Flatting back and polishing - which grit and which abrasive compound?

[rcx132]

Can I double check this....

My paint supplier said to flat back with 1500 then 2000 grit and didn't say which polish.
Trev's Blog (YouTube) says 1200 then 1500 then optionally 2000 and 3000 grit Trizac discs.

Is is then Farecla G3 and then Farecla Finishing compound?
Which polishing mop do you use?

I used a Toolstation sponge on my polisher with a small amount of G3 and lots of water and got an ok finish but not at all great.

 

[Kayos]

I used to use 1200 or 1500 then G3 on a rotary polisher

None of this fancy DA or modern compounds

 

[steveo3002]

depends how rough the job is ...if its nice skip the 1200 , if its not great then you need it

id go 1500 and 2000

g3 and a cutting head ...dont need water with it

tbh theres 1001 ways to do it ...if moneys tight you can finish up with g3 ....or spend on more milder cutting /polishing /finishing heads and milder polishes and work through them for perfection

 

[Slowcoach]

Here’s my (very) old one. What machine are you using and are you putting much pressure on it. I’d use water or you may get too much heat.
Will any of the other mops from tool station fit on your machine, the ones that are 4 quid and a a bit.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Which machine are you using?

If you have a rotary you should be able to go quite easily from 1500 to a mirror finish with any decent compound system.
You can do it with a DA, but it will take forever, they are really more for correction.

The finer grade you sand, the faster and easier buff will be.
Finishing with a 3000 trizac you can already see the reflection and it only takes a kiss with the buffer to bring it up. However they are not cheap.

I found G3 fine with a course sponge for cutting, but I get better results with Menzerna and like their final finish with a less aggressive pad - either their own ones or the 3m ones.

 

[Kram]

Got some pictures? whats wrong with your finish, scratches or lack of gloss?

"3m Finesse it - Finishing" is excellent fine polish but expensive stuff. The zoro discount gets it a but cheaper.

Ive not tried the fast cut compounds but to me it seems a job better done by hand with paper upto p3000 or p5000, I guess it depends on part shape, size and your time, most of mine are small bits.

I have some tight curved parts I found the cone mops in a drill will do it. Couldnt find anything from big brands and what I did find was very expensive, these cheap sets worked well.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08C2W2WRV
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08JJ1PXQP
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07PVYXZZ7

P1000 is about 25 micron, p3000 is 8um, p10,000 would be 2.5 micron, similar to a fine polish.

 

[rcx132]

Got some pictures? whats wrong with your finish, scratches or lack of gloss?

"3m Finesse it - Finishing" is excellent fine polish but expensive stuff. The zoro discount gets it a but cheaper.

Ive not tried the fast cut compounds but to me it seems a job better done by hand with paper upto p3000 or p5000, I guess it depends on part shape, size and your time, most of mine are small bits.

I have some tight curved parts I found the cone mops in a drill will do it. Couldnt find anything from big brands and what I did find was very expensive, these cheap sets worked well.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08C2W2WRV
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08JJ1PXQP
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07PVYXZZ7

P1000 is about 25 micron, p3000 is 8um, p10,000 would be 2.5 micron, similar to a fine polish.

Scratches appearing after the mop and somewhat less glossy than the unflatted bits.

Those sets contain a lot of items, which product did you use?

 

[qwakers]

1500 then 3m fast cut then any superfine compound.

works very well..

 

[Kram]

Ive used just the 2000-5000 papers and blue mops so far for paint finishing (which Im still learning and not done all that much!). The coarser paper good for stripping and primer

Then Id say more time with p2000 or p3000, no need to go any coarser, other than small paint nibs. P2000 is quick enough for me.
Then a decent fine polish. I think most brands have a decent one but they dont make it easy to compare product specs

The 3m is a couple quid cheaper than when I got it. £24.80 with 20%.
www.zoro.co.uk/shop/automotive/cleaners-and-polish/09639-finesse-it-finishing-material-1ltr/p/ZT1026612X

 

[Al Strachan]

I’ve done a fair bit of wet sanding, and Im still not the greatest. Always end up with deeper scratched.

it’s a fine art and hard work. Lots of water, no background noise (to hear the squeakers) and a ton of patience needed.

if I’m painting nowadays, I changed tack to wet sand before the final coat of paint (advice from these forums) and gives a far better final finish with minimal wet sanding.

 

[bert]

I flatten with 2500 w&d with a block, then normally a 3k then 6k trizact disc before machine polish with 3m fast cut then change to a waffle pad for 3m fine cut.

Then a hand polish before waxing.

 

[rcx132]

Mystery solved... using the official Farecla pads recommended for the compound did the trick.