly and easier.
 
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