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Tip: Cutting and Buffing Paint

I got the swirls removed from the fuselage using 2500 wet-or-dry, then 3000 Trizact. No harm done to the paint. Now I have to re-buff but I'm going to wait until the hook-and-loop backer pad for my rotary Milwaukee arrives. I don't want to introduce any more of the dreaded swirls, so I'm going to try a test patch somewhere inconspicuous before pressing on.

slrPXd.jpg
 
Stick to the tools and techniques detailed in the initial thread posts.
That was all useful information and I appreciate it. You left a couple things out, though. For example, what is this piece of equipment? Is it dual action, or rotary? I asked a few posts above if it was OK to use DA for compounding and nobody answered. So I went ahead and did it, with disastrous results.

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I also asked about using flat buffing pads vs. the egg-carton version and, again, no answer. So I used what was available locally - the flat foam pads. This is the one that damaged my paint:

44qnoQ.jpg


I don't do this for a living (obviously), so I really couldn't afford to go out and purchase hundreds of dollars of equipment that I would only use once. Maybe I should have... I did buy the three 3M compounds (over $60 per qt.) the 3M Trizact discs ($5 each), and the hookit soft interface pad ($30), but I'll be dipped if I spring for that quick-release backer pad system for a buffer. We're not all independently wealthy out here in Experimental land, you know.

This is probably what I should have used. Maybe I still will: Perfect-It 33662 Quick Connect Foam Pad Kit . At this point, what's another $109?
 
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So I used what was available locally - the flat foam pads. This is the one that damaged my paint:

44qnoQ.jpg

I used the same orange HF one many times with medium-coarse compound, right after 1500 grit random orbit sander. It takes some work on the tough siloxane topcoat but it leaves an almost-glossy, very even finish. Definitely no scratches like the ones in your photo. A quick pass with the blue pad and fine polishing compound after this produced the shine in my photo above.

If it's not contamination, I'm starting to wonder about the durability of your topcoat. If firm foam can damage it so, is it likely to stand up to the elements and regular bug washing? I doubt that "dual-action" versus simple rotary would make such a difference: if I understand the DA correctly it would just work slower than a regular polisher.
 
I'm starting to wonder about the durability of your topcoat.
It's PPG Durethane which has been very tough so far. It will remain a great mystery why that orange foam pad worked for you and not me. I have noticed that the foam pads come in three (or more) densities. The more dense ones (like the orange one in the photo) are supposedly for "compounding" and the softer pads are for finishing or polishing. Since I sanded to 3000 grit, I probably didn't even need to "compound" the finish.
 
Making progress. After sanding out the swirls from the DA and using the Trizact 3000 with a hand pad. I started re-buffing today. I skipped the 3M #1 and went straight to the #2. I think the #1 was just too aggressive - more suitable for removing oxide from a car hood. I think the #2 going to work and I may follow up with the #3 if I don't give out.

I masked off all the control surface gaps and static ports so as not to clog them with compound:
imMo8c.jpg


This is the "medium" yellow foam pad I used (Harbor Freight)
DsMU7x.jpg


I bought a hook-and-loop backer plate on Amazon for my Milwaukee. For some reason, Harbor Freight didn't stock them:
yNNRTn.jpg


Working my way forward, you can see where I stopped buffing adjacent to the aft end of the side windows. The #2 compound took out the haze you can see forward of that from the 3000 grit. I could see a couple places that needed more buffing. Tomorrow is another day...
VI2B7T.jpg
 
The saga continues. In our last episode, I had re-sanded the top of the fuselage with 2500 and 3000 to remove the heavy swirls from the 3M Perfect-It #1 compound and the DA. I had started buffing with the rotary buffer and the #2 compound, and it was looking OK...at first. Yesterday I finished buffing with the #2 and went to the #3 Ultra-Fine, which is supposed to remove swirls. It didn't. All it did was make the fuselage top real shiny but, sadly, it disclosed several areas with scratches from previous hand sanding and other areas that were scuffed looking. Undaunted, I dropped back and re-sanded those areas with 2500 and 3000 grit, and re-buffed with #2 then #3. There were still some scratches and scuff marks showing so I did it all again. After the third time I just threw up my tired hands and said, "That's good enough!".

