Restoring paint color tips?

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porksoda

porksoda

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Well today I went to the car and got a little bit of rubbing compound/polish turtle wax brand and buffed a little spot with it. Turned out great!
The color really pops now.
In case any of you didn't know but my Dart is RR-1 (Daffodil Yellow).
The Yellow looks really good.
The car was painted about 15 years ago.
Then it was parts 3 years after that for about 12 years.
So I guess it just needs a good buff to bring the real color out.
Any suggestions on how to buff the car quicker then doing it by hand?
Any buffing products you guys will suggest?
If I need to buy a buffer I can do that. Suggest one to me.
Any buffing pads that you all suggest?
 
You need to tell us what it was painted with. Lacuer, enamel or clear coat??
 
Harbor Freight (snic) sells a decent variable speed buffer that works pretty good for the price, Dont get the fixed speed one, for a few bucks more the variable is much more flexible for fast cutting or slow polishing. Get some quality bonnets and name brand chemicals, McGuires or 3M. Keep buffer moving especially over raised ribs and corners, some compounds can cut very effectively over raised parts. Oh yeah, someone told me to never use silicon polish, like Nu-finish. Youll never be able to repaint the car due to fisheyes. Im sure a paint guy can elaborate.
 
Hello Pork soda; I've reconditioned a lot of cars. When it comes to Buffers I've used both electric and pneumatic. I've used high speed and low speed buffers. I've used the foam buffing pads as well as the cloth pads. I would have to say that I prefer the high speed buffers and don't have a preference between electric or pneumatic. Both the hose and the cord are a pain because they can easily hit the work or get tangled in easily. I would say that I like both the 3M products and also Maguires. They are both great products and offer different compounds depending on the condition of the paint you are working. I think the foam pads leave fewer swirl marks but the heavy cloth pads are more durable, but tend to hold more dirt which can scratch the paint. Using a buffer can give wonderful results, but there are negatives as well. The first huge concern is that an inexperienced operator can burn thru the paint in a matter of seconds. This is especially true on high spots, ridges, and corners because there is less paint there. The high speed buffer also takes some practice to control. If you use the cloth pads they are retained with the steel nut in the center that can also damage the paint if care isn't used. I would strongly urge you to practice on an old part or car that you don't care about first. I hope you find this helpful. Gregg
 
Hey PorkSoda, I missed your intro the other day so welcome aboard!!!

No one has mentioned a Mother's Clay Bar kit yet so I figured I would. It's very labor intensive but the results are pretty amazing on an older paint job. Here's a couple pics from when I did mine ...

Ewwwwww

View attachment IM002754.jpg

With half the roof done (no buffing yet)

View attachment IM002751.jpg

Voila!!! :-D

View attachment IM002758.jpg

It was a lot of work -- several hours' worth -- but I've never regretted it.

Looks like you're making yourself at home quickly! Good luck with that sweet old ride.
 
In addition to the good tips already provided by mousehouse.........when you do have to buff near an edge, make sure that the direction of the pad spin is such that if it was saturated with a liquid, it would "throw" the excess liquid in the direction away from the panel and not into it. Do not dwell on an edge, you will burn through the paint so fast it will make your nose bleed disgust. Hard to explain, but I hope you get the idea.. L8r

Jim
 
I use 3m super duty rubbing compound... and as was stated before, watch edges and ridges.... something ti think about.... all the time you saved using a machine will be spent repairing the spots you burned through. Been there, done that... as was also stated before, practice on an old panel of something.... putting 2 thicknesses of masking tape on edges helps, we always did that at the body shop....

Oh, and welcome to the site!
 
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