# What's wrong with T-cut?



## fleagala (Apr 18, 2009)

Just wondering. I haven't ever used it..


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## patmac (Apr 17, 2009)

Not a lot imo. used it a lot years ago on really dull single stage paint and it worked well.
The only thing with it i found is that it is VERY severe on paint. Like everything , used properly it can give good results. I just dont use it anymore cos i can get good results with srp:thumb:


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## PaulGTI (Oct 21, 2006)

Only a problem if miss-used.

Machine polisher + tcut = respray for the inexperienced


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## patmac (Apr 17, 2009)

PaulGTI said:


> Only a problem if miss-used.
> 
> Machine polisher + tcut = respray for the inexperienced


apply by hand only. When i used it the boss never heard of a machine polisher. Full mk2 granada by hand


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## ledzepp (May 20, 2009)

it was the only thing you could use years ago,, used to be hard work by hand


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## mistryn (May 17, 2007)

when used correctly there is nothing wrong with good ol T-cut, but with the advancement of polish's there are better polish's now available with varying degree of cut thus giving the user more flexibility dependant on paintwork condition

i think mid 80's/90's t-cut was the main form of polish or the most commonly known to the public 

@ledzepp love your avatar could look at it all day :lol:


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## ledzepp (May 20, 2009)

@ledzepp love your avatar could look at it all day 

yeah that is a perfect bum!...... wouldent mind polishing that.......hee hee!


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## Rundie (Oct 2, 2007)

T-cut contains ammonia, I stopped using it years back purely for that reason.


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

Rundie said:


> T-cut contains ammonia, I stopped using it years back purely for that reason.


Pretty sure they've stopped using ammonia now according to my dad, the bottles with the shiny labels are the newer ones.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Rundie said:


> T-cut contains ammonia, I stopped using it years back purely for that reason.


T-Cut Metallic does not contain ammonia... this is why it is for metallic finishes, as ammonia can cloud clearcoats. So T-Cut metallic was developped.

T-Cut is a misunderstood product - dont expect crystal clear finishing from it, its not designed for that, its not a finishing polish. It is a cutting compound, designed to remove severe scratches and marring and it does this very well indeed with a nice working time as well when used by machine.

There's a thread some time ago by me, where I used T-Cut to good effect


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## Rundie (Oct 2, 2007)

I used it years back on a faded red car, no clearcoat, it was the ammonia sort.
Despite it helping to get the colour back I swear that it faded twice as quick after it was done and put this partly down to the ammonia content.


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## ledzepp (May 20, 2009)

agreed... ive had some good results with t-cut years ago, then we used to use turtle wax polish to get the shine back ha ha ha!!


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

I've found Dave's T-Cut thread :thumb:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=76209


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

Use it on metal exhausts and my cymbals, only use i have for it really.

Also good for door jambs and the like to get a bit of shine going without breaking out the expensive stuff.


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## Black2 (May 19, 2009)

My Dad used to use this on his Red Sierra xr4x4 and today its suffering for it (Owned the car now for 15 years). Its really "exhasuted" the paint, which is very noticable a while after the car has been polished, it dos'nt seem to "hold" its shine like it used to, still comes up good with some decent modern product though. 

Me personally hav'nt used T-Cut for years now. From what I recall it was extreamly hard to use, mainly buffing off being the hardest. Its also a rank colour and stinks! lol. Done my entire first car with T-cut and it took me hours! Not really used it since though.

Gareth.


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## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

Im always alarmed by the ammount of people that i hear of just t-cutting their cars, and nothing else! they seem to think its some sort of wax/polish!!


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

Black2 said:


> My Dad used to use this on his Red Sierra xr4x4 and today its suffering for it (Owned the car now for 15 years). Its really "exhasuted" the paint, which is very noticable a while after the car has been polished, it dos'nt seem to "hold" its shine like it used to, still comes up good with some decent modern product though.
> 
> Me personally hav'nt used T-Cut for years now. From what I recall it was extreamly hard to use, mainly buffing off being the hardest. Its also a rank colour and stinks! lol. Done my entire first car with T-cut and it took me hours! Not really used it since though.
> 
> Gareth.


Sounds like the paint is really 'dry' and starved of it's oils over time. Have you tried a glaze immediately after any sort of polishing session? A great one for red single stage Ford paint would be Clearkote red machine glaze, or failing that Poorboys Black Hole or CG's EZ Creme Glaze. These could well nourish the paint and 'feed' it back some of it's lost depth. Then seal in this in with whatever wax or sealant you normally use.


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## Black2 (May 19, 2009)

Pit Viper said:


> Sounds like the paint is really 'dry' and starved of it's oils over time. Have you tried a glaze immediately after any sort of polishing session? A great one for red single stage Ford paint would be Clearkote red machine glaze, or failing that Poorboys Black Hole or CG's EZ Creme Glaze. These could well nourish the paint and 'feed' it back some of it's lost depth. Then seal in this in with whatever wax or sealant you normally use.


