Polish - removing X grit sandpaper

Lowejackson

Lowejackson

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It seems to be common practice for manufacturers to say their polish will remove say 1500 grit paper marks. Is there a standard test for such claims?
 
Lowejackson said:
It seems to be common practice for manufacturers to say their polish will remove say 1500 grit paper marks. Is there a standard test for such claims?
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-I would say that production of man-made abrasives has been almost perfected.
-Abrasives manufacturers are now capable of manufacturing macro and micro abrasives engineered to an exact size and shape (the 'grit') to produce a consistent cut.

-Take the 3M company for example...
They've been manufacturing abrasives for over 110 years...
They probably even "invented" the testing procedures.

-Anyway, as best as I can find out:

ISO 6344-1,2,3 is one standard used for testing polishes/sandpaper abrasives' grit size. Might be the same one for Europe.

:)

Bob
 
Thanks for the information, very interesting. Sorry for the delay in responding.

So, if some compounds say they can remove 1200 grit marks eg Optimum II & Sonus SFX-1, M105 would it be reasonable to assume they have the same amount of cut if we ignore things such as ease of use or the fact they use different types of abrasives etc.
 
Lowejackson said:
Thanks for the information, very interesting. Sorry for the delay in responding.

So, if some compounds say they can remove 1200 grit marks eg Optimum II & Sonus SFX-1, M105 would it be reasonable to assume they have the same amount of cut if we ignore things such as ease of use or the fact they use different types of abrasives etc.
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-If these particular products you mention have indeed met the testing-standards-of-abrasives protocol (in-house/independent testing assurances), then I can assume their abrasives'-size should/would have the same cut. That is, of course, if we do ignore the factors you point out...along with the end-users techniques; choice of machines, pads; environmental conditions; etc.

-After one diagnoses a vehicle's "paint condition", then the abrasives' size/cutting ability...IMO...Is information to be used as a reference for, let's say, a good starting point for determining paint defect(s) removal.

-I'm glad, though, you used a Sonus product as an example.
'The Sonus Company' has gone as far to allow their compounds/polishes to be tested/scrutinized as to where on the "six grades of abrasiveness scale", for polishing purposes, their abrasives will lie.

-To wit:

From most to least abrasiveness:
#6: 1200-2000 grit sanding material (for repairing chips and scratches, blending repairs.)
#5: 2500 - 3000 grit sanding material (for light color sanding and leveling.)
#4: Sonus SFX-1 Restore Polish...Fine Cut Rubbing Compound (for and to remove grade 2000 or finer sanding scratches, other fine scratches, medium oxidation, coarse swirl marks, or water spots.)
#3: Sonus SFX-2 Enhance Polish (a swirl-remover polish designed to remove fine swirl marks, cob web effect, and light compound hazing.)
#2: Sonus SFX-3 Final Finish Polish (a fine polish formulated to create a highly polished finish.)
#1: Sonus Paintwork Cleanser ( An ultra-fine pre-wax paint cleaner and glaze designed for hand or machine application.)

-A quick thought: I wish all car care products, especially compounds/polishes, were so easily categorized, so to speak.

:)

Bob
 
One of the biggest factors as to what any compound will remove is paint hardness.

When a company like Meguiar's states what their "Body Shop" compounds will remove, that's kind of specific to body shop work and that means fresh paint.

There's a huge difference when sanding and compounding fresh paint versus case-hardened paint.

I explain this in this article I wrote to try to clear up confusion on the topic of wetsanding.

Wetsanding - Fresh Paint vs Factory Paint


The first thing I do before I sand down anything is a Test Spot. I've come across paint so hard you could not safely remove sanding marks.


There's two stories I've posted somewhere on this forum about project cars I've worked on that had super hard paint. One was about a car myself and a team of guys was asked to sand and buff for a TV Pilot show and the other was a Ferrari that a guy painted and then sanded and then nothing would remove the sanding marks without at the same time heat the paint so hot it could and would harm the paint.


Always test any paint system before buffing out the entire car, or in this case before sanding the entire car.


:)
 
Thanks as always, Mike, for your very informative postings.

-As to 'paint hardness'; and, body-shop vs. factory applied paint...I'll need to add these to my factors of abrasives' cutting-abilities listed in my previous post...

-I surely do appreciate you bringing this to my attention.

:)

Bob
 
A big thanks to Bob and Mike, very informative :xyxthumbs:
 
Your DIY Sun Gun looks great. Still playing around with different bulbs and am tempted to try a metal halide bulb at some point.
 
Lowejackson said:
Your DIY Sun Gun looks great. Still playing around with different bulbs and am tempted to try a metal halide bulb at some point.
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Thanks.
Please keep me informed on how the metal halide works out for you...They're easier for me to source.

:)

Bob
 
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