Favorite buffing compound after cut?

[Stealth Assassin]

For fiberglass... Any comments on aqua buff?

Derrick

[TeamHART2]

I did a quick wetsand 800 grit and then aquabuff 1000 and then 2000 on my 82 checkmate. It went from an extremely dull yellowish blue to a mirror-like blue that must have been what it looked like comin from the factory.

[Cobra1racer]

3 stages of 3m, and then some Ebony. Boy is it sweet.

[ZonkaRacing]

I havent heard one bad thing bout aquabuff.
But this year i tried Meguires oxidation remover polish wax with an orbital and it worked great. Havent buffed it since spring and it still looks great, although its starting to get cloudy again. 30 year old boat too!

This is after the first step (oxidation remover) on one side, then polish +wax
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u122/ENC_Boats/oxidationkit-step1001.jpg

[Stealth Assassin]

What polish and wax do you use? :thumbsup:

[benski]

I myself am a fan of the products from Griot's Garage. Cars, airplanes, boats.:)

[Cobra1racer]

I havent heard one bad thing bout aquabuff.
But this year i tried Meguires oxidation remover polish wax with an orbital and it worked great. Havent buffed it since spring and it still looks great, although its starting to get cloudy again. 30 year old boat too!

This is after the first step (oxidation remover) on one side, then polish +wax
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u122/ENC_Boats/oxidationkit-step1001.jpg


Sand it down and shoot with clear, it willl look like a new boat. Looks like there is plenty of clear on it so you not into the flake yet. It's a piece of cake. Look.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm189/cobra1racer/before.jpg


http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm189/cobra1racer/after.jpg

[racerx]

3m products have always seamed the best for me,been doing it for over 30 years..

[Stealth Assassin]

3m products have always seamed the best for me,been doing it for over 30 years..


I have some marine finesse It II coming I want to try.

[Scream And Fly]

For buffing, my personal favorite is Gliptone Pro Buff. Don't underestimate this stuff.

As a last-stage product, I prefer Zymol Glasur.

http://i12.tinypic.com/312gug6.jpg

[Stealth Assassin]

Wow... That's nice. Where do you get the gliptone? Do you like the aquabuff Greg?

[Stealth Assassin]

Eh... The zymol Is $100.

I am mainly looking for a wider range of products to revive gel coat after all the cutting process from oxidation.

[Scream And Fly]

Wow... That's nice. Where do you get the gliptone? Do you like the aquabuff Greg?

I had a stash of Gliptone from NY, but I think you can get it at Autozone or any similar place. I never heard of Aqua Buff :)

[wca_tim]

Aquabuff is just good maching compound that has only water soluble binders in it - doesn't fill and cover damage so you can tell when it's all buffed out. or at least that's my niave understanding. between wetsnading and that stuff, I took a boat that looked like grey chalk back to wet looking clear gel over black and silver metalflake...

[Stealth Assassin]

It's still all about the polish from wet sanding. IMHO...

[Mastercraft241]

3m is the best

[Stealth Assassin]

3m is the best

What exactly did you use? 3m Is nice. I really like aqua buff, Its a killer 2 stage aluminum polish also.

I learned a long time ago that wet sanding technique Is the best polish you will ever do. :thumbsup:

[Mastercraft241]

What exactly did you use? 3m Is nice. I really like aqua buff, Its a killer 2 stage aluminum polish also.

I learned a long time ago that wet sanding technique Is the best polish you will ever do. :thumbsup:
3m oxidation remover and polishwax. I used it with a foam pad at 170rpms. After finishing an area, you can wipe off the oxidation with you hand. I do this every two weeks on my boat. Im a little scared of wetsanding and hitting the metal flake. It's also very difficult to apply swirlmark remover(?) and get a good finish. Only person i know that can do that well is GHOST28.

[Mark Poole ModVP]

3M products are top notch. I have used the Finesse It finish compound to polish small plugs and molds with excellent results.

Solid buffing bars are also available from places like Mini Craft. These solid "bricks" of compound are used by boat builders for polishing full size boat molds and works great at bringing the shine back on a boat with light oxidation. Nice thing about this type of compound is there is little mess, it only leaves a small amount of powder that is washed off after use. One brick goes a long way too. They come in coarse, medium and fine and are different color by grit.

[Stealth Assassin]

So far Aqua buff Is the best I have ever used. It's water base so It comes clean easy also.

Have you guys seen a compound that comes In a pail like aqua buff but, It Is colored and smells like buble gum? I can't figure out who makes this stuff.