While stuck in Groudhog Day, I started re-thinking my decision to bypass the #1 compound. Maybe that would have taken out those defects before going to the #2. Maybe the DA was the problem, not the #1 compound. I guess I could run a test using the #1 compound with my rotary buffer. Someday I may do that. That's the great thing about cutting and buffing: You can always come back years later and work on it some more...at least until you run out of paint :eek:

Here's the back side of the buffing pad I was using on the #3 compound. I thought it worked well - the beveled front face made it easy to hold the buffer at a slight angle like DanH recommended. I used a yellow pad for the #2 and a black (softer) pad for the #3 - both from Harbor Freight. After use, I am storing them in gallon baggies so as not to become contaminated.

2b6yDa.jpg
 
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Thanks for continuing to share your saga.
I just wanted to keep DanH's thread going, because he provided a professional view of how it should be done. I'm just providing an amateur's experience, and it ain't pretty. I'm getting there eventually, though (hopefully). When I got home from the hangar today, I did a load of microfiber cloths in the laundry. Anyone attempting cutting and buffing should buy at least 25 'cause they're gonna' use 15 per day or more.
 
This was done with 1500 Trizact, then #1 and #2 compound, nothing else.

Oil%20Door.JPG


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When I got home from the hangar today, I did a load of microfiber cloths in the laundry. Anyone attempting cutting and buffing should buy at least 25 'cause they're gonna' use 15 per day or more.

We use retired hotel towels from the local rag man.
 
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This was done with 1500 Trizact, then #1 and #2 compound, nothing else.
It looks great in the hangar, but what about in the sun? That's where my swirl marks really show up. Maybe I should just fly in the dark? :rolleyes: So did you use a DA with the #1 compound, or a rotary buffer? I found a small patch on my fuselage where I can still see scratches and am thinking about trying to remove them with the #1 and a foam pad in my rotary buffer. Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment...
 
It looks great in the hangar, but what about in the sun? That's where my swirl marks really show up. Maybe I should just fly in the dark? :rolleyes: So did you use a DA with the #1 compound, or a rotary buffer? I found a small patch on my fuselage where I can still see scratches and am thinking about trying to remove them with the #1 and a foam pad in my rotary buffer. Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment...

Ok then...

As stated in the very first post, 4th paragraph, light colors are less of a swirl problem, while dark colors may require a few extra steps. You're cutting a white airplane.

The photo you posted....

ZN4HPG.jpg


...appears to show the result of dirt/grit under the pad, not buffer swirl. Lots of ways for it to happen. Running a fan to stay cool while working in a hangar would be a good example, or just working with the doors open on a breezy day. In the early posts, note I'm working inside a paint booth set up in my shop...no dirt, filtered air.

There's no reason to cut a whole project with a dirty pad. Paint damage is easy to catch in a few square feet if the operator is paying attention. How to see what you're doing is also in the first post, 6th paragraph. Best bet is to look at the reflection of an overhead fluorescent tube fixture; moving your vantage point sweeps the tube across the surface. See the photo below. The average hangar doesn't have appropriate lighting, so you need to set up lights for the work. The same is true for painting.

Peel2.jpg


If you can see damage of any kind in bright sun, it's bad. Buffer swirls, scratches, and even hail damage are all least obvious in noontime sun. Low sun angles show more. Swirls are most visible after sunset, when viewed under typical metal halide lot lighting. On the lot at night is where detailer skill is rated.

You seem fixated on my use of a cut down 3M pad on a DA sander. It's described in post 27, which is pretty clear. The DA is a handy way of buffing small parts when working by yourself, as you can hold them in one hand and cut with the other, something you can't do with a big buffer. For what it's worth, I mostly allow the pad to rotate. I've never cut a big panel that way, because it would be a waste of time, and I have no idea what happens with foam pads from Harbor Freight.

Bottom line is that with care, it's not anywhere near as hard as you're making it appear. And you can excoriate "the experts" as you please, but brother, it's a crappy way to garner additional help.
 
