# First crack at machine polishing. Honest opinions please.



## Slime (Oct 24, 2014)

I got a Das-6 Pro a while back, complete with Sonus pads and Menzerna polishes, but only got round to using it a little while back.
I was after a donor panel, but got a donor car!
It's an old Cinquecento S that hadn't been driven for seven years ................... and it was in a mess as you can see!
This was after giving it a good wash!














































You get the idea.
I began with the SFX-1 pad with FG400, then I went SFX-2 with PF2300 before finishing with some SF4000 on an SFX-3 pad.
I did it in an empty garage which has no windows! The only light available was through the open door ................. not ideal.
I'm raesonably happy with most of it, as a first attempt, but the roof isn't too good, maybe I ought to give it another go.
The paint was very flat and was turning pink and my pads became red within seconds of touching the car!
I think the biggest problem was, and I'm guessing here, was that the pads clogged up very quickly and although I was cleaning them 'on the fly', maybe I should have done so more often.
The pads have been washed a few times now, even in a washing machine, and they are still showing a very pink tint.
Are they now useless?
Anyway, a few pics of the finished, for now, item.























































and these are my favourites;














































and this is the bonnet,









and this is my bucket via a door,









And now it's had it's first MOT since 2007, has 46,000 miles and drives really well!
Thanks for reading .......................... don't hold back!

Slime.


----------



## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

Interesting...


----------



## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

Hard to beat a faded red car as a test bed. Sub'd for progress updates. 

Cooks


----------



## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

I would have expected more improvement than that, what colour pads and Menzerna products are you using


----------



## Slime (Oct 24, 2014)

camerashy said:


> I would have expected more improvement than that, what colour pads and Menzerna products are you using


Yellow, white and orange Sonus SFX pads with Menzerna FG400, PF2300 and 
SF4000.


----------



## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

camerashy said:


> I would have expected more improvement than that, what colour pads and Menzerna products are you using


Yeh, agreed. Perhaps spend a little longer on each panel until you get used to the level of cut for each pad & polish combo. After all, this is a test panel so you should be testing out each to see how the paintwork responds.

Cooks


----------



## Slime (Oct 24, 2014)

How often should I be cleaning the pads, bearing in mind the chalky paint I'm playing with?
Also, the paint is very orange peely, presumably there's not much I can do about that short of a re-spray?
Thanks for the comments guys :thumb:.


----------



## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

camerashy said:


> I would have expected more improvement than that, what colour pads and Menzerna products are you using


LOL....only part of the images and text were showing when I made this comment 
Looks good for your first attempt


----------



## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

Aaah - sorry chum. When I posted the only pics that were showing were down to the line where you said 'You get the idea.' I thought that was the end lol. 

Excellent results there chum. Well done. I'd say you'll make a few quid on that now lol. 

Cooks


----------



## Slime (Oct 24, 2014)

Cookies said:


> *Aaah - sorry chum. When I posted the only pics that were showing were down to the line where you said 'You get the idea.'* I thought that was the end lol.
> 
> Excellent results there chum. Well done. I'd say you'll make a few quid on that now lol.
> 
> Cooks


Phew! I was starting to get a complex.
I was thinking 'these guys must be good' although I think the roof needs another going over as the 9th photo still shows some imperfections.
As a thought, how long before the paints blooms again, or won't it?
After the polishing I went over it with a carnauba wax, how often will that be required?


----------



## Luke M (Jul 1, 2013)

Looks good friend.
Only thing I'd critique is that you said you started with fg400. If this is correct you should start least aggressive first and move up from there in future.


----------



## Slime (Oct 24, 2014)

Luke M said:


> Looks good friend.
> Only thing I'd critique is that you said you started with fg400. If this is correct *you should start least aggressive first and move up from there in future.*


Thanks mate, I'll take that on board :thumb:.


----------



## VdoubleU (Oct 15, 2012)

The pads aren't useles now. I've had my dodo juice fin cut pads for ages. They are dyed from paint and still work fine. My orange one needs replacing now due to cracking and flaking foam. As long as you wash them after use to get rid of polish/paint residue they should be fine.


----------



## hellom8 (Jul 1, 2009)

The roof does need more work to get rid of those slight swirls, but very good results all the same.
It terms of wax longevity, that depends on the product and how well it's bonded, but generally a couple to three months, but that really is relative.


----------



## jackzx84 (May 9, 2015)

Luke M said:


> Looks good friend.
> Only thing I'd critique is that you said you started with fg400. If this is correct you should start least aggressive first and move up from there in future.


I always assumed using the most aggressive first then moving through to the least aggressive polish made sense, this way you can correct and then polish and finish in the correct order? Rather than using a finishing polish before a cutting polish as this would leave it a bit hazy? Although I'm I bit of a :newbie: so I might be wrong


----------



## TORQ (Jun 23, 2015)

jackzx84 said:


> I always assumed using the most aggressive first then moving through to the least aggressive polish made sense, this way you can correct and then polish and finish in the correct order? Rather than using a finishing polish before a cutting polish as this would leave it a bit hazy? Although I'm I bit of a :newbie: so I might be wrong


You should use the least aggressive polish that you can get away with to get the finish that you want.

If that polish doesn't remove the target scratches etc, then move on to the next level polish. Once you have eradicated, you can then as you quite rightly said use the lightest polish to finish


----------



## jackzx84 (May 9, 2015)

Ahh I see the logic in that! :thumb:


----------



## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Always stunning to get a faded (oxidised) single stage paint, especially red.

As stated the least cutting compound is best to start with, the less paint in this case, and lacquer in a more modern car paint coat is removed.

Single stage paint will transfer to the pad and no problem with dyed pads.

A very light compound such as an all in one can bring back single stage paint in good order on a machine and pad.

Single stage paint tends to be softer than modern lacquered paint but all is relevant to whatever resins have been used.

Don't go heavy on single stage paint and as its single stage trying to remove some defects heavy swirls or rds... random deep scratches... chasing the defect free finish could see you removing all the paint down to the primer.

Single stage needs a lot more care but gets faster results... you can get a stunning finish on single stage and single stage can hide defects better than lacquered as your not getting the reflection of light bouncing off as much as you would with lacquer.


----------



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Is it really the same car? Well I'll be dammed.


----------



## Halfunction (Apr 15, 2012)

Cookies said:


> Hard to beat a faded red car as a test bed. Sub'd for progress updates.
> 
> Cooks





camerashy said:


> I would have expected more improvement than that, what colour pads and Menzerna products are you using





camerashy said:


> LOL....only part of the images and text were showing when I made this comment
> Looks good for your first attempt


hahaha, I was gonna say, if that's not a great job for a beginner maybe I should just give up.


----------



## Rían P (Jun 2, 2014)

Wee motor looks great now, you've really brought to back to life, hard to believe that it's your first attempt! :buffer:
Well done :thumb:


----------

