I can buff a black car and get no swirls. If you don't believe me you can go to CarMax and ask if you can watch the detailers buff. I think they have like 184 steps to detailing a car. And they make swirl remover for a quickresult. I'll have to try 3m, and I have a hard time finding good compound that actually works.

 

I'm backing 10pin on this one. You cannot buff and not have swirls.A waffle pad wil cut down on swirls and a microfiber pad will cut out swirls altogether, but using a microfiber pad defeats the purpose of buffing, like 10pin said, its an "electric waxer".

 

I guess i can put my two sense in, You can or can not have swirls when you buff a car. depends on what you are using, wax or compound, or polish, or glaze, and depends on the pad, there are almost 15 different pads to buff with, the only way you dont get swirls, is if you are using a foam pad iwth a polish, if you are using any kind of cutting pad with any compound what so ever, you will get some kind of swirls. To ensure the proper steps in buffing, there are close to 7 or 8 steps of buffing, each pad uses a different wax, and put your swirl remover on after your one shot but before your first light polish. always finish with a paste wax. I love detailing, its what I do for a living, and I have learned alot. I've never burnt through paint, and honestly, if you want to learn to buff, learn from someone who does it, not from an article. Go to a detail shop.

 

hmmm, different sets of information here. i think we have to try and organize the information.

there are typically two types of buffers:

rotary's: they rotate in a circle that could burn the paint if you don't know what you're doing.

random orbital: porter cable makes a good one. 7424 is the one i have. no matter how long you leave the buffer on the paint, it will not burn (hence the name, random orbital). this is good for any beginner starting out as well as the people who have been detailing longer than others.


the next step are pads and products. typically, there are different grades of pads. my two hardest pads (yellow and orange) are used with compound and cutting agents. yellow for scratch-x, orange - meg. heavy cut cleaner.

your white and blue pads are for swirl removing and polishing. i typically use white pads and klasse all-in-one. followed with a blue pad of nxt 3.

the final stage is the glaze or wax. there is a black finishing pad for this, but i just use some s100 carnuba paste wax. it does WONDERS for dark colored cars/trucks (metallic and non-metallic).


regardless of the buffing portion in the detailing step, ask any professional detailer and they will tell you the hard work is in the prep. bug and tar, a good wash and claying are the major steps. if you don't do these 3 steps properly, the rest of the detail won't turn out as good.

i hope this helps.

-mike

 

^^VERY GOOD INFO! I've been working with show cars for quite a while now and I can tell you that's the best information I've heard here in a while. A good polish/wax is all in the prep. Also, I've noticed many of you have been using the term "buffing" all wrong. Buffing is what you do to remove recently applied wax/polish, using a microfiber towel or 100% cotton cloth. Most of you are talking about "polishing." There are two types of polish: abrasive and non-abrasive. Abrasive will cut microscopicly into the paint/clearcoat to remove swirls. These polishes include: Meguire's Scratch-X, Mother's Swirl Mark Remover, Tutrle Wax Rubbing Compound, 3M's Polishing Compound... Basically, anything that says "Rubbing compound" is an abrasive polish. Non-abrasives will use micro-fillers to "fill in" swirls. These aren't permanent, and the swirls will eventually show again after a while. These products include both Mothers and Meguire's Stage 2 Polish, Turtle Wax Ice Polish, 3M's Hand Glaze, Black Magic Polish... Most of your over-the-counter polishes are non-abrasive to protect newbs from damaging their paint. To properly polish your car, you must first prep the surface using a de-oxidizer and strip old wax. Afterwards, you can then polish the car to bring out the brilliance in the paint. Most people confuse the difference between polish and wax. Just as stated, polish will enhance the brilliance of the finish's natural color. Most advertisements use these words: "Deepens the color/Richens the paint." Wax, on the other hand, only adds reflection to the surface by maintaining surface consistancy of the outer-most layer. It gives the finish a "wet" look or "mirror finish." On top of that, it protects the finish so: A)The paint doesn't become oxidized again, which causes a hazy, dull finish (most obviouson 1st gen Blazers), B)non-abrasive polishes don't wear off after a rain and C)Air contaminants don't settle into the finish and scratch it. New-age technology has made synthetic wax the preffered choice, due to it's ability to endure the natural elements much longer and stronger.