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The photo you posted.......appears to show the result of dirt/grit under the pad, not buffer swirl.
The pad that made those swirl marks was brand new, sorry. Anyway I got them out as I described. Today I zeroed in on a small patch with a couple of scratches. I used the #1 compound on a black foam (soft) pad and my rotary buffer. That combination didn't take out the scratches so I fell back on the 1500/3000 grit with a foam hand pad. That removed the scratches so I buffed over that area with #1 and #2 (using a different pad, of course). It's all shiny now in the sunlight with no visible scratches or swirl marks. I think I'm done cutting and buffing now and am moving on to the colored vinyl trim. Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
I waxed the top of the wings today with Mother's California Gold carnuba wax. I think it looks pretty good. You can't even see the spots that I had to touch up and blend in.

HcLVlz.jpg
 
I continue to watch this saga unfold. Have been too busy flying to polish. Soon... I keep telling myself!

Dumb question for those who have done this before. I have different paint colours abutting each other. Am wondering if I can just cut and buff right over the joint or whether I'm best to mask the dividing line and cut and buff each colour separately?
 
I continue to watch this saga unfold. Have been too busy flying to polish. Soon... I keep telling myself!

Dumb question for those who have done this before. I have different paint colours abutting each other. Am wondering if I can just cut and buff right over the joint or whether I'm best to mask the dividing line and cut and buff each colour separately?

If you?re working with single stage paint, I.e. no clear coat on top, then I?d do the two colors separately. If both colors have clear coat over the top, then it won?t matter because you?re actually working with the clear coat, not the underlying color.

If you?re working with the actual color, it?s a good idea to mask and do the colors separately because one color could ?stain? (for lack of a better word) the adjoining color.
 
Of the several bids I got for painting our new plane, two of them were for base/clear, 3 colors with cut & buff. The cut & buff added $8,000 to the cost of the paint job.
 
Of the several bids I got for painting our new plane, two of them were for base/clear, 3 colors with cut & buff. The cut & buff added $8,000 to the cost of the paint job.

$8,000 seems like enough!

It?s a bunch of work, and not for everyone, but I really like the finished product. My Midget Mustang has painted graphics under a bunch of clear coat. I wet sanded the fuselage under the supervision of the paint shop. The painter ended up doing most of the buffing. 10 years later it still looks fantastic.

I?ll definitely do it on the F1 Rocket I?m hoping to complete within the next 15 years and 2 days.
 
Cut and Buff

I'm going to cut and buff some small parts. Canopy skirt and windshield trim.
The electric buffer and pads are long term use items but the Trizac disks are really expensive.
For small area, does anyone know if I can just hand wet sand with 1500, 2K and 3K?
 
I'm going to cut and buff some small parts. Canopy skirt and windshield trim.
The electric buffer and pads are long term use items but the Trizac disks are really expensive.
For small area, does anyone know if I can just hand wet sand with 1500, 2K and 3K?

Sure you can. Just be careful over the fasteners.
 
Buffing 101

I've done a lot of car painting followed by buffing both basecoat/clear and single stage. I strongly suggest you practice on something you don't care about even if you have to paint some scrap with the same paint materials as the plane.

Buffing wheels are great but they can rip thru paint really quickly. Most often, novices damage the edge (by going the wrong direction) which then requires you to learn how to blend. Take a look at 3M products when u r done with wet & dry paper.

Lots of water, always use a block, experiment a lot (use your teenager's car) before hitting the plane.

Here are my notes on 2015 VW I recently did. Enjoy!

Color sanding procedure as of Mar 2019 ? 2015 VW

First cut ? Use 2000 grit paper with lots of water and flat block. Make sure nibs do not cut into clear. Never use your fingers and sand paper. At the very least, use a flexible block else your fingers will press into the paper and cut unevenly. Do not use 1500 paper. Work in the sunlight to speed the process. The more material you cut off in this phase, the less time you will spend in Second cut.

