Hey guys.

Hi iv just recently painted my front fender by rattle canning it.
All went well apart from the last part,
I have been rubbing with some compound with my orbital sander with a compound pad on that was ok it really brought out the colour there was a few places i could not get with it so i did the, by hand but by doing this i have put swirl marks in it.
Is there a way to eliminate this here is some pics of before and after.
I took pics all the way through so might do a full write up soon.
Its hard to see the marks but where the light is thats were they are.
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

 

Moved to Paint & Body

 

Get finer grade compound and continue rubbing. To get swirl marks out the compound should be like the finest grade you can get. And I wouldn't use the machine on that so you wont rub the paint through. I sometimes deliver stuff to a painting shop that paint high gloss high end furniture, and they have this super-duper fine compound that takes off the finest markings there is, like the kind you don't even see anymore, but what creates oil-like colourings when looked from a certain angle.

 

Cheers mattson got some today it was called finishing compound after a little patience it came out looking sweet.
It will never be as good as a pro but am really happy the way it's turned out.
Right time for the rest of the fairings.
Where would I put a write up about it as I would like to do it just to remind myself how I did it.

 

After using the rubbing compound , use polish. Rubbing compound is for heavy to medium scratches, and polish is for medium to light scratches and swirls.

 

I've been a detailer for a long time. U want to use a finishing polish, but what makes the job a hundred times easier and come out like new is an orbital buffer. I have the porter PC with flexible Velcro backing. I fix alot of swirls using a quick once over with my dewalt high-speed rotary & finish her off with my PC.
I apply paint sealant with it too.

 

Iv finished the front fender off and it looks pretty sweet. Am just doing the front nose now and am struggling a little i have got some finishing polish and an orbital sander which I have the Velcro pads for. What am finding hard is because the nose is not a flat piece it's hard to get it all with it.
So far iv used a rubbing compound with hand then am on with the finishing stuff now maybe am just trying to hard I want it looking like glass but am picky as soon as I see another little light mark am back at it again.

 

Ya, u gotta be careful. Rubbing compound is often too much... I don't think we have alot of clear coat to be just cutting away, time and time again. U could use RC for a small spot, then get a cutter, polish... its real tough too because u could very easily rub away the whole layer of clear coat.
Naturally from the factory, Clear coat is a UV inhibitor which keeps it from oxidizing, however that is only the top 2 layers of what the clear is... its like this:
xxxxxxxxx
yyyyyyyyy
oooooooo
oooooooo
oooooooo
& then your color, which is dull or rather a matte finish.
once u cut away the top two layers of the clear,(x&y) it will still be beautiful, glass like look - not a scratch on it/ spider webbing gone - but will be very susceptible to fading/oxidizing much easier because it's not protected from the UV rays... that's where waxes & paint sealants come in. They are your UV protectants and can, if cared for, last upto 8 wks...( waxes 2-3 usually )
Avoid high-friction washes, harsh brushes, and harsh soaps.

 

The clear coat is what I have out on I have just resprayed it.

 

Perfect, it should be pretty fun getting that to look glossy like u want it.
thats another thing I am really unfamiliar with these bikes and kinda dread is painting, wet sanding, buff & polishing these off to looking incredible ... I've seen some really nice bikes and a big part of it was the paint. im hoping that 2 stage paint all the plastics is going to be a smooth and painless job.
I'll look for a forum and post my project