TBH im not sure what he uses on it now. Just to clear something up above, the T-Cut was never used as a "signle stage" was always finished with some kind of product. I know he dos'nt use the T-Cut no more though.

Its certainly a lot better now than what it used to be, i will get the details of the product he uses.

You mention clearkote red machine moose glaze - I have used this many times now mainly on Reds & Blacks and its an awsome product adds loads of depth. I will be detailing my Fiesta Rs Turbo soon so & will post up some shots there.

Gareth.


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## mikey123 (Jun 13, 2009)

works a treat for me!


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## pug (Jun 15, 2009)

I just bought t-cut, it's in a red tube. My car has swirl marks caused by sand. My paint is like new. How do I use this product? Wash the car, let it dry. Put some t-cut on a cotton cloth and rub it in circular motion and then wax?


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## outcastjack (Apr 20, 2009)

i just resprayed some damaged sections on my car and they are a bit dull. nothing i have is agressive enough so t-cut looks likes the answer


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## Guest (Jun 20, 2009)

pug said:


> I just bought t-cut, it's in a red tube. My car has swirl marks caused by sand. My paint is like new. How do I use this product? Wash the car, let it dry. Put some t-cut on a cotton cloth and rub it in circular motion and then wax?


If you are not using a very strict wash method (i.e., you aren't causing a lot of swirls), then swirls are going to appear anyway given time, too much t-cutting and eventually you will strike through or compromise the lacquers durability and it will flake off.

Your choice, but I wouldn't bother if the swirls will come back, just stick to something like autoglym super resin polish which has good fillers and a little abrasive to help keep the visibility of the swirls down.

Of course if you do have a good wash method, then ignore the above , i'd still be a bit reluctant to use t-cut for very light swirls though as it probably isn't neccesary, and I don't think (but could be wrong) that it is the best for bringing the gloss out.

That's just one perspective anyway


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## pug (Jun 15, 2009)

G220, swirls marks may be the wrong word to describe this. I used a sponge on the car when there was still beach sand on it. When the car dried up and I saw the damage it was already too late. The scratches (millions of them) can be seen from a distance in the shade so are not light.

Have you got any tips on the application of t-cut? I thought t-cut was more abrasive than autoglym super resin polish so already bought that and would like to use it.

Two of my alloys are scratched too by the sand but very deeply, my nail fitting fine in the scratches so nothing I can do about that.

My windscreen is also scratched when I used my wipers to get the sand off. I saw a t-cut for glass at the store. If the normal t-cut works for the paint I will get the one for the glass aswell. I've also seen the metal? t-cut at the store but though it was for metal. I should of gotten that for my metallic paint, oh well.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

pug said:


> G220, swirls marks may be the wrong word to describe this. I used a sponge on the car when there was still beach sand on it. When the car dried up and I saw the damage it was already too late. The scratches (millions of them) can be seen from a distance in the shade so are not light.
> 
> Have you got any tips on the application of t-cut? I thought t-cut was more abrasive than autoglym super resin polish so already bought that and would like to use it.
> 
> ...


Is this post a wind up? washed the car while there was still beach sand on it, used the wipers to remove sand off the glass, anyways if you are going to spend on this that and the other, it maybe more cost effective to get a 'pro' certainly somebody experienced to give the car a once over. It is a tall learning curve and it is one lesson best learned from ther people's mistakes rather than your own.


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## Guest (Jun 20, 2009)

pug said:


> G220, swirls marks may be the wrong word to describe this. I used a sponge on the car when there was still beach sand on it. When the car dried up and I saw the damage it was already too late. The scratches (millions of them) can be seen from a distance in the shade so are not light.
> 
> Have you got any tips on the application of t-cut? I thought t-cut was more abrasive than autoglym super resin polish so already bought that and would like to use it.
> 
> ...


Hi Pug,

It depends on the severity of the scratches, you are correct SRP is lighter than t-cut and if the swirls are light, that may be the best route to go down, it will remove them to some degree, and then the fillers should take care of the rest. Minimum amount of paint removed this way. in the case of sand then I think SRP may be out the question.

I have only used t-cut once many years ago, but I don't think it's any different to apply than a polish like AG SRP. Make sure you get t-cut metallic if your paint is, metallic, I have heard normal t-cut can have undesirable effects on clearcoated bodywork, and cause it to haze.

For your glass I think you will really need a glass polishing kit, and that requires a machine polisher, glass is extremely tough and i'd be amazed if you got the scratches out by hand.

if you're lucky, the scratches may be light/medium in depth, but heavily concentrated, this is why they are so visible, if this is the case then they should come out without too much paint removal.

By all means try t-cut but do keep in mind you can strike through the paint if you are agressive with it, if it doesn't appear to be working, stop after a while, don't continue going at it because you will eventually wear your paint away. Alternatively you could get a pro to assess it


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