So when applying the swirl remover without first removing the sealant, would it be ideal to apply an extra section pass or two to level down past the sealant, or should I apply it just like normal?
The first couple of passes over the paint using a light cutting pad and probably even with a polishing pad, (it just depends upon the aggressiveness of the product you're using), will obliterate any layer of wax or sealant remaining on the surface. It's less of an issue than most people think. It's not like a layer of paint.
Just be sure to clean your pad often, for the reasons stated in this thread,
Why it's important to clean your pads often...
ANYTIME you're abrading the surface whether you're using an aggressive cutting compound of an ultra fine polish, you have two things building up on the face of your buffing pad...
- Spent product
- Removed paint
You need to remove both of these substances from the face of the pad
and the panel you're working on
before you apply fresh product. If you don't,
- Adding fresh product to spent product and removed paint adulterates the fresh product, it also dilutes it.
- Buffing with a dirty pad will be more difficult.
- The product will cake-up on the face of the pad.
- The product will become gummy on the paint and hard to wipe off.
How to clean your pads and other options to make buffing clean again...
- You can scrub the face of the pad with a nylon brush like a pad conditioning brush or even a nylon toothbrush
- If using a Dual Action Polisher or a Rotary Buffer you can clean your pad on the fly with a terry cloth towel
- You can wash your pads in a bucket of water
- You can wash your pads in a sink under running water
- You can wash your pads in a pad washer
- You can switch to a clean, dry pad
- You can switch to a brand new pad
I just buffed out half the hood on an oxidized 1959 Cadillac and used the technique along with a nylon brush and it works adequately enough to allow me to work clean and get back to work quickly.
That's the whole idea behind cleaning your pad on the fly... you can remove a majority of the
spent product and
removed paint and then get back to running the buffer... buffing out an entire car already takes a
l-o-n-g time... stopping to do some kind of pad cleaning procedure that
isn't quick and easy keeps you from buffing on the paint.
Fast methods include,
- Pad Washers
- Cleaning your pad on the fly with a terry cloth towel
- Using a nylon pad conditioning brush
- Using a Spur if you're using a wool pad on a rotary buffer
Slow methods, (they might work well but they take you away from buffing on the car)
- You can wash your pads in a bucket of water
- You can wash your pads in a sink under running water
