# Scholl S3 gold xxxl



## pina07 (Dec 13, 2009)

Hi, 
Im looking for advise on this please.....I used some s3 gold xxl today on Rotary and was really disappointed with the results. Am I doing something wrong with this?. I had some defects to take out and was hoping to finish it down in one hit. The defects were from claying on a porsche Roof and bonnet . I tried Scholl pads /orange /purple and didn’t think I’d need a compound pad!. In the end used a flex compound pad with the s3 Which got me there ...then refined. It didn’t seem to finish down as well as S20 black which was a surprise ,I also thought the dust from it was unreal!. Is this normal? 
Regards
Paul.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Your results are normal, in some respect, and aren't in others... First off, I can't imagine finishing down hologram free in one hit with S3 XXL on a rotary with any pad on any material short of composite marble. Secondly, the dusting/lack of cut is a priming issue unless the paint is supernaturally sticky. Thirdly, your expectations sound like they come from DA usage more than rotary. Rotaries are awesome, but work a little different... 

First off, on a rotary, foam pads are going to have less cut/more heat on a rotary than they achieve on a DA. S3 XXL on wool, will correct anything from P1200 to P3000 grade defects with the right priming technique and the material helps to offset pressure/speed. With the right technique, S3 XXL on wool will always always result in holograms, but those holo's can be fairly mild even on soft paint with the right technique, so can be cleaned up with single finishing step. With foam pads, it's achieving a fraction of that correction, and generates a ton more heat if the same sort of pressure is applied, with similar or possibly even greater hologramming. It comes down to the surface area and the machine motion... 

S3 XXL should never dust except if in extreme conditions. I'd prime it more, but also more uniformly, and don't work it as fast. 'Tap' the bottle against the pad, to create lots of polish smudges. Then work it in very slow for a pass or two, and increase speed up to 900-1200rpm on a 5.5-6.5" pad. If you're picking up a bead, make your bead a little longer, or pick up two subsequently to get enough loaded on the pad. Work S3 XXL for about a minute with light direct, or heavier offset pressure, and then work for another minute or two with next to zero pressure. Use more speed or time for smaller pads with rotary. Scholl polishes are like a halfway point between Menz and Megs in terms of priming. They need a 'medium' amount of product on the pad to achieve their potential. 

If you're working on supernaturally soft/sticky paint with rotary, and want to stick with Scholl, I'd use S20 Blue (Not Black), on wool or foam, and then finish with S40. 

S3 XXL will ALWAYS need 1-2 more steps on rotary to finish down, unless on materials harder than any automobile paint. 

Hope this helps...

- Steampunk


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## pina07 (Dec 13, 2009)

Hi steampunk, I've never used a da but thanks again for the great informative advise. I'll give it a try today.
Regards Paul

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## NorthantsPete (May 18, 2016)

Finis with s3? Nope.


You can finish down 80% with S17+ then use s40 or go the S20 black which finishes to 95% with a polishing pad.

If you want one step, S20 wil llet you work it for ages without drying out like say megs stuff.


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## NorthantsPete (May 18, 2016)

pina07 said:


> Hi steampunk, I've never used a da but thanks again for the great informative advise. I'll give it a try today.
> Regards Paul
> 
> Sent from my CPH1907 using Tapatalk


Even a cheap DA on ebay for £40 is better than by hand in my opinion

You just get more rubs in less time - doesnt have to be glamorous like the low throw ones for £200


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## pina07 (Dec 13, 2009)

NorthantsPete said:


> Finis with s3? Nope.
> 
> You can finish down 80% with S17+ then use s40 or go the S20 black which finishes to 95% with a polishing pad.
> 
> If you want one step, S20 wil llet you work it for ages without drying out like say megs stuff.


Hi, yes I was under the impression from some other posts it was a one step but didn't look into it enough....my bad. Steampunk put me right on it. I did end up finishing down with S20 black in the end Pete as it was all I had!. Which Scholl polish of the two finishes best with it on Rotary's?
Regards
Paul

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## NorthantsPete (May 18, 2016)

s20 black finishes down just fine with a rotary on a wool mop.

s40 is their finishing polish though so it will always be best for the end result... if you still have marring/scratches you need to go back to s20 or s17 and s40 is the best combo. Depends on your paint, if its first time, beat up, yours on s3 thats fine, just need to now finish it up

OR

as a wild card, Sonax perfect finish also works well and gets more points for final gloss

they do a glaze wax too, its glossy as hell, good for the final finish (w6)
or you can do more polishing with W9 which has light abrasives in

They both have a chart online if you ever get mixed up.. you can literally use s20 with a compound pad to get out deep stuff, or a polishing pad to get out the cobwebbing and then finish


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## pina07 (Dec 13, 2009)

Yes I've used S20 quite a few times now over the last four weeks as a one step and the results were good. Just wanted to stay with the Scholl polishes and get some sort of a Go to order of polish.


