Removing swirl marks

[Bullett]

I sent my 62’ out for paint a year back. Told him I wanted a “out of the gun” finish. When I picked it up, it was wet sanded and buffed, grrrr! He said there was some dust in it. Anyhoo, like most buffed finishes I have seen, it has a ****load of swirls, it drives me nuts. I’ve tried buffing with several different pads and compounds to no avail. If I wax it every few days it hides it. So....I am thinking I need to wet sand and rebuff. I am very capable as I collect and restore vintage snowmobiles, doing all the paint work. I think I will use the finest I can get, which I believe is 3000 grit. I am a little hesitant to use coarser grit as I am not sure how much clear is left on the truck. Can I wet sand with my jitterbug or is that just inviting more swirls. Sand it by hand be better? And lastly, what is the best compound out there for the finished product? Oh, egg crate pad or wool? Thanks for any help

[Green Monster]

Have you tried using a clay bar on the paint first to remove embedded surface contaminants in the paint prior compounding, waxing or buffing?

It doesn't take much time, will not remove paint and is easy to do. It works great on enamel or lacquer paint. The paint is left feeling smooth. The smoother makes compounding, waxing and buffing a lot easier.

Meguire's and Griots Garage offer them and are available from many different car detailing companies.

If contaminants are not removed from the paint with a clay bar prior to buffing, those contaminants will just grind their way into the paint thus resulting in swirls whether you choose to use a machine or do it by hand.

[theastronaut]

Are they swirl marks (round scratches that are obviously from a buffer) or towel marks that are random scratches that build up from wipe-downs, washing, etc?

Either one needs to be removed, but defining where they came from is important- if you're adding random small scratches from washing/toweling off abrasive dust, or micro-abrasive towels then buffing it won't keep you from adding them back. Not all towels/wash mitts, or even microfiber are paint safe. Double check your cleaning habits to make sure you're not accidentally adding random "spiderweb" scratches in the paint.

If they're just light buffer swirls or towel marks then a swirl remover polish and a foam pad on a buffer will removed them, just make sure to use high quality towels afterward to prevent new scratches from being added back.

[Marty68]

I have a porter cable dual action sander polisher. with a 3m foam interface pad swirl remover polish will remove hide them but as stated above make SURE you aren't getting them in while washing etc. also the clear may be soft enough to scratch easily if this is the case.... keeping it perfect takes effort. this is why I hate black

[Bullett]

The swirls are very obvious buffer swirls. I have cleaned the truck spotless and tried buffing them out with a variety of recommended compounds. They are just too deep. I have tried swirl remover, which looks good for a few days, then the swirls come back, they are all over the truck. I’ve contemplated scuffing down the truck and just laying one good coat of clear back on. I’ve spent several hours with my buffer trying different things. The truck looks beautiful after a good coat of wax but it just doesn’t last. The swirls are literally all over the truck. I haven’t used a clay bar before buffing but I do make sure the truck is spotless before buffing. I’ll probably try just a light hand scuff with 3000 and then buff.