Second cut ? Let the surface cool off & dry after being in the sun. Use the white foam pad with big nubs on it, lowest speed on the buffer, and the 3M white compounding liquid. Work indoors else the liquid will stain. Work on small sections, perhaps 6? x 12? or less. Study each section for clouds before moving onto next section.

Third cut ? 3M FINESSE II and white foam pad with ridges - work indoors else liquid can stain.

Fourth cut ? 3M PERFECT IT (blue and white bottle) and white solid foam pad.

Perhaps the most important component is to make sure the towels, applicator, buffing pad and anything else do not have any grit embedded lest it will scratch the clear and u will never get rid of it.
 
Tips

Thanks. Yes, I always practice on test parts. Problem is no matter how much I practice, Murphy still shows up unannounced.:D
 
I'm going to cut and buff some small parts. Canopy skirt and windshield trim.
The electric buffer and pads are long term use items but the Trizac disks are really expensive.
For small area, does anyone know if I can just hand wet sand with 1500, 2K and 3K?

As long as you don't use Harbor Freight abrasives. :)

3M stuff works really fast and doesn't shed grit like cheap paper.

There are some specialty discs for car work that have some sort of lubricant on the grit. Those leave a great finish but don't last long.

This may not work for every kind of paint, but for siloxane epoxies I find that grits higher than 1000 are a waste of time. Meguiar's cutting compound makes a shine without clouding in a few seconds after 1000-grit finish.
 
3M

As long as you don't use Harbor Freight abrasives. :)

3M stuff works really fast and doesn't shed grit like cheap paper.

There are some specialty discs for car work that have some sort of lubricant on the grit. Those leave a great finish but don't last long.

This may not work for every kind of paint, but for siloxane epoxies I find that grits higher than 1000 are a waste of time. Meguiar's cutting compound makes a shine without clouding in a few seconds after 1000-grit finish.

Yep. I learned some HF stuff isn't worth the cost savings. I use 3M paper.
Going with Meguires 105 and 205 for final compound and polish using 3M pads.
 
Cut & Buff

Cut & Buff
I don't want to steal any thunder from Dan. He is the expert and probably forgot more yesterday than I'll learn in a lifetime, but this is how I did it. I post details on everything to my blog and will post photos to my blog soon.

I starrted with 3M 1000, 1,500 and 2,000 wet sand. I did have to use more agressive grits for some pretty ugly spots. Pretty straight forward. Wet sand a little, dry, examine. When the orange peel is down to just a few glitterlike reflections, move on to the next grade. By 2,000, they were all gone and the surface just a matt finish.

I decided to play around with the compound and polish this afternoon. I compounded a tiny section then polished it and was so blown away, I just had to finish the canopy skirt. Maybe 20 minutes total.* I actually got a little emotional seeing the finished product. All I can say is Holy Cow! I could easily shave in the reflection.* So here's the destructions.*

1. I bought a rotary Dewalt Buffer, but for small jobs like this, it's totally unecessary. It may actually be a hindrance. This is so easy and takes just a little elbow grease.*

2. I chose Meguires 105 Compound and 205 Polish. Turns out a gallon is probably a good quantity for an airplane. I'll be buying more 105 eventually.*

3. Cut up some old cotton rags. 1' squares are good for applicators. Save the big pieces for buffing.*

4. Shake the products well.*

5. Apply a teaspoon size dollop of 105 to a patch.* Rub it on a section maybe 2? feet till it starts to dry like a wax haze.

6. Buff with a dry patch.*

7. Repeat with 205.

Yep. That easy.* It's perfectly flat, no orange peel or pinholes and shiny like a mirror.
 
Fix some really bad drips

Hello all,

I'm considering purchasing an already flying (and painted) RV-12. It was part of a teen flight build in Nor Cal. Related, the paint job was donated by Kracon Aircraft Painting. Net, given a pro paint shop did it, the paint job should be fantastic right? Well, the answer is mostly.

