Need some help
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Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Calgary
Need some help
I need some product advice. We just purchased an 02' Subaru Forester that my wife will drive and I have been trying to clean up the paint. I have been using 3M Imperial Glaze but need something a little stronger to try and remove some of the larger scratches. Is there any recommended products that I can apply by hand (I do not have a PC) that will help with the scratches that the Imperial cannot conquer ?
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,113
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From: manhattan beach, calif
i even use the imperial hand glaze with a machine!
my first suggestion is to get a machine- one way to do this is to borrow one from a member... you supply product and refreshments, and he supplies his machine and know how.
on your larger scratches i would probably try a fine cut compound... then follow that with a swirl remover, and/or your glaze.
you can try it by hand, but good luck! imo, you will likely waste your product and time. even the pc with a lot of work is hard pressed to get out scratches!
my first suggestion is to get a machine- one way to do this is to borrow one from a member... you supply product and refreshments, and he supplies his machine and know how.
on your larger scratches i would probably try a fine cut compound... then follow that with a swirl remover, and/or your glaze.
you can try it by hand, but good luck! imo, you will likely waste your product and time. even the pc with a lot of work is hard pressed to get out scratches!
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,420
Likes: 8
From: Calgary
Originally Posted by wanabe,Aug 29 2005, 08:34 AM
i even use the imperial hand glaze with a machine!
my first suggestion is to get a machine- one way to do this is to borrow one from a member... you supply product and refreshments, and he supplies his machine and know how.
on your larger scratches i would probably try a fine cut compound... then follow that with a swirl remover, and/or your glaze.
you can try it by hand, but good luck! imo, you will likely waste your product and time. even the pc with a lot of work is hard pressed to get out scratches!
my first suggestion is to get a machine- one way to do this is to borrow one from a member... you supply product and refreshments, and he supplies his machine and know how.
on your larger scratches i would probably try a fine cut compound... then follow that with a swirl remover, and/or your glaze.
you can try it by hand, but good luck! imo, you will likely waste your product and time. even the pc with a lot of work is hard pressed to get out scratches!
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 16,310
Likes: 18
From: In the ether.
while I agree with wanabe that a machine would be best in this situation, it CAN be done by hand... It will just take more time and effort. Painfully more. 
However, I've done it myself. Start with a relatively strong product like 3M's fine cut compound and a soft 100% cotton applicator or towel. Autopia also sells a hand-polish applicator (they sell a hand polish bundle that has this applicator). This is actually a pretty aggressive combo by hand. Follow up with a swirl remover and cotton applicator/towel, then maybe switch to the same product with a foam applicator and then the glaze + foam applicator and finally your LSP of choice.
The trick is to realize what you can't remove (by hand or machine) and not try to remove, but simply reduce the visibility of those deeper scratches. General rule of thumb is that if you can feel the scratch with your fingernail it's too deep to remove and you should look to just smooth it out and round the edges to reduce its visibility.
It's definitely hard work, but what do you think folks did before the advent of machines like the PC? I've done it myself, moving from Menzerna IP (ideally suited to rotary use) to a perfect finish in about 20 minutes.
However, I've done it myself. Start with a relatively strong product like 3M's fine cut compound and a soft 100% cotton applicator or towel. Autopia also sells a hand-polish applicator (they sell a hand polish bundle that has this applicator). This is actually a pretty aggressive combo by hand. Follow up with a swirl remover and cotton applicator/towel, then maybe switch to the same product with a foam applicator and then the glaze + foam applicator and finally your LSP of choice.
The trick is to realize what you can't remove (by hand or machine) and not try to remove, but simply reduce the visibility of those deeper scratches. General rule of thumb is that if you can feel the scratch with your fingernail it's too deep to remove and you should look to just smooth it out and round the edges to reduce its visibility.
It's definitely hard work, but what do you think folks did before the advent of machines like the PC?
I've done it myself, moving from Menzerna IP (ideally suited to rotary use) to a perfect finish in about 20 minutes.
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,420
Likes: 8
From: Calgary
Originally Posted by animeS2K,Aug 30 2005, 12:31 AM
while I agree with wanabe that a machine would be best in this situation, it CAN be done by hand... It will just take more time and effort. Painfully more.
However, I've done it myself. Start with a relatively strong product like 3M's fine cut compound and a soft 100% cotton applicator or towel. Autopia also sells a hand-polish applicator (they sell a hand polish bundle that has this applicator). This is actually a pretty aggressive combo by hand. Follow up with a swirl remover and cotton applicator/towel, then maybe switch to the same product with a foam applicator and then the glaze + foam applicator and finally your LSP of choice.
The trick is to realize what you can't remove (by hand or machine) and not try to remove, but simply reduce the visibility of those deeper scratches. General rule of thumb is that if you can feel the scratch with your fingernail it's too deep to remove and you should look to just smooth it out and round the edges to reduce its visibility.
It's definitely hard work, but what do you think folks did before the advent of machines like the PC? I've done it myself, moving from Menzerna IP (ideally suited to rotary use) to a perfect finish in about 20 minutes.
However, I've done it myself. Start with a relatively strong product like 3M's fine cut compound and a soft 100% cotton applicator or towel. Autopia also sells a hand-polish applicator (they sell a hand polish bundle that has this applicator). This is actually a pretty aggressive combo by hand. Follow up with a swirl remover and cotton applicator/towel, then maybe switch to the same product with a foam applicator and then the glaze + foam applicator and finally your LSP of choice.
The trick is to realize what you can't remove (by hand or machine) and not try to remove, but simply reduce the visibility of those deeper scratches. General rule of thumb is that if you can feel the scratch with your fingernail it's too deep to remove and you should look to just smooth it out and round the edges to reduce its visibility.
It's definitely hard work, but what do you think folks did before the advent of machines like the PC?
I've done it myself, moving from Menzerna IP (ideally suited to rotary use) to a perfect finish in about 20 minutes.
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