Article Revisions / Updates The advent of new materials like detailing clay, micro fibre, polymer coating, nano-particle technologies and new micro abrasives are examples of why it’s so important to monitor the industries new products, chemical technologies and ideas that are constantly being introduced, as are the techniques for applying them, hence all of the in-depth articles will be up-dated and revised on a regular basis Paint Correction / Restoration A revision to the "Polishing (Paint Surface Correction / Renovation)" detailing article The future resale value of a vehicle depends on its all round condition, including the original paint. This entails correcting 95% + of the visible imperfection in the paint; swirls, scratches, etching, etc, which are legitimately, removed without compromising the clear coat thickness. This type of paint renovation should only be needed once in a car's lifetime; maintaining the integrity of the vehicle's original paint should be relatively easy provided the paint surface is correctly maintained; using the proper technique, and quality tools and car care products for washing and drying there should be no reason (barring an accident or vandalism) that you would inflict surface scratches or swirls. There comes a point when you must judge wither removing a scratch will compromise the clear coat (0.5 Mil >) and if so you’ll have to ‘live’ with the imperfection (these can be aesthetically masked by using a Glaze) The light surface marring that results from wiping down with a towel over time can easily be remedied by using a very light abrasive one-step polish (Menzerna PO 203 S - Power Finish) and a protective wax and/or polymer sealant.. This way you’ll maintain the original paint’s integrity for decades, with allowance only for environmental erosion. Methodology 1.Wash the paint surface 2.Bonded contaminants on the cars paintwork should be removed using detailer's clay to leave a smooth surface ready for machine compound or polish. 3.Take thickness measurements of the paint surface with a paint thickness gauge (PTG) any areas that are suspect should be noted on a Paint Thickness Template and will require very careful consideration as to the best method of correction to avoid striking through the clear coat. 4.Inspect the paint finish with a paint inspection lamp (3M SunGun or a Brinkman) this makes spotting any paint imperfections a great deal easier. 5.Throughout all stages of the polishing process the cars trim adjacent to the area being worked on should be carefully protected using painters tape to mask it to avoid damage. 6.Start the polishing process with a diagnosis of the paint finish and then proceed with the least aggressive polish / pad combination on a ‘test section’ panel, once you have established a suitable polish/pad combination proceed to polish / refine the paint surface 7.It may be necessary to carry out some localized wet sanding to facilitate full removal of any deep scratches, once again, paint thickness will be checked, and if the paint is too thin wet sanding should not be considered. 8.Finally use a polish to remove any surface imperfection and then a fine polish / pad to burnish the paint surface Heat from Kinetic (or dynamic) Friction Kinetic friction induced heat is an often misunderstood concept of polishing / compounding; abrasives require friction to breakdown, not heat; heat is just a resultant of friction between two surfaces. Polishing a paint surfaces transfer’s kinetic (or dynamic) friction induced heat to the paint surface, thermoplastic polymers have both tensile strength and elongation (elasticity) which allow the surface to flex, expand and contract in accordance to surrounding temperatures, solvents, resins and other ingredients in polishes will expand causing the paint film surface to expand. As the metal substrate expands the paint moves with it, due to its elasticity, thereby becoming elongated (thinner) this is part of the cause of friction induced ‘burn’, you’re applying pressure and an abrasive to a less dense (‘thinner’) paint surface. An extract from one of a series of in-depth detailing articles © TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2008, all rights reserved
