# Paint Correction By Hand?



## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Can this be done as dont really have the money for a machine :/ :buffer:


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

Yes to an extent but will take some serious elbow grease


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

I have seen people with the readers that tell you how much paint is left aswell which seem like a good idea, I just dont wanna mess up my paint


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## JasonH20URF (Mar 30, 2011)

Dual Action is the way mate. Unless you go mental or drop the machine on your car your be fine.

Common sence and knowledge that you are removing paint should steer you in the right direction...

It is possible by hand but will take a while and will knacker you out :thumb:


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

If someone wanted to come and help me out one day it would be unlimited tea and coffee and lunch all supplied, even beers if needed


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Paint can be corrected by hand but it can be bloody hard work, it also depends on how hard the paint is. Soft - medium is possible but the ultra hard paints are obviously going to be much tougher. The advantage of a machine is they are quicker and more consistent plus you can get a higher gloss level

An alternative could be to hide them with a glaze


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

How do glazes work?


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Glazes work by hiding the swirls. Loads of products which can do this from Autoglym's SRP, Poorboys Blackhole and many others

The traditional downside of a glaze is they need another product to protect them i.e. wax and they can shorten the durability of the wax/sealant. Some wax/sealants do need to be in contact with the paint for maximum durability or some simply will not work with any glaze e.g. Opti-Coat

Most waxes and some sealants are perfectly happy with a glaze, for example Autoglym's EGP works very well with SRP


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

lowejackson said:


> Glazes work by hiding the swirls. Loads of products which can do this from Autoglym's SRP, Poorboys Blackhole and many others
> 
> The traditional downside of a glaze is they need another product to protect them i.e. wax and they can shorten the durability of the wax/sealant. Some wax/sealants do need to be in contact with the paint for maximum durability or some simply will not work with any glaze e.g. Opti-Coat
> 
> Most waxes and some sealants are perfectly happy with a glaze, for example Autoglym's EGP works very well with SRP


Yea, I used SRP before I put Blue Velvet down, but can still see some swirls :/. How do you tell what hardness paint you have?


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

Mmmmmmm good question
Experience tells us normally by the manufacturer or where in the world its come from ie japanese french german then it comes down to starting soft and working up. Soft paint and a soft product/pad will work the same as hard paint hard product/pad.
Trial and error and a lot of tests until you get it right.
VERY rarely do you get it right first time out (although it does happen).


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

French, Citroen C2, any ideas? Also as I would start soft what is the best/safest product to use?


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

It is possible to layer SRP to hide swirls but with all glazes there is a limit to how much they can hide.

As for working out paint hardness, it might be worth doing a search for your make of car to see what others say but ultimately it is a case of starting to polish and checking the results.

Quick search and found these http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=269091 http://www.detailingworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89431


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

cheers for those links mate, so looks like its a soft/medium soft paint, so will have to be careful with it.


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

I would plump and put money on medium paint there.
But depends on the year as to swaying to the harder side or softer side.
The older stuff IME tends to be slightly harder but not normally noticable by hand it usually manifests itself before refining on the machine.
It really is a suck it and see method even the top pro's couldnt give you a definative answer without seeing the car in person and then they would want a test section .
Believe it or not even two cars off the same line one after the other can vary in hardness. And they are robot painted. 
Its a tough answer that is not really the one you are after but it really is the only answer anyone could give mate
Allen


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

AllenF said:


> I would plump and put money on medium paint there.
> But depends on the year as to swaying to the harder side or softer side.
> The older stuff IME tends to be slightly harder but not normally noticable by hand it usually manifests itself before refining on the machine.
> It really is a suck it and see method even the top pro's couldnt give you a definative answer without seeing the car in person and then they would want a test section .
> ...


Cheers for that mate, people seem to be saying soft-soft medium, any recommendations of product for this type of paint?


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

JamesCotton said:


> Cheers for that mate, people seem to be saying soft-soft medium, any recommendations of product for this type of paint?


Read this link to the Polished Bliss website, this will help you.
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/what-polish-should-i-use.html


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Thanks :thumb:


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Is Megs Scratch X 2.0 good for my paint?


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Sorry, never used it


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

No worries, I want a product with REALLY light cut as I want to start light and work my way up


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## BoostJunky86 (Oct 25, 2012)

Does SRP not have a very very light cut? Auto finesse Rejuvenate, on a 3 for 2 at the mo aswell . Could try Auto Finesse Triple to, that's a nice product to use. Then get AUto Finesse Illusion to really add some depth to that colour ;-).


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

No SRP is just fillers unfortunately . Is rejuvenate really light cut then?


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Tripple looks brilliant? What's people's opinions?


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

SRP does have some very mild polishing abilities.

You could look at some pure polishes such as CarPro Fixer, Gtech P1 or the very nice Meguiars 205. The advantage of these type of polishes (SMAT) is the cut is dependant on the pad used and the amount of pressure applied


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Was looking at Tripple, is the cut on Tripple really light?


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Not used it although I would expect it to be light as most AIO's are


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Ok cheers :thumb:


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## Big Buffer (Jan 1, 2011)

Unless you have arms like popeye get a machine. If your local you can borrow mine


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## Big Buffer (Jan 1, 2011)

Ah just seen your profile your not close..


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

Cheers for the offer mate but its a 4 hour drive to you  haha

I like to think I have arms like Popeye aswell


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## Big Buffer (Jan 1, 2011)

Yeah but have you got olive oil to kiss you better after that.


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

willwad82 said:


> Yeah but have you got olive oil to kiss you better after that.


I can get my girlfriend to put olive oil on her lips and kiss me? :argie:


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## BoostJunky86 (Oct 25, 2012)

I'm only in Crawley James. More than welcome to use my DA mate.


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## Big Buffer (Jan 1, 2011)

ooooooooooh kinky.


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## JamesCotton (Feb 25, 2013)

BoostJunky86 said:


> I'm only in Crawley James. More than welcome to use my DA mate.


Cheers mate, not looking to do it soon, As recently only waxed. Just buying stuff now as its 3 for 2. But thankyou again for the offer!! :thumb:


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## RDB85 (Dec 28, 2011)

Ive been told you can use Megs 105 and 205 by hand, as you need to really work them in to get results. Tripple is a great AIO, or as suggested a polish such as P1 or Scholl S3 are both great by hand


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