Does Meguiar's Scratchx Swirl Remover Have Silicone In It?

[Mind Riot]

Hi all. I recently managed to put some nice scratches on my black Schecter when I removed the bridge pickup and bezel to cut the pickup height spring so I could adjust it higher. The height adjustment screw put some rather deep scratches on the top, despite my laying down shop towels on the body to protect it. It cut right through them and left scratches.

So I wet sanded them out with Micro Mesh, and got rid of all of them except two deep spots that I suspect are down past the clear, so I left them. They're quite tiny, I won't have any problem living with them.

I used the Micro Mesh all the way up to 12000, so the gloss is indistinguishable from the rest of the guitar unless you hold it at a certain angle in the light, then you can tell the patina doesn't quite match. Neither the stock surface nor the repaired surface look bad, they just look ever so slightly different.

I was also thinking to myself that it was time to polish this guitar. It's got the usual light scratches and swirls over most of it from use. I clean it regularly, but I've never actually polished it, with a nourishing polish meant for paint. I've had it for just over two years now, and it was new when I got it.

So I went looking for some swirl remover and polish at the auto parts store, and came across this Meguiar's ScratchX swirl remover. I'm also planning on picking up some of the Mirror Glaze #7 tomorrow, but I just got the ScratchX today. I was planning on using the ScratchX to remove some of the light scratches then polish with the #7. But I know some polishes and cleaners contain silicone, and I don't want something I apply now to mess me up later if I need to do drop fills or touch up work at some point.

I looked around Meguiar's website and forum, and someone asked this very question directly. The Admin danced around it, saying that ScratchX was "formulated to work on cured paints" whereas Swirl Remover #9 "was safe for body shop work". This makes me think that ScratchX does contain silicone but he doesn't want to admit it and have to deal with some of the paranoia about it. But in the world of guitar finishes, concern about silicone is justified.

So what I'm wondering is, does anyone know FOR A FACT whether or not Meguiar's ScratchX swirl remover contains silicone? My information I've found so far makes me think that it does, and I may take it back tomorrow if I can. I don't know what else to get, Meguiar's is a brand I trust becuase of everything I've heard about it, but I need to get something that will work for the special needs of guitar finishes.

[erikbojerik]

I've used Meguiar's swirl remover without problem, but it isn't "ScratchX" it is something else with a number on it (maybe #9?). I'd have to check for sure when I get home.

Whatever you do, just be sure that you use a separate buffing pad for each grade of polishing compound, and only that compound, you NEVER want to cross-contaminate them with something else. Otherwise you'll get a mixture of grit sizes on the pad and leave yourself with tiny faint scratches.

Be aware that there is "silicone" and "silica" which are two different things. Silicone is a chemical compound dissolved in the solution that will wreck havoc, as it leaves a residue that is difficult to remove. Silica is basically tiny chips of SiO2 glass that make up the abrasive in some finishing compounds, and causes no more problems than any other abrasive.

silica = SiO2 (glass)

silicon carbide = SiC (harder than silica)

alumina = Al2O3 (the abrasive on common sandpaper, about as hard as silicon carbide)

then there's diamond (hardest)

[Mind Riot]

Yes, the #9 is what I would like to find if possible, it's what Dan Erlewine recommends in his book and what a lot of people use with good results. The #9, according to some of the reading I've done on the Meguiar's website, is from their "professional" line of products, and contains no silicone. The ScratchX is from their "consumer" line of products, and I can't find a straight answer about whether or not it has silicone anywhere.

I did spot some 3M Rubbing Compound that listed ingredients that I could pick up for light scratch removal and then follow with polish. No mention of silicone in the ingredient list on the back (silica is the abrasive in that stuff).

Thanks for responding, if anyone else has any insight I would appreciate it as well.

[Mind Riot]

Well, I returned the ScratchX and exchanged it for some Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze, then I went looking for the swirl remover. After driving all over town, I found one place that had one bottle of the #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 so I picked it up.

I tried them both out on my Schecter last night, and they cleaned up a good amount of the little pick scratches and polished it to a nice shine. There's still a lot of deeper scratches that I imagine I'd have to get some more aggressive compound to get rid of, but to be honest I'm not the most demanding person when it comes to finishes. There isn't a haze of pick scratches near the high strings anymore, and she has a nice shine, so I'm happy. Maybe sometime in the future I might really go at it to get a perfect gloss with no scratches, but probably not. A guitar is going to be handled constantly, it's going to get scratches, so I'm pretty content with what I have.

Thanks for all the information!

[Southpa]

I've been using Meguiar's for years on all my guitars. I've gotten the best results from their "Deep Crystal System" No. 2 polish. I also have the #9 Swirl Remover and I can't say for sure whats in it. As mentioned, there is silicon and then there is silicone, they are totally unrelated, one being an abrasive commonly used in polishing compounds, the other used as a sealant that NOTHING sticks to and thats the main problem with silicone in the guitar building area. I paint houses and get really pissed when I found that windows have been sealed with silicone, my paint doesn't stick to those edges! I usually wind up stripping out the old sealant and applying a paintable latex sealant. Anyway, there IS mention on the label of the #9 Swirl Remover that the compound should not be applied to vinyl or rubber surfaces. I don't know what the repercussions would be if it was used that way, likely nothing at all for good or bad.