Powerful buffer needed

Powerful buffer needed. Something that can can be used for getting DEEP scratches out with minimum time. Something dangerous. Something that will make me reclear my truck every couple years. What buffer and what wheel? Need something limited in size to get in tight areas. What compound, polish, wax combo would be fastest? Tired of multiple hours multiple days with weak buffers and polishes after every off-road trip. What do I need? Not concerned with being delicate or showroom appearances.

 

You need Line-X

 

You are asking the wrong question.

You should be asking how you can improve your technique.

But if you want the most cut, get a dewalt or makita multiple speed rotary along with a twisted wool pad. Throw in Menzerna Power Gloss and coupled with your lack of ability you will have your ruined clear coat that you desire.

 

The orbital buffer I have is so weak it wont even spin on the paint... it just jiggles. I have several scratches all the way through my clear I need to blend down... and that was before my first buffing so the clear has no chance of survival. No need for condesending snarky remarks. I have been driving with deep scratches from the Toyota trail at Hidden Falls on my lower door side for over a year. Was given a polisher/buffer and it was no more help than doing everything by hand. If anyone has REAL suggestions on tequinique or materials I would be most grateful. The scratches are from siding sideways into a log that had been cut with a chainsaw on a steep off camber section. The door metal was slightly dented too. Trail is WAY too tight for a Toyota and gave me scratches, AKA red neck pin stripes, that are small, over 100% of truck and from one end to the other. I have those oput to an acceptable degree. Just want to be able to get scratches out in one 4 hour session after a trip or two. Cost of materials is not a real object, just want best tequnique and tools. This truck is not like the black Vette I washed by hand every other day and fretted over the slightest swirl marks. Currently an offroad trip requires 4 days of washing and polishing to get back to normal. Id like to do it in 4 hours.

 

First off if the scratches are through the clear like you say then you will "blend" them down. That panel or panels will need to be painted and cleared. If you can catch them with your nail your are SOL. You can try to use a 1500 grit sand paper with a block and lightly wet sand on the areas. Then you can buff with an actual rotary buffer because it sounds like you have a wax applicator. I use 3M Rotary buffer with a wool pad and their white cutting compound as step one then go to their black pad with black compound. After that is all done there is one more pad, blue, with a blue compound. I don't know how much money you have to drop on this right now. I highly doubt with the way you described your scratches that a buffer will take them out. It certainly won't take out any dents.

 

Not only can you feel the scrathes with a fingernail but in the right light you see wavyness to the metal where parts of the log dented the scratched areas. This is fine... noone notices it on the lower door section where the paint is over the bumpy bedliner type material. The white scrapes is what people see. I get scrapes on the clear that can be felt every offroad trip. I do not intend to reclear and repaint every offroad trip. That is why I worded my post the way I did. I dont even care if I cut through the clear... I know it is toast. I has been toast from day one. For a single day the scratches look removed... then it looks like the wax dries out and the white scratches reappear over about a week. I have buffed so that you cannot really feel them anymore... but you still see the white.

I agree that what I have seems like a wax applicator... it was great for that. It sucked trying to remoive enough clear to get out scratches you can feel. Can you provide me with a link to a propper buffer and compound I can order online? I work a lot and have very limited extra time. I spent one of my few days off last week buffing and polishing my truck and still dont have all the scratches out. Want to be able to get scratches off hte black plastic mirrors too. Compound seems to get most of them out.

 

You should check out a kit like Dr. Colorchip to help fill in those deep digs. It will fill the cracks and blends in very well. Then use your buffer to even things out.

 

Look at autogeek.net
Everything you could dream of about detailing is on that website.

 

What brand is the orbital buffer you have?

 

I have a Dewalt Wildcat. It is a 9" buffer/sander. It's a torquey SOB. If you press to hard with the buffing pad, you're taking paint off.

 

The DeWalt is a good one (I'm a DeWalt fan and most of my power tools are DeWalt), but another good choice is the Makita 9227CX3 (it was a gift). It's a beast if you want it to be. It's not cheap, but I couldn't be happier with it.

Makita 9227CX3 7" Hook and Loop Electronic Polisher-Sander with Polishing Kit (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Makita 9227CX3