Polishing a non-clear coat NA

Body, Paint, Interior and Trim questions and answers

Moderators: timk, Stu, zombie, Andrew, -alex, miata

apsilon
Fast Driver
Posts: 342
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:43 pm
Vehicle: NA8
Location: Sydney

Re: Polishing a non-clear coat NA

Postby apsilon » Tue Dec 18, 2018 6:09 am

Talc naturally contains asbestos, it's just that the stuff sold for use is supposed to have undetectable amounts. No surprise that some less scrupulous people would take a cheaper route and produce a sub par product.

Also, it doesn't take lumps. All it takes is a single particle the size of a grain of sand that has hardness to introduce swirls. May not even be from the talc itself, could be introduced in the manufacturing or packaging process. Would have zero impact when used as intended but paint is far softer, thinner and more vulnerable than skin. Everyone is free to use what they prefer and I prefer to use a product for it's intended purpose.
'97 Neo Green limited edition

User avatar
hks_kansei
Speed Racer
Posts: 6154
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:43 am
Vehicle: NB8A
Location: Victoria

Re: Polishing a non-clear coat NA

Postby hks_kansei » Tue Dec 18, 2018 9:11 am

ralt wrote:Hi.
Most of you people obviously do not know what baby powder is and its uses If you have children and do not know really what it is or the texture of the product is perhaps you should give your wife/partner more assistance around your babies. If you find lumps in it sue the company-good luck.



A bit condescending, but anyway, talc isn't some rare secret known only to people with children.
If it's supposed to be, then they're doing a terrible job at hiding it since it's on the supermarket shelves.



The point is that every product has a level of quality control, especially when it comes to powders and abrasives, they all rely on making sure to only have X oversized/undersized/contaminant particles per thousand/million/etc


Basically, all it would take is a couple of grains of sand or something to stuff up paint, those same grains would do absolutely nothing to skin, talc's usual use.

On top of that, car polish abrasives are suspended in a liquid, which helps to keep it all evenly spread, as well as providing some lubrication to help it polish better without marks.


Short answer:
horses for courses.
Talc may well work, but it's not guaranteed and may cause damage.
Car polish will clean your teeth, but it's not guaranteed and may cause damage. (probably poisoning)

Save the talc for kids bums and coating rubber gaskets in storage so they dont stick to packaging etc.
1999 Mazda MX5 - 1989 Honda CT110 (for sale) - 1994 Mazda 626 wagon (GF's)

Forgiven
Fast Driver
Posts: 102
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2017 1:19 pm
Vehicle: NA6
Location: Canberra

Re: Polishing a non-clear coat NA

Postby Forgiven » Sun Apr 19, 2020 9:06 pm

Update:

I have had a great result from Meguiar's Scratch X product, microfibre cloths, and good old-fashioned hand polishing. Used it all over (and learned from them 1/2 way through that it was only meant to be for spot-work!) Finished with one their quick spray wax. Pleased that I didn't have to buy and learn a machine.

User avatar
KevGoat
Speed Racer
Posts: 3940
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:48 pm
Vehicle: NB SE
Location: Down South, Adelaide, SA

Re: Polishing a non-clear coat NA

Postby KevGoat » Sun Apr 19, 2020 11:10 pm

Forgiven wrote:Pleased that I didn't have to buy and learn a machine.


The trouble is with any of the machines is if you make a mistake it's serious. Referring back to my old post here, the method I used (from other posts elsewhere) is almost fool proof. That was the first time I'd ever tried any sort of paint correction and the easy as you go process gave me confidence as I progressed. Sure, it's never going to give results in just a day, but for anybody starting out it's a safe method. Since then on my other cars, for minor scratches and imperfections I've used scratch and swirl removers and these work well. I'd always prefer to stick to the known products and methods.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Mr Morlock
Speed Racer
Posts: 6444
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:40 am
Vehicle: NB8B
Location: Melbourne

Re: Polishing a non-clear coat NA

Postby Mr Morlock » Tue Apr 21, 2020 11:44 am

You can use a machine and buff to get a good result over a larger surface but if you want to do it all by hand and still get a good result then fair enough. I have had a sander/ polisher for decades- still useful for larger surfaces particularly when one is repainting panels.

apsilon
Fast Driver
Posts: 342
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:43 pm
Vehicle: NA8
Location: Sydney

Re: Polishing a non-clear coat NA

Postby apsilon » Tue Apr 21, 2020 1:16 pm

Modern dual action polishers are very forgiving compared to the old buffer and wool pad. You'd have to try to stuff anything up in most cases.
'97 Neo Green limited edition

User avatar
KevGoat
Speed Racer
Posts: 3940
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:48 pm
Vehicle: NB SE
Location: Down South, Adelaide, SA

Re: Polishing a non-clear coat NA

Postby KevGoat » Tue Apr 21, 2020 1:40 pm

Is dual action different than orbital? I just quickly read a little bit on them but a bit confusing, then I checked some autostores online and some models say dual action but look like normal polishers and some say dual action orbital. Noticed there's chordless ones too, are these any good?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


Return to “MX5 Body, Paint, Interior & Trim”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 164 guests