# Machine polishing vs hand



## allgearnoidea (May 9, 2013)

Hi

I have always appliewd polishes and waxes with hand and then buffed them off with a microfibre cloth by hand. This is 1. because thats what the directions say to do and 2. I haven't got a machine.

I was wondering if there is a big difference between hand and machine buffering and was hoping you could answer a few questions:

Do you get a better shine/finish from a machine?
Can you use machine even though directions state to hand buff with microfibre?
Which is a good budget machine to purchase in order to buff using a machine? I am not looking to apply compunds etc and do not want to spend a fortune.
Are the type you can get from haldfords etc any good?

Thanks in advance for any answers/information provided.


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## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

I think you need to clarify what you mean by polishes. 

A polish is a very fine abrasive that is used to refine the finish. This I would argue can only be applied by machine (DA or rotary). 

Glazes are sometimes confused with polishes but these do not do any 'cutting', but are used to cover up imperfections. You can apply these by hand or machine. 

With glazes or liquid waxes/sealants, a machine can just speed up the process and provides a thinner more even coverage. By no means necessary but certainly helpful. 

If you are taking about polishing in the traditional sense in terms of paint correction following compounding, then yes you need a machine IMO. 

Hope that helps!


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## A&J (Mar 4, 2015)

Ill say it like this...We made machines to make our lives are a bit easier. Same thing here + with the added benefit that machine polishing brings out the best of the polish and the paint.


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Hand polishing can give good results, depending on the hardness and level of swirls but a machine is much better. The principal reason for using a machine is to polish (abrade) paint. They can be used for other things but polishing is the main one.


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## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

lowejackson said:


> Hand polishing can give good results, depending on the hardness and level of swirls but a machine is much better. The principal reason for using a machine is to polish (abrade) paint. They can be used for other things but polishing is the main one.


I recently had a car to experiment on. I chose DA over my rotary for a test, picked a cutting pad and AG SRP. I applied a lot of pressure to see I could cause damage but none. Just a greatly improved finish done without taking much time. The paint was really bad to start with having been fully neglected. After the polish I applied wax by hand but the pic is simply a 50/50 after a bit of fun with the DA. Doing that car by hand in full would be virtually impossible, some of the scratches will have been removed, others disguised / filled. Thought is reflects just what you say.

To the op, applying the right products by machine is good but read up on products as DrEskimo points out.


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## allgearnoidea (May 9, 2013)

Thanks

The car has no swirls/scratches etc. It is just to apply the polish for a bright gleam rather than to correct imperfections.


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## allgearnoidea (May 9, 2013)

So I was just looking for a deeper shine than you get with hand I guess.


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## Mikesphotaes (Jul 24, 2016)

So basically, you use the word "polish" as most folk understand it, to apply wax to a car?

On here, the cold doctor has given the definition, according to detailers :buffer:


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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

if you feel the paint has no swirls or damage you may as well save your money and work by hand

a d/a machine is just like hand polishing but does a weeks worth of work in a few minutes


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## Forsh (Jun 13, 2014)

allgearnoidea said:


> The car has no swirls/scratches etc.


Then you need a brighter light


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

shine247 said:


> I recently had a car to experiment on. I chose DA over my rotary for a test, picked a cutting pad and AG SRP. I applied a lot of pressure to see I could cause damage but none. Just a greatly improved finish done without taking much time. The paint was really bad to start with having been fully neglected. After the polish I applied wax by hand but the pic is simply a 50/50 after a bit of fun with the DA. Doing that car by hand in full would be virtually impossible, some of the scratches will have been removed, others disguised / filled. Thought is reflects just what you say.
> 
> To the op, applying the right products by machine is good but read up on products as DrEskimo points out.


Nice work. SRP can do some nice work by machine


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

For best results at removing swirls is always by machine polishing unless as previously stated then to cover minor imperfections then a glaze applied by hand will do.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

Even things "meant" to be applied by hand can get better results by machine. I used Bilt Hamber Cleanser Polish (which is a paint cleaner, very light abrasive and resin polish AIO product) by DA on my Mum's car recently, and was amazed at how good a finish it gave (and I had already used it a lot by hand and was impressed by the product anyway).

