Paint finish question

[924_CarreraGTS]

OK, I am trying to get decent paint jobs these days, so after applying paint, decals, and clear coat, I polish with a Detail Master polishing kit, which is cloths from 3200 to 12000 grit. I was then informed that to bring back the shine and eliminate hazing, I should use a polishing compound. My question is this. Since I have already polished with 3200--12000 grit cloths, and the paint is getting a little thin (I don't want to wear through), should I just use Tamiya Finish compound? Or should I use Coarse, then Fine, then Finish? Or something else? Please tell me because I plan to buy whichever compound I need online today. Thanks!
Alex

[freakray]

Just get the finish and some wax.

Although, you should be able to get a pretty good finish with the polishing cloths without resorting to compound. Did you polish wet or dry?

[924_CarreraGTS]

Originally Posted by freakray

Just get the finish and some wax.

Although, you should be able to get a pretty good finish with the polishing cloths without resorting to compound. Did you polish wet or dry?

I polished wet (with a little dish soap). I started a thread a while ago regarding this and was told that cloths only would produce smooth but hazy paint, polish alone would produce shiny but not perfectly smooth paint, but that both together was the best way. And it is true--with cloths alone, there is quite a bit of haze and very little shine--just reflectiveness and luster (in shadow, especially), whereas fresh paint is not very smooth but is wet and shiny looking. I tried wax over a cloth-polished model a while ago and the results were not great. Would pure 100% caranuba wax for auto bodies work? That is what I used.

[winstona]

Originally Posted by 924_CarreraGTS

My question is this. Since I have already polished with 3200--12000 grit cloths, and the paint is getting a little thin (I don't want to wear through), should I just use Tamiya Finish compound? Or should I use Coarse, then Fine, then Finish? Or something else? Please tell me because I plan to buy whichever compound I need online today. Thanks!
Alex

The best option is to use the recommended Coarse -> Fine -> Finish.

I personally have not tried the Finish one. I follow this procedure: Coarse -> Fine -> Wax. But I am sure the Finishing compound will give you the best finish. Otherwise why would they have it?

Having said that though, if your paint is already thin, I don't know whether you should use compound at all. Because when rubbing the compound on the car, you are really taking paint away from the surface to achieve the shine. You need coats of paint to compensate for that.

At this point, for you it is really a judgement call. Do you want to risk rubbing all the way down to the primier to achive the shine? OR do you want to play it safe?

May be at this point, applying only modelling wax will achieve the purpose...

Do you have a picture (that reflects the shine on the car of course) to show so that we can may be better judge your scenario?

As for whether to buy the compund online, it is really a no brainer because you are going to need it in the future anyways! (Of course assuming you will be modelling in the next little while)

Winston

[wouter1981]

Originally Posted by winstona

The best option is to use the recommended Coarse -> Fine -> Finish.

I personally have not tried the Finish one. I follow this procedure: Coarse -> Fine -> Wax. But I am sure the Finishing compound will give you the best finish. Otherwise why would they have it?

Having said that though, if your paint is already thin, I don't know whether you should use compound at all. Because when rubbing the compound on the car, you are really taking paint away from the surface to achieve the shine. You need coats of paint to compensate for that.

At this point, for you it is really a judgement call. Do you want to risk rubbing all the way down to the primier to achive the shine? OR do you want to play it safe?

May be at this point, applying only modelling wax will achieve the purpose...

Do you have a picture (that reflects the shine on the car of course) to show so that we can may be better judge your scenario?

As for whether to buy the compund online, it is really a no brainer because you are going to need it in the future anyways! (Of course assuming you will be modelling in the next little while)

Winston

I wouldn't recommend the coarse.. because it's really coarse. I use a micromesh from 3000-12000 and then remove the last fine scratches with finishcompound and wax.
And for safety: use clearcoats over you're colour. Ass soon when you see some colour on you're cloths, stop polishing and spray some extra clear over it.

[924_CarreraGTS]

Originally Posted by winstona

The best option is to use the recommended Coarse -> Fine -> Finish.

I personally have not tried the Finish one. I follow this procedure: Coarse -> Fine -> Wax. But I am sure the Finishing compound will give you the best finish. Otherwise why would they have it?

At this point, for you it is really a judgement call. Do you want to risk rubbing all the way down to the primier to achive the shine? OR do you want to play it safe?

Do you have a picture (that reflects the shine on the car of course) to show so that we can may be better judge your scenario?
Winston

You can see the haze in the front, especially. I don't expect to polish through to the primer, because this model has 7 coats of clear on top of the paint. (Then I polished with the cloths). However, I don't want to polish through the clear, so maybe I should skip the coarse? Isn't that for bodies that haven't been polished already with cloths? In other words, Fine -> Finish? The paint does not have good shine--it's just smooth and reflective. And wax didn't do much over a paint job that was only cloth-polished. I'm afraid of messing up again with wax--it actually made it seem less shiny. Any suggestions?

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

If you've gone through 12000 wetsanding w/micromesh there is absolutely no need for coarse. Tamiya Fine/Finish/Wax are suitable for removing the light haze from the micromesh. I'm perfectly happy with fine 99% of the time; model cars don't need wax to get them glossy or keep acid rain from damaging the surface. If you haven't ordered them yet, I'd get both fine/finish while you are at it. Micromesh users won't need coarse.

[winstona]

As ZoomZoomMx-5 said, based on the picture shown here, you are better off to use the Fine -> Finish combination.

Winston

[Nutsforcars]

I never used Tamiya polish and from what I read here, it's probably excellent; however, I use Meguiar's No.7 Auto Show Polish (as a fine compound) and Scratch-X. They work perfect for me and are loads cheaper. (Used them on automotive laquer and enamel)

On another note, there is no need to go all the way to 12000 grit with the polishing kit. I have the same kit and rarely go beyond 4000 with good results. The fewer passes, the smaller the risk to rub through the paint.

Cheers
Jens

[924_CarreraGTS]

Originally Posted by Nutsforcars

On another note, there is no need to go all the way to 12000 grit with the polishing kit. I have the same kit and rarely go beyond 4000 with good results. The fewer passes, the smaller the risk to rub through the paint.

I'm assuming you mean before polishing with compound...

[Nutsforcars]

Originally Posted by 924_CarreraGTS

I'm assuming you mean before polishing with compound...

That's correct. I use the polishing cloths up to 4000, then I polish with compound to see what it looks like (it is usually good at this point), if still too scratchy, I go further with polishing cloths (e.g. 6000/8000 grit), then polish again with compound (and so on if necessary).

Once I am satisfied with the shine, I "finish" with Mequires Auto Show polish and then use normal auto wax.

Cheers
Jens

[ZTony8]

For future polishing jobs you might want to try starting with a higher grit paper.If the orange peel or dust nubs aren't too severe,try starting with 4000 or 6000 and go to 12000.Then use your polish and wax.There's much less chance of wearing through the coats that way.