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upper · 05/12/2011, 06:24

resprayed my fairings and i haven't had a problem so far all up to the final stages of cut and polish of the clear coat.

i can get it to a mirror finish, but with a heap of micro scratches on top of it in the shine.

haven't tried any swirl/scratch remover yet so can someone recommend one to use?

there's a heap on the market and i cbf throwing money away for them to 'test' out.

also, does it make a difference with what you use to apply it? tried a sponge, micro fibre clothe, t shirt, paper towel etc but what gives the cleanest results?

zane · 05/12/2011, 08:21

get 2000 (or higher depending how bad marks are) grit wet and dry sand paper and sand clear coat till scratches are gone then polish

Reikon · 05/12/2011, 11:20

meguirs scratchX is good stuff, use a foam applicator pad or 100% terry cloth (all are available at supershit auto etc), drop a small dob on the pad, about the size of a pinky nail. rub in circular motion, then buff off with another clean 100% terry cloth, turning to a new section as it gets dirty.

but remember, cutting compounds literally cut away the clearcoat, even by a small amount. obviously is you get too enthusiastic you'll fuck the whole fairing, so be mega careful

upper · 05/12/2011, 11:50

yeah i've wet sanded, compounded and polished to a nice shine, it's just those tiny scratches from the polish left behind that's annoying me. i don't mind stuffing the fairing since i'm planning on redoing the clear coat properly and if i can pull off getting rid of the tiny scratches it'll be sweet.

plus i got a spare fairing to muck around on first.

i do like the cutting compound though, if the shine's not clear in the light yet i just use more cutting compound and it becomes clearer with the polish. i've burned through clear before, but that was just lame 'dust' thin coats of it when i first started painting. resprayed again in nice even coats and so far haven't burned through and it's shiny already.

what have you used that scratchx stuff on?

cbrrrz · 05/12/2011, 12:41

this is going to sound weird.. but get the scratch and scuff remover from the reject shop.. $2 a bottle... the stuff works wonders! and Heaps cheaper than anything from a proper auto shop.

D Banger · 05/12/2011, 13:04

I've been detailing for over 10 years now. Owned shops etc. My advice, is a product called 3M swirl remover. Use microfibre applicator, but, as for any sort of polishing, dunk the applicator in some water first and ring it out, just make it damp before you apply compound to it. small section at a time, dont rub too hard, then wipe with a microfibre towel. Use a wax after this process (not a polish) and look into beauty. It costs me around $50 for a 1L bottle and I buy it from Ferris Car Care.

What colour is the paint?

upper · 05/12/2011, 13:19

yeah i've looked around for the 3m stuff after reading a few reviews, but gave up when the local supercheap/autobarn didn't stock it. i sprinkle a bit of water on the fairing with a spray bottle when i use compound. i'm keen to use the wax but after i get a nice finish. i'll give just micro fibre towels only a try one more time, but from what i remember i got the same results are using paper towels. i'll search around for the 3m stuff and see how it goes.

paint is white.

hmm cbrz, what have you tried it on? i'd hate to gamble a few dollars in case it reacts with the paint/discolours over time etc.

D Banger · 05/12/2011, 13:24

mmmm, maybe meguires swirl remover from local autobarn may do the trick. It's strange that you can see the scratches in white? Maybe they aren't surface scratches. Could be the paint underneath.

upper · 05/12/2011, 13:34

surface. i resprayed a junk fairing in even coats of clear just so it dried up with no scratches on it (blank slate). i used polish on it and boom, the exact scratches came up, the sorta surface scratches where the clear coat underneath was still shiny, between the scratches. unlike sandpaper where the entire surface is dull. might be the cheap polish too. it was like an $8 bottle from supercheap, but it still does a nice job though, if you look past the micro scratches.

hph · 06/12/2011, 06:10

When I went to a vintage car resto course years ago , the teacher suggested using baby powder to get rid of the swirl marks