So i'm guessing since Menz 400 is the newest, it should be the best? (Scratch removal, and gloss factor?)
I have no doubts it will remove the scratches, but the time is what I'am concerned about. I don't want any monkey business. I need to knock the initial scratches out, then move onto refining with my HD Adapt.
And when you remove these scratches with your LC foam pads, you're LSP ready? At what percentage of correction do you achieve? This sounds like heaven.
.........................
I'm using 2k grit with a d/a sander. actually, it isn't round though, it's square. Back and forth motion. Not orbital.
I've been sanding for quite some time. We actually use to sand with 1500. I convinced my dad to use 2k grit. 1500 was way too coarse, after paint we do not need that. Our finish is perfect after the 2k.
Hernandez, how is the cut with FG400? Comparable to.... m105?
I did like the cut of 105, but the dusting and clean-up was NOT efficient.
Here is a link to a 5 page pdf over on the Menzerna site.
http://www.menzerna.com/fileadmin/user_upload/PDF/Automotivebrochure_E.pdf
But this one gets to the point.
Actually, and SUPRISINGLY... FG 400 has the same gloss as PF 2500 and MORE than SI 1500 & IP 2000. Now THAT is something heavenly! :dblthumb2:
And YES it will finish LSP ready, time and time again!
rops:
I do think however that your back-and-forth square sander may leave marks that are going to be harder to remove than if you just went over it quickly with 3000 before the next stage. Case in point; today I started doing the hood of a Cadillac that'd been buffed earlier in the year and sealed with WGDGPS. At the time it just needed some protection so a quick buff and the Wolfgang sealant was in order.
It's a silver car and doesn't show scratches that easily. Not so much swirls (
they were removed already) but a whole host of RIDS that look like they were caused by car wash brushes, dirty rags etc.. It was so darned slick and shiny that my wife said it didn't need anything else, but *I* knew the RIDS were there. That paint is HARD AS A FRIGGIN ROCK, and really thick too! (
As can be seen by a rock chip on the hood, where the paint is as thick as a premium business card!)
After closer inspection I got to looking at the hood and there were just a whole host of those darned RIDS, mostly on the drivers side, but truly random all over. So today, (
for the first day in weeks after a fairly serious relapse to a herniated disc that I had surgery on in April) I spent some quality time feather sanding with 2000 grit on the hood. Those sanding marks are generally "back-and-forth", "side-to-side", "off axis", "at 90° one to another", yada yada yada. My son came home today, saw the car and thought someone had taken spray paint to the hood..... where my wife said it looks like someone had been doing Chinese graffiti all over it. :laughing: As of now it has probably 4 dozen plus areas where I've feathered it, ranging from a couple of inches to a foot, from a dot to curves, to V's to interconnecting S's and God knows what.
While I *
know* I can remove these 2000 grit marks with Megs 101 (
with fairly minimal dusting), I'm going to go over the entire hood tomorrow with 3000 grit on the Rupes Duetto and "even it out". Afterwards I can take my pick of lesser cut products to remove those sanding marks and not really have to worry about any hidden deeper scratches that didn't get special attention, hit with the edge of the pad, gone back over, put extra time, extra weight, you name it. Just that it's much easier to finish sand it and do it with a lighter compound/polish, as well as it'll end up with a better finish. (
Especially on this ultra hard paint.) :dunno: Where if I was just working with 2000 grit I'd have to spend more time on
each and
every sanding line, and use an inspection light to make sure they were all removed before moving on to the next area, much less the next polishing stage.
Getting back to the point.........
As Art said, sometimes you'll think you're working down the product (
and still cutting) when in actuality it's done cutting and is polishing.
This is ESPECIALLY TRUE with FG 400 as you really want to work it down. It's something amazing how well it'll finish (gloss) yet cut so good those first couple of passes.
The thing with DAT products is say you have a SMAT and DAT that start with the same cut number, the DAT product will actually have more cut that first pass, but then break down, and break down and keep breaking down to finish better than an equal cut SMAT based product. But... SMAT will cut and cut and CUT and when you're dealing with 2000 grit that may be what you want as you can change the finish with the pad.
For instance; You can start with a heavier cut pad that is properly primed, then after 3~4 passes swap to a lighter cut (finishing) pad and while the product has the same amount of cut, the pad doesn't, and on harder paints (
sometimes even on softer paints) it'll allow for a finish that you wouldn't associate with a SMAT compound with
that level of cut.
I realized after I posted the last message that I didn't mention it.... but as you know a LOT really depends on the paint. For the most part I'd not start with a DAT product to remove 2000 grit sanding marks on a lot of what I work on. Just use too much product to get the sanding mark out on hard paint. I mention that because I read where you really want a solution that lets you get it done and move on. Which is why I will quite often start with SMAT and finish with DAT.
Why????
Well as has been noted, a lot of the compounds mentioned tend to dust, and of course the longer you work them, the more they dust.
Take a SMAT product, hit it 3~4 passes and hope you don't get much dusting. Swap to a lot of the newer DAT stuff, like Menzerna, HD, WG, etc. and you tend not to get the dusting, have longer working times, and excellent finishing. But that doesn't mean they don't dust, as I've had a lot of dusting with Menzerna products, (if for no other reason you work them so darned long).
I might suggest trying a MF pad with a DA.
That may end up being your new holy grail. They'll cut like crazy on even the hardest paints (
with the right compound(s)), will work much larger areas (
as long as you thoroughly clean them with air after each section) sometimes as much as a whole hood before you need to rotate it out to let it cool (
where you'll generally use at least 2 foam pads), yet you can buff an entire vehicle with only 2~3 microfiber pads (because while one is working, the other is cooling). Where you'll use as few as 4~5 and as many as 8 foam pads during the compounding process and have to clean them on the fly QUITE OFTEN as well as use a brush on them all along.
Microfiber pads, a good air nozzle, and you can keep them clean all day. Then as long as you keep track of the heat, don't let them get too hot, let them cool between duty rotation and you can use them over and over. Of course cleaning them tends to throw dust all over, but that's not a bad trade all things considered.
@Art.......
Speaking of dusting with 105.
Have you ever tried mixing it with UC, say 2 drops 105 to 1 UC or half and half? Or put some baby oil (mineral oil) in a spritzer (
or just a little on your finger) and put a little on the pad? (I keep a little bottle of baby oil on my cart btw.)
OR.... mix a little 101 with 105. :laughing: Honestly, since 101 came out I stopped using 105 all by itself. I find myself mixing it with other stuff just to try and use the darned stuff!
:laughing:
, but now detail jobs that I've been doing dust does bother me. Since I do want the car ready to go after I polish it up. So each paint has been different I've been noticing.