Somehow, while the whole plane looks amazing, there are REALLY unsightly drips under each wing. I have no idea how it passed QA. While the paint job was donated, Kracon did stick there logo on the tail cone under the data plate. Given the the size of this drip area, if I were the owner of the paint shop, I'm not sure I'd put my name on it. Anyway, the rest of the plane and paint are literally perfect. So, I want it. But I wanted to get some feedback on how to repair this section. Is it too big for the razor blade method on the 1st page of this thread (run over 400grit, convex, scrape a little, buff a lot)?

Here's a pic of the area (assume it's about the same under the other wing).

Thanks!
 
Hello all,
I'm considering purchasing an already flying (and painted) RV-12. It was part of a teen flight build in Nor Cal. Related, the paint job was donated by Kracon Aircraft Painting. Net, given a pro paint shop did it, the paint job should be fantastic right? Well, the answer is mostly.
Somehow, while the whole plane looks amazing, there are REALLY unsightly drips under each wing. I have no idea how it passed QA. While the paint job was donated, Kracon did stick there logo on the tail cone under the data plate. Given the the size of this drip area, if I were the owner of the paint shop, I'm not sure I'd put my name on it. Anyway, the rest of the plane and paint are literally perfect. So, I want it. But I wanted to get some feedback on how to repair this section. Is it too big for the razor blade method on the 1st page of this thread (run over 400grit, convex, scrape a little, buff a lot)?
Here's a pic of the area (assume it's about the same under the other wing).
Thanks!

Have you considered talking to Kracon about it? I would think since their name is on it that they would want to fix it themselves.
 
I did send them an email last night. Going to call later today once they?re open. Not sure how helpful they?ll be since it?s been painted and flying like that for about 9-10months
 
Serious drips and sags

Fortunately, they r under the wings. Take the photo to your local paint supply shop and check if there are any newer methods than those I've suggested here and elsewhere which include a very sharp razor, Dremel, block sanding with lots of water, followed by buffing with various 3M polishing compounds. One time I waited for the Sherwin Williams salesman's visit to the supply shop and queried him. Those guys support all of the pros so coordinating a visit with the supplier salesman might yield some new ideas.

I'd wait till the end of summer so the surface is cooler. The biggest problem is burning or cutting thru the paint and then you'd have to learn the art of blending which is not easy. Working with power tools is tempting but given that u will be handling the tools upside down, the probability of ripping thru the paint is almost certain. Start in a very obscure location and perfect your skills. It's possible they laid so much paint on that it will come off in chunks and expose the primer. Meanwhile, you can fly and enjoy.
 
Kracon

Given it's a 12, the wings can be removed. It would make repair much easier. I agree with the vendor fixing their mistake. If they won't, another shop. It's difficult to cut a large area and not break through.
 
All great advice. Thank you! I'm awaiting to hear back on whether original shop will fix it. Otherwise, I'll likely deal with it myself in the fall (through a local shop). Hopefully, Kracon will just fix it and it'll be a non issue.
 
Hello all,

I'm considering purchasing an already flying (and painted) RV-12. It was part of a teen flight build in Nor Cal. Related, the paint job was donated by Kracon Aircraft Painting. Net, given a pro paint shop did it, the paint job should be fantastic right? Well, the answer is mostly.

Somehow, while the whole plane looks amazing, there are REALLY unsightly drips under each wing. I have no idea how it passed QA. While the paint job was donated, Kracon did stick there logo on the tail cone under the data plate. Given the the size of this drip area, if I were the owner of the paint shop, I'm not sure I'd put my name on it. Anyway, the rest of the plane and paint are literally perfect. So, I want it. But I wanted to get some feedback on how to repair this section. Is it too big for the razor blade method on the 1st page of this thread (run over 400grit, convex, scrape a little, buff a lot)?

Here's a pic of the area (assume it's about the same under the other wing).

Thanks!
As large of an area and quantity of paint to be removed and location, it is doubtful it can be "restored" to look like it was painted properly. The best idea is to sand down for the base and repaint those two sections. White should not be too difficult to rematch. This would be the fastest and most satisfactory result. IMO
 
My concern as well. Worse, paint shop has been unresponsive to me and the seller... my bet is I?ll end up needing to having it done locally after getting it here. Ugh...just one more thing. But, it does give me something to do and we have he paint codes. :)
 
Almost makes you wonder if the runs are the result of something that happened after the plane was returned to the teen build site.....maybe an amateur attempt at repairing some shop damage? It's hard to imagine a paint shop leaving a mess like that.
 
