Proper technique for compounding/polishing

[jgg85234]

Everyone here says to use the least aggressive method and do a test spot.
I also have noticed people recommending specific colored pads with specific products.

If I have a full collection of pads and a full collection of polishes and compounds (I'll use Menzerna as an example as there's a wide range of products in the Menzerna family, and for purpose of the example, let's assume Lake Country CCS pads).

If I start with the least aggressive test, I'd be at SF4500 with a red, blue or even gold pad.

If that doesn't do the job on my test spot, do I start by using stiffer pads (grey, green, white, pink, orange, yellow (whatever ones someone has), or do I step up the polishes, (SF4000, FF3000, PF2500, IP2000, SI1500, PG1000,FG400). Or, does one step up on both pads and polishes simultaneously?

Feed back please

Sure do like the fact that Menzerna went to a numbering scheme.

I realize that as people gain experience, they just know where to step up to based on the supplies they possess.

Jim

 

[rmagnus]

Jim experience will help you know where to start. Least aggressive recommendation is meant to instruct people not to just jump in with a compound to start. Maybe a polish will provide the intended result.

4500 is the least aggressive Finishing product so it has little cut therefore your paint better be in very good polished condition. Even an aggressive LC pad say yellow for example isn't going to do much correction with Menz 4500.

You can play around with different pads once you get the product dialed in. Here is a Menzurna chart of their products.
Menzerna, Menzerna Polishing Compounds Products, Menzerna FMJ, menzerna polishes, menzerna car polish, menzerna nano polish, menzerna final polish,

Now for the test spot it's ok to go over the test spot once the first combo of products didn't give you the results you were looking for. Generally speaking depending on the product and pads being used keep the test area small and do not keep going over it because you will not get a true result. What you are looking for is the number of passes used on the test area that provided th result you were looking for. Then transfer that technique to the rest of the car. A little science and art rolled into one. Make sense?

 

[jgg85234]

Hi Ralph:

Thanks for the reply, and yes, it makes sense up to a point.

Personally, I've never had an issue, although I may have solved the problem occasionally by being more aggressive than I actually needed to be.

The results are beautiful, but did I take off more paint/clear coat than necessary? What have I done to the life span of the finish on the vehicle?

I just thought that for all the newcomers constantly arriving here at the AutoGeek forum, the proper techniques of stronger polishes versus denser pads might be helpful.

I thought we could get a discussion going, since I didn't see where it had been addressed in prior posts (maybe I didn't look hard enough).

Best regards,
Jim