# Scared To CUT!! ;(



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Is it just me or is anyone else scared to use a cutting compound?


----------



## Porkypig (Jun 20, 2012)

No, just you!! :lol::lol::lol:

Having said that....What are you going to use it for....?


----------



## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Nope not scary. Yes they cut but its not like using a pair of scissors lol.


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Porkypig said:


> No, just you!! :lol::lol::lol:
> 
> Having said that....What are you going to use it for....?


Swirl removal


----------



## iPlod999 (Jun 23, 2012)

What have you got/looking to use?


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

maybe http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/meguiars-ultimate-compound-cat8.html

with: http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/lake-country-light-cut-hand-pad-cat24.html#aMasterLCHO0000


----------



## STUOOBY (Dec 26, 2012)

i thought you'd be better using a dual action to remove the swirls using that stuff.


----------



## big ben (Aug 25, 2009)

Wait until its swirl free, and see how scared you are to wash it :lol:


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

STUOOBY said:


> i thought you'd be better using a dual action to remove the swirls using that stuff.


dont have a DA and dont really have the money to get one :/


----------



## snoopin (Jul 26, 2009)

Get yourself some T cut and an old rag from under the sink and you will be fine


----------



## STUOOBY (Dec 26, 2012)

surely t cut is a bit too harsh and will remove way too much paint. when im removing swirls i just use 3m extra fine polish compound and it does the job barely removing any paint. but not sure about not using a da to remove them.


----------



## torkertony (Jan 9, 2013)

JamesCotton said:


> Swirl removal


How bad are the swirls mate? I have just done my girlfriends car by hand using Dodo Juice Lime Prime and one of these http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/flexipads-multi-purpose-applicator-pad.html

I found the Lime Prime easy to use and the results were more than acceptable.

So I washed, clayed, Lime Prime'd, then waxed (SNH)

:thumb:


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

torkertony said:


> How bad are the swirls mate? I have just done my girlfriends car by hand using Dodo Juice Lime Prime and one of these http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/flexipads-multi-purpose-applicator-pad.html
> 
> I found the Lime Prime easy to use and the results were more than acceptable.
> 
> ...


Cheers for idea mate, food for thought. Black car so swirls are easy to see if looking in right light but not too bad


----------



## witcher (Nov 25, 2010)

Lime prime will hide swirls, not remove all of it, wait for sunny day and marvel at swirls/holos coming back


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Any recommendations then for a black Citroen?


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

Use gtechniq p1 and there foam pad this will remove swirls and light scratches and as it has no fillers what you see is what you get.


----------



## Grin (Jun 13, 2012)

Maybe the same as I do for my black Honda: only drive it in the dark.


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Grin said:


> Maybe the same as I do for my black Honda: only drive it in the dark.


Or with sunglasses on?


----------



## hephillips (Jun 21, 2012)

TW15T3D said:


> Use gtechniq p1 and there foam pad this will remove swirls and light scratches and as it has no fillers what you see is what you get.


Have you tried P1 by hand? I was thinking of getting some and an oval applicator pad (although probably not the GTechniq one) and giving it a go for some light swirl removal by hand. Is a lot of elbow grease and buffing required?

As you say most other polishes are full of fillers so the effect won't last. I want to invest some time and get some permanent results with a pure cutting polish.


----------



## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Not sure I would say most polishes have fillers, polishing oils yes but not fillers. P1 does work well by hand as do many SMAT based polishes.


----------



## hephillips (Jun 21, 2012)

lowejackson said:


> Not sure I would say most polishes have fillers, polishing oils yes but not fillers. P1 does work well by hand as do many SMAT based polishes.


Yeh guess that's a bit f a generalisation. Have you had good results with any other cutting polishes by hand? Would be interested to know which ones as P1 is a bit pricey!


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

Yeah used P1 for the first time on sat and very impressed with the result and yes it takes a lot of elbow grease. Would use there pad as it works real well as it has to different cutting parts for the p1. It was that good my gf even said it looks like a show room car....can't be bad


----------



## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

I have tried P1, Meguiars (105 & 205), various Optimum polishes, Menzerna and probably a few others all by hand. All did a good job and I would be interested to try the CarPro Fixer and Meguiars Ultimate Compound one day. Hand polishing can be hard work depending on the paint, sometimes the swirls are easy sometimes you need forearms like Popeye

I think P1 can be bought in small bottles although if I was going to do a car by hand I would consider CarPro Fixer or the Megs Ultimate Compound. There is nothing wrong with P1, it is a good solid polish but from talk here the CarPro does not seem to dust as much and the Meguiars UC is very easy to buy and I think it is only about £10'ish. As with most polishing sessions you will need some IPA or eqivilent to clean up in order to inspect the paint. P1 and Optimum are easy, damp cloth will do the job, not sure about Megs UC or Fixer


----------



## Keir (Aug 31, 2010)

I've used P1 by hand, works very well.


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

Yeah I have to admit as much as the finish I got was good with the p1 by hand it is hard work and next time I detail my car it will be with a DA with megs 105 & 205


----------



## hephillips (Jun 21, 2012)

lowejackson said:


> I have tried P1, Meguiars (105 & 205), various Optimum polishes, Menzerna and probably a few others all by hand. All did a good job and I would be interested to try the CarPro Fixer and Meguiars Ultimate Compound one day. Hand polishing can be hard work depending on the paint, sometimes the swirls are easy sometimes you need forearms like Popeye
> 
> I think P1 can be bought in small bottles although if I was going to do a car by hand I would consider CarPro Fixer or the Megs Ultimate Compound. There is nothing wrong with P1, it is a good solid polish but from talk here the CarPro does not seem to dust as much and the Meguiars UC is very easy to buy and I think it is only about £10'ish. As with most polishing sessions you will need some IPA or eqivilent to clean up in order to inspect the paint. P1 and Optimum are easy, damp cloth will do the job, not sure about Megs UC or Fixer


Thanks I'll have a look at those others you've suggested. Yeh I was planning on just getting the 100ml bottle of P1 which is only cheap. what did you mean, damp cloth will do the job by the way?


