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First time machine polishing - no luck

11K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  Jezz 
#1 · (Edited)
Evening all,

Looking for a bit of advice and what to try next.
I had my first attempt at machine polishing at the weekend but didn't have any luck removing any swirls.

I'm using the Xtreme DA polisher from Argos (I know it's probably not that great, but reviews were pretty good and was a decent price).
After washing the car with snow foam, 2 bucket method then claying, I made the first attempt using poorboys ssr 2.5 with a chemical guys quantum hex orange pad.
Followed all guides I had watched, pressure seemed right (I marked the pad/backing plate to see if the pad stopped) all went fine, did half of the bonnet, buffed off, made no difference....

I'm 90% sure it will be my technique but want to be sure it's not the products to blame entirely.
Is SSR2.5 aggressive enough?
I appreciate not all swirls are as deep as others, but ssr 2.5 didn't seem to touch them.

Also, what's a good method to remove all previous coatings such as polish, sealant, wax etc to get a good starting point?

Sorry there are so many questions in 1 go, but got lots to learn and a bit disheartened that I didn't get any results!

Ford Kuga 2014

Picture of swirls:
 
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#2 ·
What is the car???

Maybe if it's German, for example, your combination may not be enough.

If it was your first go at machining then maybe worth getting a scrap panel from somewhere which is the same brand as your car to practice technique on



Sent by a phone of some description!
 
#4 · (Edited)
I'm no expert as I'm new to this myself but some of the swirls maybe being made by the pad and paste from your first going.
so another polish with a lighter cut and a white pad to polish out remaining swirls.

Like I say I'm a newbie to this myself so I'm only going on info I gleaned from here and from watching video clips.

There is a good video on here about machine polishing. I'll go hunt it out and put a link up for you.
 
#5 ·
What's the car bud? This may give an insight into want type of paint you are dealing with. Poorboys SSR 2.5 is not the best tbh. Having said that technique may be to blame also. The polisher in question doesn't have the greatest torque so if you have marked the pad when making a initial pass make sure the speed is set at nearly the highest setting and apply excess pressure until the pad stalls and the black mark is struggling to rotate. Let up a little on the pressure until the pad is rotating freely and you've found your ideal pressure. Work slowly and keep the areas small. If you still have no luck I'd be trying a alternative polish bud. :thumb:
 
#7 ·
Thanks, it's a Ford Kuga 2014.

I didn't expect miracles from the Xtreme polisher, but it should do somewhat of a job, even if it's a bit more difficult. I had it on about 3/4 speed setting, pad was spinning freely, but ofcourse I may not be putting enough pressure on it.

Is there something else you'd recommend over the SSR 2.5?

I'll try again another weekend when the weather is good, didn't realise they were so noisy! Don't want to **** my neighbours off doing it every weekend lol

Any tips on stripping back all other coatings for a fresh start?
 
#9 ·
claying should have removed the previous coating.
Poorboys ssr takes alot of work to break down.
going by the pic of bonnet with the swirls megs 205 on a white hexlogic pad would remove most of it at speed 5-6.
Get a green hexlogic pad & megs ultimate compound and you will remove the swirls ,work an area 3 pads width by 3 pads width, 18"x18"square spread at speed 2 ,then use speed 5-6 moving slowly , do 6 passes and stop , wipe off
mac
 
#10 ·
Thanks Mac,

I'll get a white pad and some megs ultimate compound. Typical after I've bought a bottle of SSR 2.5 lol.

Wouldn't it be better on the orange pad first though for more cutting? Or is the megs compound more aggressive and better on a softer pad?

Not questioning your advice, just want to understand the what's and why's :)
 
#13 ·
Ford paint is usual medium on a hardness level.

I would be surprised if you can't get rid of the swirls with the pad and compound you already have.

You need to speed up your machine to 5 and probably slow down you arm speed.

Machine polishing is not a quick thing to do.

Make sure you clean your pad after each set of passes as well.

I haven't seen you work but I would say it is your technique rather than product choice.



Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 
#14 ·
Ford paint is usual medium on a hardness level.

I would be surprised if you can't get rid of the swirls with the pad and compound you already have.

You need to speed up your machine to 5 and probably slow down you arm speed.

Machine polishing is not a quick thing to do.

Make sure you clean your pad after each set of passes as well.

I haven't seen you work but I would say it is your technique rather than product choice.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Thanks Rob,

I would agree it's most likely my technique to blame, but didn't want to waste lots of time on it if the products were not the right choice for the job.
 
#16 ·
You do have a lot of swirls and the poorboys polish isn't up for the job, so I would recommend Sonax EX 04-06 on a green hex quantum pad or the white pad, try the white first as a test area on the bonnet and if that works carry on but if you feel it hasn't removed all of the swirls then step up to the green pad.

I would say you need to ramp up your speed to 5-6 for a couple of passes then down to 4 for a couple of more passes. Test spots are to help you determine which pad to use and polish.
 
#18 ·
Hi Jezza

I have added my two pence worth...

Evening all,

Looking for a bit of advice and what to try next.
I had my first attempt at machine polishing at the weekend but didn't have any luck removing any swirls.

Keep trying!

I'm using the Xtreme DA polisher from Argos (I know it's probably not that great, but reviews were pretty good and was a decent price).

Its possibly in the same league as a Porter Cable

After washing the car with snow foam, 2 bucket method then claying, I made the first attempt using poorboys ssr 2.5 with a chemical guys quantum hex orange pad.
Followed all guides I had watched, pressure seemed right (I marked the pad/backing plate to see if the pad stopped) all went fine, did half of the bonnet, buffed off, made no difference....

To be honest I don't feel snow foam adds anything to the process but it looks good.
SSR 2.5 is an older polish I dont believe it has diminishing abrasives in it and the chemical guys orange pad is pretty agressive. Try a chemical guys green hex pad with scholl s3, this will lift most scratches on medium to hard paint, however your machine may not be powerful enough. What speed were you using it at? For my DA's I use 4 or 4.5 on a scratch. Wipe down with a panel wipe and inspect, on darker colours you will have to refine.

I'm 90% sure it will be my technique but want to be sure it's not the products to blame entirely.
Is SSR2.5 aggressive enough?
I appreciate not all swirls are as deep as others, but ssr 2.5 didn't seem to touch them.

Also, what's a good method to remove all previous coatings such as polish, sealant, wax etc to get a good starting point?

Tardis will remove old sealants/wax

Sorry there are so many questions in 1 go, but got lots to learn and a bit disheartened that I didn't get any results!

Ford Kuga 2014

Picture of swirls:
Not to worry keep up the good work, if you didn't make any mistakes you would never learn.
 
#20 ·
I'm coming to the conclusion that "polishing" is as much an art form as a science.

There's just sooooo many variables and that's before you add in the "human" stuff about the way you like to work and what machine(s) you have available.

Just like a painter or sculptor - enjoy the experience and use that experience to deliver a better outcome next time.

You're already better than 99.99999% of the population :thumb: :).

Good Luck.

Andy
 
#22 ·
Thank you all for the help and positive comments. I've ordered a white pad, and some megs compound for another try.

Going to go over to the parents at the weekend if the weather is good for another try, feel guilty about the noise doing it on my drive!
 
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