Might be worth relocating the painter's nameplate so that it's adjacent to the runs....

Dave

GREAT IDEA 😂. Of course, it?s possible the theory that this is something that happened afterwards is possible. Seller certainly isn?t indicating this happened and is point finger at painter. We?ll see. Not a showstopper on the purchase, just a pain to deal with later.
 

It's important to know what kind of paint it is when it comes to touching up and blending.

You may not have to do any of that, though. One thing you could try: mask off everything else thoroughly; spray some black paint over the area with the runs; sand away with 1000 grit until all the black is gone. Use a thin firm rubber pad and press only where there is black. That way you won't cut through the white paint. When satisfied, cut&buff as described in the OP.
 
Is it too big for the razor blade method on the 1st page of this thread (run over 400grit, convex, scrape a little, buff a lot)?
The scraping technique, yes.
But, you can slice off the thick part of the runs and work your way down. I've done it plenty of times. Just use brand new single-edge razor blades and carefully slice off the runs. You can then get the last bit with wet-sanding.
I think this is totally fixable. The biggest issue are the rivet heads and not burning the paint off of those if you buff. Protect them with a strip of tape and be careful.
 
Razor technique

Thats totally fixable. Sorry, I hadn't looked at the photo. Dan's razor method works really well. You need plenty of light so you can see when the drip has been removed down to the level of the flat surface. I have found the razor needs to be retreated when it stops scraping.
Once you remove the drip, follow his compound and polish method. Tape over the rivets to prevent blowing through the paint.
 
Awesome, starting to feel confident I can do it. Paint shop did reply. There?s still a chance they?ll fix it themselves.
 
Well, as a new member here and soon to be RV-8 owner - I can’t thank Dan and everyone else for this thread.

I re-painted my Lancair 360 years ago, and I have to say I did more than a fair job of it. Much of what I did (scuff/level, prime, prep, shoot color, prep, shoot clear coat, cut, buff) is laid out here in great detail.

The good news is the plane I’m buying is probably one of the nicest combo planes that can be found - solid construction, great low-time engine and prop, way top-notch avionics, and the maintenance has been outstanding.

The bad news? It was an $8k total paint job. So I get to paint another airplane! Woo!

This thread was great; thanks again!
 
Reviving a ghost thread since I'm at the cut and buff stage now with a very orange-peely base paint job (single stage 2-part Stewart waterborne). We ventured to try what they said might not work too well in their experience: applied it with a turbine HVLP gun with recommended needle set size. It can be done without many runs or much orange peel but only if things come together perfectly for the session. We found that it was necessary to thin the paint beyond their standard recommendations, and that when the paint was thinned sufficiently for our gear, the viscosity cup was not accurate anymore (same reading for thinned paint as for straight water) so we did that by trial and error and a written recipe by weight for what we settled on.

Now that the paint has been on for about a month or better, it's cut and buff time. (This might have been easier if it weren't quite so well-cured already). Nevertheless, I'm learning how easy it is to sand through a proud rivet head edge and how many nibs in the primer we didn't knock down and now show through as tiny gray flecks in the color sanding process. I will be buying and learning to use an air brush before this is over.

A surprise to me was how long it takes to sand down through our typical orange peel using 1500 grit Trizact 6" disks. I was spending hours each evening all last week and still didn't have one wing's upper surface ready for the 3000 grit in most spots. I ordered some 1000 grit 3M Purple Finishing Film disks to try to speed things along since that is what came up on Amazon when I searched for Trizact 1000. These disks are thinner than the 1500 and 3000, don't carry the Trizact label or embossed texture, and are so fine one cannot tell by feel whether there is even any abrasive on them or not. There is no comparison between the abrasive texture of the 1000-grit purple film disk and a piece of 1000-grit 3M Wet-O-Dry paper, the latter is much rougher with more tooth to the touch. It's hard to tell by sight or feel when these finer abrasive disks are worn out, especially the 3000 grit Trizact foam pads, but I figure my time is worth more than even a 3M $$$$$ abrasive at retail, so I swap them out often.

