When I got my bus I polished by hand with cutting compound and it came up quite well, I had hoped to borrow a mates electric polisher but he sold all his kit and retired (he was a panel beater and sprayer) before I could ask! My question is whether the cheap 2 handed car polishers are any good (Halfords et al) ?? Having looked at the archive I appreciate the professional stuff is much better but cash is tight!! Cheers B
Any orbital polisher will do the job but wil give you swirls which look terrible espcially on big panels. You can reduce this by buying an adjustable speed polisher and finishing it off with a soft polish and a final glaze, the slower the speed the more control you have over the job. The faster the speed, the more heat it will generate and you risk crashing through to the primer. There are a number of different foam heads available for cutting compound all the way down to soft polishing, using the right one is important, generally the softer the pad the later on in the job it should be used. Try ultimatefinish or detailingworld or similar for advice and tips. Old paint needs careful attention and IMHO its well worth checking twice and buffing once. When youve cracked it, its a really satisfying job to do. Heres a pic of my mothers beetle after I spent a day cutting, clay bar treatment, soft polish and final glaze.
Just remember, nice and slow til you get used to it, keep the pad flat to the panel at all times, lift it off the paint frequently and bobs yer Uncle
Don't forget if you're using a cutting compound like G3/G10, then you need to use water too, to keep the panel lubricated!!
