Haze/holograms after polishing

[Aurelleah]

Heya, attempted a single scratch repair to try to see if I could do a small part by hand; used maguires scratchx first on a foam pad and it left the area a bit hazey, so instead of continuing I used a polish with the same method. It seemed to reduce the hazing but left holograms in the clear. Obviously the holograms arent visible without a strong light, but regardless this indicates I was doing something wrong. It doesnt make sense as to why hand-polishing would make it turn out worse potentially than a machine polish. Anyone have ideas why attempting this repair mightve resulted in the hazing/holograms?

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[Mugenkb1]

It's caused by using a heavy to medium cut polish. To get rid of the hazing and polish marks, etc, you need to finish it off with a fine/finishing polish. Works better with a machine buffer though.

 

[Aurelleah]

It's caused by using a heavy to medium cut polish. To get rid of the hazing and polish marks, etc, you need to finish it off with a fine/finishing polish. Works better with a machine buffer though.

Thanks

 

[Mugenkb1]

Thanks

Np. Meguire's scratch X is generally a pretty harsh polish, so it can get rid of the scratches easier and faster for the results the general public expect. The roughness of the foam pad also takes into account of how much a polish will cut. Hand polishing does usually turn out worse than machine because you can't rotate your arms as fast a machine can, plus the evenness and pressure you apply. Machine buffers always give faster and better results than doing anything by hand.

 

[BlueLdr]

While we're on the topic, can anyone recommend a good buffer that doesn't break the bank? Is this the kind of thing you shouldn't skimp on, or are there good ones in the $40-50 area?

 

[CEPA_Si]

While we're on the topic, can anyone recommend a good buffer that doesn't break the bank? Is this the kind of thing you shouldn't skimp on, or are there good ones in the $40-50 area?

If you are on a really tight budget you could pick up the harbor freight DA polisher, which isn't bad for the price. I had one a long time ago when I was first starting out and used it for about 6 months or so, and I still have it today and use it with a carpet brush for interior work. However if you budget allows I would recommend stepping up to either the Porter Cable or the Griots machines. Both are available in kits also that would come with everything you need to compound and polish your vehicle.

Personally I use all Rupes machines and have various models. For someone that has the budget I would highly recommend the Rupes 15es or 15 mkII.

 

[SCOPESYS]

If you are on a really tight budget you could pick up the harbor freight DA polisher, which isn't bad for the price. I had one a long time ago when I was first starting out and used it for about 6 months or so, and I still have it today and use it with a carpet brush for interior work. However if you budget allows I would recommend stepping up to either the Porter Cable or the Griots machines. Both are available in kits also that would come with everything you need to compound and polish your vehicle.

Personally I use all Rupes machines and have various models. For someone that has the budget I would highly recommend the Rupes 15es or 15 mkII.

Apart from price, can you tell me what makes the $400 models better than the $40 Harbor Freight models.
Is it just the quality of the polisher Build, or is there some feature of the more expensive units that makes the end results better.

I can understand that the more expensive one might be longer lasting - a lot of Harbor Freight items are not really rugged enough for extensive Processional use every day, but for the typical car owner, who might only use it a few time a year, will the end results be much different ?

 

[CEPA_Si]

Apart from price, can you tell me what makes the $400 models better than the $40 Harbor Freight models.
Is it just the quality of the polisher Build, or is there some feature of the more expensive units that makes the end results better.

I can understand that the more expensive one might be longer lasting - a lot of Harbor Freight items are not really rugged enough for extensive Processional use every day, but for the typical car owner, who might only use it a few time a year, will the end results be much different ?

Unless you have a knowledge of polishing it may be hard to explain. But obviously quality comes with price. Your also comparing a large throw polisher (Rupes) to a typical 8mm polisher (HF, PC or Griots). A large throw polisher will correct quicker while requiring far less pressure during the polishing process. A typical polisher requires 15-20 lbs of pressure when polishing, while a large throw polisher doesn't.

Here is a blog I wrote a few years ago discussing different types of machines.

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