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

What finishing pads would you recommend using with S40? They say not to use the black waffle pad 

I’ve used S30 and the orange pad (not spider version) on my gloss black non metallic golf and on performance blue fiesta ST and I’ve found it not finish down that well and leave its own holograms


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Yellow Dave said:


> What finishing pads would you recommend using with S40? They say not to use the black waffle pad
> 
> I've used S30 and the orange pad (not spider version) on my gloss black non metallic golf and on performance blue fiesta ST and I've found it not finish down that well and leave its own holograms


I'll assume we're talking rotary?

On rotary, that flat orange Scholl pad is actually my favorite finishing pad... However, it's not the most 'forgiving' finishing pad, as it's not super soft to help compensate for off-axis wobbles (You have to keep the machine perfectly balanced/level at all times. Softer pads are a little more forgiving.), and it still has some cut to it (About 2/6, whereas a normal finishing pad would be more like 1/6.), so again you have to be careful about using very light pressure... Softer finishing pads are simply much more forgiving to use, especially on concave curves, but in terms of results they're rarely on the same level as the Scholl flat orange with practice.

S30+ isn't my favorite on rotary, but proper pad priming (You almost always need to go a little heavier with S30+ than any of the other Scholls, and all Scholl often likes a little heavier prime anyway.) can help it along a lot. I've managed to get the Scholl Orange & S30+ combo to finish down on very soft paint with rotary, and whilst it's never going to be my favorite combo, with a bit of messing about you might be able to get the results from it you're looking for.

S40 is much more heavily lubricated, and has less cut, so inherently will make it easier to finish down hologram-free on rotary; even with the Scholl Orange pads. I'd still suggest the Scholl orange with these as my first pick, but if you'd like a softer/more forgiving pad, I'd try and hunt down some Rupes White _rotary_ finishing pads. The sizes are limited, but they're a perfect pairing with S40. They have less cut, and are more forgiving than the Scholl Orange to imperfect machine balance/pressure control. The Scholl Black Waffle is a little too open-pore for S40. S30+, though, with a fairly heavy prime... The Black Waffles might help, and give you similar cut to S40 on the Scholl Orange. The black waffles are really nice pads with the right polishes.

Hope this helps...

- Steampunk


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for that. Yes on rotary. 

Always felt like s30 on the orange pad to feel like it’s drying too quick. Had decent results once I switched to the black waffle pad with it. On the orange pad would occasionally spritz water onto the panel as I would with gtechniq p1 just to let it finish down. 

I’ve not used s40 yet but was considering it, but having started trying Carpro essence as a finishing polish I’m less inclined to buy a new compound. The dogs recently got hold of my 2 black waffle pads and tore them apart so wondering if it was worth changing.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

My guess is it was mostly not priming the pad heavily enough, but also maybe a little bit that the orange pad isn't as forgiving as less aggressive/softer pads. 

Don't spritz Scholl. This just weakens the lubricant that you need to help isolate the abrasive/swarf. Black waffle will forgive that more than the orange because it cuts less, but the ideal solution is to prime the orange more, and really get in the zone with feeling the friction of the pad to always keep it in its equilibrium point. 

Is it worth changing? Sounds like part of what you're dealing with can be solved with technique... However, you've reached the dilemma point of "Do I put time into my technique, or do I simply get the product that suits my existing technique better?"... 

CarPro Reflect, if you're looking for a pure polish, has almost as much cut as S30+, and is wonderful on rotary providing your climate is either indoor/HVAC controlled or temperate. Works really nice with the Scholl Black Waffles, which are really forgiving, and is a great combo with Reflect... Honestly, I like Reflect a bit more on rotary, providing your climate conditions let it work well. Again, you need to prime it a bit more than some (Especially on open cell like the Scholl Black Waffle), but with the right technique it provides an amazing finish. 

If you want a really easy rotary finishing polish, I'm a fan of M205... Just work it with no pressure over a long cycle, rather than more pressure over a short cycle, like Scholl. Forgiving of climate. Much better finish on rotary than on DA with this polish. Great with the Scholl Orange pad. Lovely jubbly. :buffer: 

Either are ones I prefer over S30+ on rotary... 

Hope this helps...

- Steampunk


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

I’ve got fixer and reflect but never used them that much, preferring the Scholl polishes. Likewise already have the scholl orange pads. 

Think I’ll get more black waffle pads and then I can try the different combos as well as work on my technique more


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## Marcinzsosnowca (May 13, 2019)

:newbie:


Steampunk said:


> I'll assume we're talking rotary?
> 
> On rotary, that flat orange Scholl pad is actually my favorite finishing pad... However, it's not the most 'forgiving' finishing pad, as it's not super soft to help compensate for off-axis wobbles (You have to keep the machine perfectly balanced/level at all times. Softer pads are a little more forgiving.), and it still has some cut to it (About 2/6, whereas a normal finishing pad would be more like 1/6.), so again you have to be careful about using very light pressure... Softer finishing pads are simply much more forgiving to use, especially on concave curves, but in terms of results they're rarely on the same level as the Scholl flat orange with practice.
> 
> ...


Man, everytime I enter a thread on this forum I hope to see your answer, every single one is so informartive I've got to read it once, digest, and come back once again. Thank you!


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