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

hephillips said:


> Thanks I'll have a look at those others you've suggested. Yeh I was planning on just getting the 100ml bottle of P1 which is only cheap. what did you mean, damp cloth will do the job by the way?


 I think he was saying rather than use an IPA just to use a damp cloth to remove the residue from the polish....I could be wrong though


----------



## hephillips (Jun 21, 2012)

TW15T3D said:


> I think he was saying rather than use an IPA just to use a damp cloth to remove the residue from the polish....I could be wrong though


yeh I think so to. I guess IPA shouldn't be necessary with P1 as it doesn't contain fillers. Can I ask you how long it took you to do your whole car with P1?


----------



## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

The advantage of products like P1 and all Optimum polishes is a damp cloth will remove all the polishing oils. If using another product such as Menzerna or 3M then something like IPA or equivalent (e.g. CarPro Eraser) will be required as the polishing oils can hide the work. The polishing oils are different to a filler although both can hide swirls. Polishing oils are simply the mechanism for providing lubrication during the mechanical abrasion process of polishing. Fillers are specifically designed to hide swirls and then are normally sealed with a wax or sealant. As always there are some products which do not obey this general rule and things become a little less clear cut, for example Meguiars #80


----------



## dominic84 (Jan 27, 2007)

I used an angle grinder on mine, took quite a while and made loads of dust, but now it's the same colour as the Delorean and I don't have to worry about swirls anymore :thumb:


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

hephillips said:


> yeh I think so to. I guess IPA shouldn't be necessary with P1 as it doesn't contain fillers. Can I ask you how long it took you to do your whole car with P1?


Just to apply the P1 I would say 2 hours


----------



## hephillips (Jun 21, 2012)

Thanks mate. That doesn't sound too bad. I was expecting about 4 hours but some people on here have said that 4 hours won't be anywhere near long enough. I guess to some extent it depends on the finish you want. I want to improve it but I'm not expecting to get it perfect.


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

Like I said its was bloody hard work and if you have a DA I would use that instead.


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Anyone know what hardness citroen paint is?


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

JamesCotton said:


> Anyone know what hardness citroen paint is?


Anyone?


----------



## Blackmondie (Mar 13, 2011)

my mother had a c3 from citroen, and that was soft paint, but I don't know about the other models /years


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

JamesCotton said:


> maybe http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/meguiars-ultimate-compound-cat8.html
> 
> with: http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/lake-country-light-cut-hand-pad-cat24.html#aMasterLCHO0000


Would these be too aggressive then?


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

can I use a light hand cutting pad with SRP or tripple? Will this still cut without a cutting compound?


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Bump ..


----------



## Mick (Jan 23, 2010)

SRP and a light cutting pad will give you some minor correction, but nothing massive (although its filling properties will hide a lot too, unless your doing an IPA wipe down to remove this).

I wouldn't try to generalize the hardness of the paint too much, yes, a majority of Japanese cars have soft paint, and VAG is generally hard, bit each car needs to be treated on its own merits...

You ideally need a selection of 2-3 different polishes of different cutting amounts,cand 2-3 pads of varying firmness, then start with the most minor combination and work up the cutting amounts until you achieve desired levels of correction of swirls/marring.

After this step you should assess for any hologramming and micromarring, and then correct this with a finer combination once the swirl removal is complete.

If you try to figure out your paint hardness by thinking that in general xx cars have xx paint, your only ever going to be setting yourself up for a fall eventually (what if the car has seen paint at some point etc, it won't be the same hardness as the original stuff).

As I say, take your time and start with as gentle a combination you have and you should be fine 

I did my mums astra for her recently, and in a single stage correction with menzerna po85rd (which is a light cutting compound), and a green DRC1000 pad (their second lightest pad) I got from this:










To this:










That's around an 80-85% correction, which I was more than happy with, there's no secret ingredient though, just take your time and work up the polishes and it will be fine provided you have enough paint to work with

Good luck


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Mick said:


> SRP and a light cutting pad will give you some minor correction, but nothing massive (although its filling properties will hide a lot too, unless your doing an IPA wipe down to remove this).
> 
> I wouldn't try to generalize the hardness of the paint too much, yes, a majority of Japanese cars have soft paint, and VAG is generally hard, bit each car needs to be treated on its own merits...
> 
> ...


Thanks for this. I'm not sure how much paint I have to work with, so what I will do is get a light cutting pad first of all and just use SRP or Tripple and see what results I get . Thanks for all the help though!!


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

Triple would better than srp or go for P1


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

TW15T3D said:


> Triple would better than srp or go for P1


is there a trader on here I can get P1 cheaper than shops?


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

To be honest I got my P1 from gtechniq as it was cheaper but eBay is good


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

TW15T3D said:


> To be honest I got my P1 from gtechniq as it was cheaper but eBay is good


Cheers mate, is P1 probably one of the safest for soft black paint?


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

It's safe in terms as your highly unlikely to go through your paint but it can be used in any type of paint. My astra has soft paint so it should be fine


----------



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

TW15T3D said:


> It's safe in terms as your highly unlikely to go through your paint but it can be used in any type of paint. My astra has soft paint so it should be fine


Cheers mate for all your help, and to everyone else, just purchased pSystem Perfect Hand Polish Kit :thumb:


----------



## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

P1 is a good all round polish however for soft black paint I would be tempted to look at the Menzerna PO85RD or Optimum Polish II


----------

