wool or foam pads?
 

Which do you prefer for buffing,polishing.This would be mainly for nitro lacquer.I've always used wool with rubbing compound after color sanding.Foam is now the latest thing to use but I have no luck at all using them.I have a set of 3 different grades from Meguiers and hate 'em.They seem to soak up the liquid and leave the dry grit that streaks the paint.Is there a trick to using foam pads?This is on a dark maroon car.I also can't get rid of the swirls left by the buffer.

I use wool pads with 3m rubbing compound, Then I wash and go back with 3m polishing compound with the 3m black foam pad. Should give great results

I start out with a wool pad on a Makita buffer and then move on to the foam. I finish up using a Porter Cable 7424. This not a rotary buffer but a dual action orbital. Very easy to use and you just about can't screw up with it! I generally use Menzerna compounds all the way through. There is additional information available at autogeek.net.

I just can't get a nice deep gloss without a lot of fine swirl marks sand scratches.I think the paint was junk quality.I've buffed it so much I think the paint is worn out.It's only 3yrs old but looks older.It really looks bad in bright sunlight or at night.There is no clear coat on this.Everything stains it,even water! I've never had such shi**y paint.Even good wax doesn't help.I see other cars that look like they have never been touched,no swirls,scratches or blemishes and these guys are spraying detailer on a hot car and wiping it off. What's the secret to 'scratchless' looking paint

Wool pads cut, foam pads polish. Presta makes some very good products. They have a cutting creme that can be used followed by their polish. I purchased mine on ebay.

Don

I use a wool pad and have for 20 years . I have used foam pads before with sucess but I'm getting old and not that patient anymore. I know what works for me .Besides it's very hard on my back to spend extra time on the top surfaces. The trick as you asked is just having a spray bottle of water to reactivate the compound and keeping the surface cool. Spray it on the foam pad.Regarding the swirl marks it could be pushing to hard , letting compound dry to fast,not cleaning the wool pad enough,or buffer spinning too fast. When I have gotten swirl marks in the past I used meguiers no 9 or 3m polishing compound . Hope this helps.

Exactly as I would have replied!

I learned this from Barry at Southern Polyurethanes. He used to have a great write up about buffing on his website but for some reason he has removed it.

Don

It is still outlined in the back of SPI's Catalog...