Removing swirls left speckles or pinholes?

[AutowerxDetailing]

Re: Removing swirls left speckles?

I am not a scientist, but I've read a lot on the internet...

What I know to be true:
You are using M83 which is a diminishing abrasive technology (DAT) compound. You are using this with a dual action (DA) polisher and a heavy cutting pad.

My hypothesis of what is happening to your paint:
Possibly, you aren't working the M83 long enough for it to completely break down which is leaving larger abrasive particles that are still being worked on your last section passes. If you are lightening up your pressure on your last pass, without having fully broken down the diminishing abrasives from the compound, the uneven pressure on the pad caused by the "jiggling" motion of a DA polisher will create high/low pressure points on the surface of the pad. These "high pressure points" will cause the abrasives to cut into the paint harder than the rest of the abrasives causing these small tick marks you are seeing.

To test this theory you could try again using constant pressure on the pad, lightening up only slightly for your final pass with M83. Also, you will want to make sure you are allowing the compounds to fully break down and work M83 until it is almost dry.

You could also try M205 with a rotary, if you have access to one, using low speed (600-1000) and a lighter cutting pad as a finishing step which should not leave these tick marks/speckles that can happen with a DA polisher and DAT polish.

Then again this is all just theory...

 

[KneeDragr]

Re: Removing swirls left speckles?

I agree that Honda paint sucks. Ive actually called a few bodyshops asking for a wetsand and re-clear on my 2008 CR-V, but nobody wants to just quote the clear, they want a full paint job which is a huge waste IMO. It just needs a lot more clear and a wetsand.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Re: Removing swirls left speckles?

My theory isn't any better but here goes...

I "think" I've only seen this when using a DA Polisher, not sure I've seen this phenomena when using a rotary buffer. I have no idea why there would be a difference.

The place you see the pin holes or voids in the paint are places where the paint was much softer or places that were covered over with actual paint.

When you buffed the paint you remove enough of the top skin of pait to uncover the pinholes.

Not a very good theory but that's all I got....


Like stated, if you only see the problem on the hood that's an indicator that it's road rash from dirt, gravel, sand or debris being sprayed on you by either the cars in front of you or the wind or both.

If the problem is throughout the finish then it's paint related.

If the problem is only on the horizontal surfaces then it could be something that was airborne and landed on the car, this doesn't so much apply to pinholes as it does craters.


Also see this recent post on this same topic, I included some picture, take a look at them and see if the pictures I posted show what you're seeing...


Tick Marks Pinholes or Solvent Popping?

 

[dr/owned]

Re: Removing swirls left speckles?

You could also try M205 with a rotary, if you have access to one, using low speed (600-1000) and a lighter cutting pad as a finishing step which should not leave these tick marks/speckles that can happen with a DA polisher and DAT polish.

I initially started with M205 before going to M83. I actually think the M83 somewhat reduced the appearance of the pinholes, but it might have been my imagination. At this point I'm thinking of kitchen-sinking it and trying the whole range from orange pads to black pads, M80 to M9, with the rainbow and M205 between. Since even the orange + M80 wouldn't really strip much clearcoat (god let's hope not), it might be worth a shot in the areas that already have speckles.

@Mike, yep, those Porsche pictures look just like what I'm seeing (especially the zoomed out ones). The speckles are less noticeable than swirls, which on a white car are very difficult to see. The speckles combined with the apparent orange peeling all over the car leads me to believe it's just terrible paint and not something that was done outside the factory.

Do you think a glaze like #7 (or other brands if you could suggest some) would fill in the pinholes and could then be topped with sealant and wax?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Re: Removing swirls left speckles?

Do you think a glaze like #7 (or other brands if you could suggest some) would fill in the pinholes and could then be topped with sealant and wax?

You could try but to me if the car is a daily driver I would just enjoy the shine and move forward in life.

That's just me though...


Both my Milk Truck and one of my 1959 Cadillacs had specific sections of paint that weren't perfect and I always wanted to re-paint them but both rigs would have been expensive to repaint. Instead, I waxed them up and drove them and more important I enjoyed them...


The bad section on the 1959 Caddy was in the middle of the trunk lid but from this picture the car looks like a Cream Puff

The section on the Milk Truck was at the upper rear passenger side corner where the paint didn't match exactly.

Did the two sections of paint bug me? Yes. Enough to repaint? No.

I drove the heck out of them and enjoyed ever minute of it...

 

[dr/owned]

So way in the future update on this. For the past 2.5 years I haven't done anything to the paint aside from washing it, claying it, and sealing it. Time wears on though and a buildup of cosmic grime and water spot etchings made me decide to polish the entire car. Theres a few fine scratches here and there, but so few that I decided I wasn't going to bother correcting them directly.

(All with LC Black pads, PC, and speed of 5. Weight of machine pressure.)
M83 - Good stuff for a first pass. Removed water etchings no problem.
M80 - Waste of time.
M09 - Garbage. Swirl-blurs the crap out of the clearcoat even with a blue pad.

M83-M205 seems to be the best pairing. M83 still leaves faint swirl marks that are invisible with overhead light but intense LED light and putting my face 6 inches away I can see a fine "halo of spider webs" around the LED reflection. M205 cleans it up to a nice jeweled finish but there's still the pinhole problem. Probably need another 6 hours to finish the rest of the car in 205 since the first pass was done in 83.

 

[AutowerxDetailing]

So way in the future update on this. For the past 2.5 years I haven't done anything to the paint aside from washing it, claying it, and sealing it. Time wears on though and a buildup of cosmic grime and water spot etchings made me decide to polish the entire car. Theres a few fine scratches here and there, but so few that I decided I wasn't going to bother correcting them directly.

(All with LC Black pads, PC, and speed of 5. Weight of machine pressure.)
M83 - Good stuff for a first pass. Removed water etchings no problem.
M80 - Waste of time.
M09 - Garbage. Swirl-blurs the crap out of the clearcoat even with a blue pad.

M83-M205 seems to be the best pairing. M83 still leaves faint swirl marks that are invisible with overhead light but intense LED light and putting my face 6 inches away I can see a fine "halo of spider webs" around the LED reflection. M205 cleans it up to a nice jeweled finish but there's still the pinhole problem. Probably need another 6 hours to finish the rest of the car in 205 since the first pass was done in 83.

M205 is a PHENOMENAL finishing polish. You might also like to try a super-fine diminishing abrasive finishing polish like CarPro Reflect. Sometimes Reflect will amp up the gloss even more!

 

[dr/owned]

Final result in 1920x1080. Camera isn't a DSLR so it can't capture the effect of the paint being covered in glass. Cumulative probably 16 hours of work. Wash, whole car in M83, wash, whole care in M205, wash with wax/grease stripping dilution of shampoo, seal with Powerlock.

Seems the doors didn't have this solvent pop / speckling as bad as the horizontal panels. Weird.

Next weekend: glass and interior. Probably engine bay too.