Polishing and Body Lines

[Corey06]

Hey Mike,
I have been reading a lot of your post and watching videos on how to polish a vehicle. I have a porter cable 7424xp and I have never used it. I picked up some lake Country Flat pads, orange which I believe is a mild cut and white which I think is just a regular polishing bad. I want to polish my truck and then apply the carpro UK coating on it. I have picked up there reflect polish, since they recommend that as a finishing polish before adding there protectant coating. The polish says it is good for removing light swirls and gives the paint a nice shine. I plan on testing an area on the truck to see how it works, I have some swirls but they are super minor. If I end up needing to use the orange pad to remove swirls will I have to go over the whole vehicle again with the polish and the white pad to get a good shine? And now for taping body lines, I know you do this so you don't burn through the clear coat or paint since its thinner in these spots, I would assume that after you pull the tape off you just hand polish these spots. I will post a pic of a truck that is like mine, some of the body lines are nice and curvy, do you just tape up the ones that are really sharp lines? I think most of the ones on my truck I wouldn't really have to worry about, but interested in hearing what you think.
Thanks
Corey

 

[conman1395]

No need to tape up the body lines with a Porter Cable bud. That's the safety of a DA, very hard to burn through paint.

 

[Don M]

No need to tape up the body lines with a Porter Cable bud. That's the safety of a DA, very hard to burn through paint.

^^ What he said, + just don't let the buffer hover over a sharp crease when you're compounding or using something with a heavier cut, but in general, most body lines are safe when using a PC.

 

[Paul A.]

I will agree with conman in that the risk of burn through is incredibally small with a PC. I say incredibally small for the off chance someone takes a heavy compound and works it aggressively over time.

I tape most times to avoid thin spots as you mention but i also tape off areas i don't want any product buildup too. Just makes cleanup a little easier. Areas like between the front door and the front quarter panel. When the door is opened it is tough to remove any product from inside the front edge of the door as it is recessed.

 

[Corey06]

Alright thanks guys, I wont worry about taping up the body lines then. Any advice on the pads with the Car pro reflect polish, if I end up needing to use the orange bad which has a little bit of cut will I have to go over the vehicle with the reflect polish again with a white pad? Also when polishing are you supposed to avoid going over any decals like the Z71 one on the side of the box?