[ghost28]

i have never tried aquabuff but i am going to get some to try out soon.....i use Meguiars 49 on most badly oxidized boats or in areas where i have to wet sand...it has a feeder oil in it which feeds the gel as it cuts along with diminishing abrasives which wear down as you work the compound for a finer polish.....

as far as after cut i use 3m Finesse it which is a real pain in tha azz on gelcoat as it cakes up if you make the slightest wrong move....i also have a product made by Malco called BUFF LITE that has been working well as an after cut on a wool polish pad....

i have to admit that totally eliminating swirls in Gelcoat is extremely difficult.....i just borrowed a orbital adapter for a rotary polisher that i want to try out which i am hoping will make swirl removal easier and produce better quality results....

here is a little before and after shot of a 21 superboat i did for a friend....
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/ghost28x/DSC_0008.jpg



after

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/ghost28x/DSC_0030-2.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/ghost28x/DSC_0040.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/ghost28x/DSC_0045-1.jpg

and here is our own JERRYs old P22 that i did...i only have after shots but it was flawless once i was done (Jerry left it uncovered for a year and it faded to a pinkish color)...i hand part of the credit to progression as well for using high quality gel and laying it on properly which makes my job nicer....LOL....

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/ghost28x/DSC_0255.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/ghost28x/DSC_0257.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/ghost28x/DSC_0232.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/ghost28x/DSC_0237.jpg

[Stealth Assassin]

Very nice results. Is It finesse It marine or auto? I know what you mean about the caking up part.

Aqua buff Is so clean to work with.

[ghost28]

i use regular finesse it...i was told by a couple of people that marine finesse is just rebadged finess....who knows...i may have to try the marine version one day....

[Stealth Assassin]

i use regular finesse it...i was told by a couple of people that marine finesse is just rebadged finess....who knows...i may have to try the marine version one day....


I was told the same thing but, I ordered some to see for myself and It definitly smells differant/stronger.

[williamsdetailing]

Ive used the marine finesse-it and I have never had it cake up on me, it is a very good product. Aquabuff 1000 buffs real nice but i find that the aqua buff 2000 cakes the pad quickly but gives a really nice finish. In the industry, we all say you are paying for water in the finesse-it, you can mix aqua2000 with water and have almost the same product. That is true about quality gel coat, it makes the job a whole lot easier. If its crap gel, then you've got your work cut out for you.

[Stealth Assassin]

I agree with the 2000 and water mixture. I use a wool pad with the 1000 and a white foam pad with the 2000 and It works great. The marine finesse-It does not cake up with me either It I use the white foam pad. :thumbsup:

Derrick


Ive used the marine finesse-it and I have never had it cake up on me, it is a very good product. Aquabuff 1000 buffs real nice but i find that the aqua buff 2000 cakes the pad quickly but gives a really nice finish. In the industry, we all say you are paying for water in the finesse-it, you can mix aqua2000 with water and have almost the same product. That is true about quality gel coat, it makes the job a whole lot easier. If its crap gel, then you've got your work cut out for you.

[ghost28]

guess i will have to get some marine Finesse it and have at it....

[Mastercraft241]

guess i will have to get some marine Finesse it and have at it....
Don't be afriad to try it out on my boat George! :iagree:

[stvhelm]

George i didnt know you were in the detailing business. i got a job for you in the spring. ;)

I need that shine
http://i36.tinypic.com/2430qh3.jpg

[Stealth Assassin]

Any of you used the ultrafina with the blue pad?

[williamsdetailing]

The very best products that I have tried to date is by a brand called farecla. They are a little pricey but i think it is comparable to 3m and the other top brands. But their compounds blow away anything else I have tried. I dont use their products everyday because of the cost, but the finish they produce is amazing and they buff super fast with no swirls. farecla.com I usually use TR products with a rare occasion of aquabuff.

[ghost28]

i got a few samples from farecla last year at IBEX....i used them on a few boats and i liked them....but hold on to your wallet LOL....they remind me of Manzerna compounds and polishes for auto use which happen to work well on gelcoat too but again the price is waay up there....

for everyday production use aquabuff, megs and 3M are fine....if you get someone willing to pay and wanting that little extra then farecla, menzerna and Zymol are the best there is....

[Stealth Assassin]

Look at this I just covered In gel. No paint.

http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1486228#post1486228

[ghost28]

that hull is stunning......more pics please......excellent work......