What cutting compounds for first then final Polish

Skodadad

I'm out of touch so have been sticking to t-cut, it's not 'cutting' it though. When you have finished laughing at my hilarity advice welcome. I have a Halfords trade card so preferably something available of their shelves. Cheers

Andyjr1515

I use Macguiers Ultimate Compound, or Autosol for a slightly harsher treament.  Both available at Halfords.

Skodadad

Cheers @Andyjr1515 just in time with the reply was just going in. Got the meguirs

Andyjr1515

It's excellent.  This was Meguiars.  I sometimes finish with their Carnauba Wax, but this is just Ultimate Compound and no wax:

Sarge

Another user of ultimate compound here, but I always use Farecla G3 compound before it, and before that up to 2000 wet n dry.

G3 ain't allowed in the house for the smell, but Maguires smells like sweeties.

Oh and I've found microfiber cloths best for hand application, or a fine mop sponge for the drill.

WezV

I have just done the pancake LP top up to 1200g followed by tcut and auto glym. Both compounds applied with a dry microfibre cloth. I buff a small area at a time untill it starts buffing dry and shiny, clean off with a free cloth and move onto the next section overlapping by about 50%.

if I try and buff the whole lot I miss a bit, so I go for small areas and overlap.

Not bad for a hand buffed finish, still doesn't quite match a machine buffed one.

octatonic

I use this before buffing:

WezV

The important thing for the better compounds is how they break down in the process.

Something cheap like tcut doesn't change through the process, its still fairly abrasive. The better compounds break down as you buff so the rougher compounds get finer and finer.

Also, hand buffing and machine buffing are very different even though you can use the same things. If you machine buff too dry you will burn through a finish, but drier works well for hand buffing.

Skodadad

I used the meguirs stuff with my sander and a sponge keeping it wet with spray from a bottle . Did a fine job! I used to use G3 with a mop on 2k paints when doing cars, I recall it was pretty fierce at edges if you were not careful.

simonk

3M Fast Cut Plus followed by Finesse It would be my choice.

Corvus

I like 3M better, Fast Cut and Fine Cut (green and yellow top). Also have G6, G3 and G10 (those are in order of coarseness btw) but the 3Ms are better I feel. If you use Farecla have a pump spray bottle to hand to spritz a small amount of water on when the compound starts to stiffen & dry.

hywelg

I have those three Farecla's and the finest is a little too coarse and takes a lot to break down and I didn't find T-Cut very good either. I found David Dyke's Burnishing Cream very good indeed. You can go straight from 1200 w&d to the Burnishing cream and get a really high gloss. I also tried the micromesh right down to 12000 grit and they were crap.

http://home.btconnect.com/daviddyke/Stains.htm#Burn