It's not true polishing in the sense that the paint is not being completely corrected, but it certainly gives a good result, and better than by hand, with less effort and in much less time.


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## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

Just curious, are people that have used products like SRP and BH Cleaner fluid doing an IPA wipe down after? 

Just playing devils advoate, but could it be that the swirls are just being filled rather than corrected? 

I doubt the the lighter swirls are, as I've seen some light correction from CG black light when applied by machine, but just stimulating some more discussion


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## Forsh (Jun 13, 2014)

DrEskimo said:


> I doubt the the lighter swirls are, ...


Are what?

Filled or corrected?


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

DrEskimo said:


> Just curious, are people that have used products like SRP and BH Cleaner fluid doing an IPA wipe down after?
> 
> Just playing devils advoate, but could it be that the swirls are just being filled rather than corrected?
> 
> I doubt the the lighter swirls are, as I've seen some light correction from CG black light when applied by machine, but just stimulating some more discussion


I'm certainly not wiping down as Cleanser Polish is _meant_ to fill, so I'm effectively using it a bit like a glaze, albeit one that's a bit more robust and can take a sealant or a wax on top - the protection it leaves is good for a month or two on it's own.

I think the same is probably true of a lot of AIO products - work just fine by hand, but rather better by DA.


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## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

Forsh said:


> Are what?
> 
> Filled or corrected?


Ha sorry...just filled. I have seen some correction of minor swirls when using these products by machine.


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## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

DrEskimo said:


> Just curious, are people that have used products like SRP and BH Cleaner fluid doing an IPA wipe down after?
> 
> Just playing devils advoate, but could it be that the swirls are just being filled rather than corrected?
> 
> I doubt the the lighter swirls are, as I've seen some light correction from CG black light when applied by machine, but just stimulating some more discussion


I did not use IPA, the aim was to do a quick polish to remove and hide as much as possible. That is in line with what you say about the lighter swirls and what I said in my post. _"some of the scratches will have been removed, others disguised / filled"_

I can say there were some pretty deep marks on that car and with a concentrated effort in certain areas with the cutting pad they were reduced in depth for sure. I am not recommending SRP as a scratch remover, it was just an experiment for me with an old bottle which in the end was quite enlightening. :buffer:


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## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

shine247 said:


> I did not use IPA, the aim was to do a quick polish to remove and hide as much as possible. That is in line with what you say about the lighter swirls and what I said in my post. _"some of the scratches will have been removed, others disguised / filled"_
> 
> I can say there were some pretty deep marks on that car and with a concentrated effort in certain areas with the cutting pad they were reduced in depth for sure. I am not recommending SRP as a scratch remover, it was just an experiment for me with an old bottle which in the end was quite enlightening. :buffer:


Absolutely. The results are great whatever is going on :thumb:


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## allgearnoidea (May 9, 2013)

Apologies, I mean using a buffung machine after applying a glaze and wax. 

Is it worth getting a machine buffer or are hand results just as good?

Thanks, and apologies for calling a glaze a polish.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

If you mean using a machine to buff off wax or sealant after it's cured, then no, I wouldn't recommend doing so. The paint is already as good as it's going to get, you don't want to wear the wax off. 

If the finish is not as good as you'd like, it either needs to be polished (in the true sense ie using fine abrasives to level the paint) or you can use a glaze or similar filling product to disguise marks.


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

steelghost; best description yet though i would add that if it it a Last Step Product (LSP) such as wax or sealant that OP is using then some are suited to hand and machine, some certainly don't like machine.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

Some LSPs certainly can be applied well using a machine - particularly AIO (All-In-One) polishes which clean, do a little correction, fill and leave some protection with one product.

I can't think of any LSPs that I'd want to buff *off* with a machine polisher though.


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## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

Perhaps the op is refering to using microfiber bonnnets and the like which can be used with machines to remove products, cured waxes for example. They are not that popular and the user can be a little over aggressive which results in the thin layer you want to leave being removed. I would say there is no benefit to using them in the situation described.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

shine247 said:


> Perhaps the op is refering to using microfiber bonnnets and the like which can be used with machines to remove products, cured waxes for example.


I had no idea that these were even a thing, every day's a school day!


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