i just got my porter cable a few weeks ago and used it with nu finish scratch doctor and meguiars paint cleaner and polish to remove some of my swirl marks. i used my sonus sfx yellow pad (the heavy swirl remover pad i think) with the nu finish and the white pad (light swirl remover) with the paint cleaner and polish. I only set the pc to 3500 opm and the swirls are still there. am i setting the pc high enough? is 6000 too fast? I checked the how to thread but it didn't give me a straight answer.

 

Run it on 5-6 and make sure you are moving very slowly, 1in/sec. Going too fast, at too low of a speed, and not working the product long enough seem to be the common beginners problems. Practice in a small area til you get the hang of what process gives you the results you are after.

 

Two things. Those aren't great products and I run my PC on 5 and 6 all the time. You need to generate heat with the right product to reduce swirls.

Buy a true swirl remover from Meguiars professional line, 3M's line or a product from Optimum, Clearkote, Poorboys etc. Stay away from the stuff sold in the autoparts stores.

 

speed 5-6 with some pressure (10-20lb of pressure), with the right products will reduce swirls. you may have to step down in product/pad aggressiveness before finishing up with your wax or sealant of choice.

The yellow pad is a relatively strong pad and used with a proper abrasive polish should cut through most light to medium swirls like butter, but may leave some of its own marring. In that case, you need to step down to a lighter pad (the white SFX2 pad) with a lighter product to remove the pad/polish induced marring. Finish up with an even lighter combo *if needed* (blue SFX3 pad and glaze if topping with carnauba), and then apply your wax or sealant.

Ubetit had some good recommendations. I might also recommend the SFX polishes as a good starting point for beginners. (SFX1, SFX2, SFX3 = most aggressive > least aggressive, just like your pads).

Good luck with it.

 

I start my PC at 3-4 to spread the polish evenly over the surface, and then after my first pass i bump the speed up to 6 and move very slowly across the paint, applying a little pressure. Even at max speed you don't have to worry about damaging the paint, it is VERY hard to do so with a PC

 

Yes, it is difficult to damage the paint with a PC, but I'd still watch out on edges and high spots, where the paint is thinner.

I've TRIED to burn paint with the PC on a flat section and had trouble doing it, but with a yellow pad and aggressive polish, it's still possible if you're trying - though very unlikely with a 6" pad. A 4" pad, on the other hand...

 

It is virtually impossible to burn your paint with a PC as long as you spritz your polishing pad with a detailing spray prior to each run of product. I don't think I have ever used it on anything but the highest setting and wished it had 3 higher speeds

 

thanks for the helpful advice everyone. luckily i'm almost out of meguiars anyway so i'll be shopping for quality products. looks like speed was my problem. i was moving rather quickly over the surface at 3.5k opm.

 

Sonus does not offer a finishing glaze. What brands offer a finishing glaze? I know that Pinnicle offers a finishing glaze. Does Pinnicle make good product's, and how do they compare to the Sonus product's?

 

Well, I didn't say Sonus glaze, tho SFX3 does have some fillers in it, if I'm not mistaken. My glaze of choice is ClearKote's Red Moose Machine Glaze (RMG). Either that or Meguiar's #7 on single stage.

I've only ever used Souveran paste wax from Pinnacle, so I can't comment on their other products.