CC problem ...

[alfretta]

Hi guys,

I painted my car with red Debeer Berobase acrylic paint ... then put on 2 coats of Octoral c140 2k MS clear.

The CC had areas of orange peel, so I sanded down to 1500 to a nice even surface. I then expected that the Meguiars fine cut cleaner and Meguiars yellow wax paste would restore the shine ... but looking directly at the finish the paint looked dull. If I put some wax & grease remover on then the finish then it looked great ...

So, I sanded back down to 1500, hit some base coat which I touched up, and then put on 2 coats of the same CC. I was a bit heavy handed, and there are a few runs ... and a few dry spots in the CC ... so I'm not really happy with it.

Instead of sanding should I just use an aggressive cutting compound to try and take out the orange peel? I just want to make the surface more even and improve the finish ... I don't want to have to shoot some more clear ...

[Robert]

won't remove orange peel.

You have to sand and polish. A more aggressive cutter to begin would help remove your sandpaper scratches completely. Those scratches are what made the surface look dull.

Robert

[pane2k]

Like he said you just didnt use the right compound to polish the surface up.
Wax wont do it...you need a rubbing compound and a machine. I suppose you could do it by hand but your going to break your ass.

[Hannibal]

I tried Meguiars "Diamond Cut 2.0" which was supposed to be aggressive and it wasnt. I gave up and have let the paint harden for like 6 months now. I plan to sand with 1500, then use a wool pad with 3M perfect it, then use a DA with some of the megs stuff.

Meguiars has a theory of using abrasives that break down into a polishing rouge. SO its like the abrasives actually get weaker as you use them. (I am a member at the megs forums, beleive me I have researched their stuff).

3M uses an aluminum type abrasive as I understand it. It will cut untill you are done cutting. Then you use a finer polish to finish up. Dont get me wrong, Meguiars stuff can remove swirls and holograms very well and their waxes are second to none, I just dont think the cutting compounds are all that good for the first cut and buff on fresh paint or cured paint.


Dont give up. Use the 1500, then use a wool pad with some more aggressive 3M stuff. Use the meguiars stuff when you are ready to polish to a mirror shine.

[alfretta]

Thanks for the input guys ... I guess I will take a break for a while ... enjoy driving the car ... then get back into it ...

The reason I bought the Meguiars fine cut cleaner was because it was the only product that stated then it could be used on clear coats ... I didn't like the fact that it starts out as a cutting compound and then ends up as a polish ... doesn't that mean that the dust is trapped in the product?!

Anyway, I'll have a look for the 3M stuff ... I like the sound of it ... and if it's anything like their masking tape then it'll be good ... but probably going to cost like a SOAB!

Thanks again ... I think this forum is great!

[Steve g]

I've used the Meguire's for all my polishing so far with good results. It was recommended to me by a professional body shop. I'm sure there are as good or better products out there, but don't throw away the Meguire's assuming that to be your problem.

When I started with it I couldn't get any shine either. It was a matter of getting the proper machine and learning the technique, two things you need with whatever product you use.

After getting the shine up you go to their Swirl Remover (I think they refer to that as their #9 product) for final finishing.
HTH
Steve g.