rubbing compounds?

[planet_keeper]

so im getting ready to buff my car this weekend. ive got a 6" porter, nothing fancy. but i was reading the faq and it said not to use rubbing compounds. isnt that what you use when you buff? should I use something else?

also any tips to help me out would be appreciated as i've never buffed before. im gonna give some trouble spots on my old prelude a try to make sure ive got it down before I do the vr4.

[2old]

I assume you are not using a high speed polisher and using a orbital one... If that is the case it's pretty hard to screw up badly...

Anyways, when you wax your car there are 3 basic compounds that you used to polish the car:

1) cleaner - This removed the oils, waxes and general grit off your car... This is used in conjunction with a clay bar and can includes the clay bar by itself.
2) rubbing compound - this is used to remove the oxidation of the clear coat and "sand" away small scratches. This actually contains very fine "grit" which basically sands away a small layer of paint (the "cut" part of a "cut and polish" if you bring you car into detailing). Because of this you should stay away from this for monthly care and should only do it if you know what you are doing (it wears away you clearcoat).
3) wax (or polish) - this is where you apply the wax or protective layer onto your car. In general pastes last longer then liquids but I have use both and can't tell the difference.

In general most waxes come with 1st and 3rd in one bottle and pretty much avoid the 2nd step because there many ways to screw that up.

[Igovert500]

Yep, add that to the fact that it's a black car, and it is very easy to swirl. I practiced on many cars before I felt confident enough to touch a black car, and I would recommend the same. Carnuba for dark cars, helps reduce visible swirling, but it isn't magic, if you swirl it bad, it will show.

Also check out the detailing section under the cars in general section of AF.

[planet_keeper]

the guy next door has a new black dodge 2500 that he uses a fairly high speed oribital polisher on and i'd like to see if i can recruit his help. and like i said i am going to be trying it out on my red prelude first but would you still recommend staying away if i can't get a more experience buffer's help on the project?

should i get some swirl remover if i do leave some swirls on the car? is that applied the same way or is there something special i should do?

edit: wow, after doing a bit of reading i think this might be a little larger of a job than i first anticipated. i have a friend that runs a body shop and does seminars around the country for painting and detailing. maybe ill put this off for a bit and talk to him. im not anal about many things but my car is one of them, lol. I want to make sure i get this perfect.