Yesterday I was putting in my roughly 15th hour on the top of the first wing and wondering if the supposedly coarser 1000 abrasive disks were even saving me any time cutting through the paint so I did a side-by-side comparison of two virgin areas of flap with fresh disks, each run on the sander for 3 minutes inside their respective ~ 16"X16" test sections. There is a visible difference and the 1000 does indeed cut faster, so I will press on doing 1000, 1500, 3000 and the the three compound and polish steps with their respective foam pads. I had no idea it would be this slow (in unrelated news, naproxen sales have spiked locally) but at least this process can be done in a limitless number of smaller work sessions with no need to hurry through any of it in the coming months and years.

Question to clarify a step: I suppose one should remove the protective tapes over the panel edges and troublesome rivet lines before the compounding and polishing steps, just being careful to rotate the pads away from each edge rather than into it. Is that right?

I have a variable speed polisher and am curious what speeds have worked best with the 3M chemicals and 8" pads for compounding and polishing. I understand it's important to generate enough heat, but not too much, using speed and pressure while running the buffer, but I am inexperienced this early in the learning curve. Any suggestions appreciated.
 

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Really feel your pain

If you still have any paint left, consider squirting some spare panels with the same material and use those panels for experiments. Blending completed paint is not easy so better to prove your skills on stuff u don't care about. I gained my skills by volunteering to paint my kids cars, old Toyotas, which no one (including me) really cared about. I was squirting anything and everything people would buy the materials for.

I learned, took extensive notes, and they got paint jobs. The culmination was a 68 Corvette with 1500 original miles. By then I was ready for the blood red base/clear.

Practice blending too.

Regards.
 
The compounds and pad have speeds on the data sheets.
Leave the tape on the edges at least. Easy to burn through and edge or rivet head if even a tiny bit proud. Be glad they’re flush heads!
 
Polishing and fixing paint is missed by way too many people.

There is the impression that every professional paint job will leave paint booth perfect or get repainted by the shop. ( I though this too ).

Amateurs need to understand that they can often fix orange peal, dust and runs with a polisher and some sand paper. Spot defects or whole planes can often end up perfect without shooting paint again.

Many pro paint jobs will improve with light sanding followed by compounding and polishing. The flattest and highest gloss finishes are usually achieved this way.

I just sanded, buffed and did a ceramic coat on my recently purchased RV7. It came out great and I learned a lot.

The 12 year old pro paint job had some problems. I was able to turn a 6-7 out 10 paint job into 9+ with my efforts.

So thanks for adding this thread Dan. I think it will help many folks that are painting their RVs.
 
Agreed.

I just did this with 12 year old Imron single stage paint. The only problem encountered is that Imron eventually becomes super hard .
Microfiber pad and very firm foam pads worked for me.

Test your paint by trying a small area. Wipe it down after compound/polishing and see how you did. Use bright inspection light or drag the plane out into direct sunlight to see remaining scratches or residual polish marks. I like to wipe the area with some isopropyl alcohol. Some polishes have lubricant that hid fine scratched until it gets washed off.

The old other tip be gentle on edges ( wings etc).
It possible to burn through when to polisher is on edge; go slow and stop, wipe and look for any color change.
 
Some tips I picked up during my recent paint, cut, buff efforts on my RV-12. If the orange peel is really bad, start with 600 wet, then 1000, 1500, and finally 3000. A pro finisher mentioned that three Trizact 3000 disks should be sufficient to do an entire car as a good reference for area coverage.

Buffer speed should be around 1000 rpm with a wool pad for 3M rubbing compound (#1). There was an interesting comment about using a yellow foam pad vs the wool pad, the foam pad will heat the paint more than the wool for the same cutting effect.

I switched from a turbine HVLP setup to Sharpe Razor/Air Compressor setup. The hot air from the turbine was causing problems with the paint flowing out.

John Salak
RV-12 N896HS
 
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