Guerrilla Radio Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Possible? I wouldn't see why not, but I might as well ask, just in case. If I could avoid buying the buffing pads from stewmac, that'd be good, seeing as how i'm pressed for money. I saw a guy polish his guitar using only swirl remover on youtube... by hand. and I was just wondering how effective this would be as opposed to polishing with the polishing compounds and buffing pads. Any and all advice is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XcitR Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 It can be done by hand, just takes a little longer. I used a two-part auto poly clear, and only hand buffing for the final finishing. If I remember right, I used Meguire's Fine cut, swirl remover, Scratch-X, and then Show Car Glaze - all by hand. Came out with an awesome Mirror/Gloss finish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 When I finally got to polishing up the body on my telecaster, I did it all by hand. I wet-sanded up to 3000 grit, then used Maguires on it. I don't remember which product, but the finish was nice & reflective. The ONLY thing it has that I wish wasn't there were some swirl marks, but they're only visible when you're really looking for them at an extreme angle. So... is it possible to do it all by hand? Dang straight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosnelson Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Can anyone recommend an inexpensive Polisher/Buffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 At Home Depot, you can get a 6" buffer from Ryobi for $20. I plan on getting one next time I have to polish up a body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guerrilla Radio Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 At Home Depot, you can get a 6" buffer from Ryobi for $20. I plan on getting one next time I have to polish up a body. I'll have to check that out when I get to painting. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Those foam 3-M pads from StewMac work nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGW Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 (edited) I've done it by hand with really good results, but it's a real workout. I then tried one of those foam pads but it left alot of swirl marks and didn't work as well as doing it by hand. Easier yes ... good results, no. I finally decided to go with the StewMac buffing arbor setup and I'm glad I did. If you're just doing one guitar, you should be fine doing it by hand. But if you do alot of guitars, I'd recommend the StewMac buffing arbor. Edited May 22, 2008 by DGW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 ..just that StewMac no longer sells it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGW Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 ..just that StewMac no longer sells it. Sorry ... I didn't realize that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 For giggles I did one completely by hand with no compounds. I started wetsanding with 800 grit paper (& soapy water) and worked up to 2000, then switched to Micromesh pads going up to 12000. It only took about an hour and a half sitting in front of the TV. It turned out pretty well I think. click You can see the reflection of the bridge in the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGW Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 For giggles I did one completely by hand with no compounds. I started wetsanding with 800 grit paper (& soapy water) and worked up to 2000, then switched to Micromesh pads going up to 12000. It only took about an hour and a half sitting in front of the TV. It turned out pretty well I think. click You can see the reflection of the bridge in the top. That turned out nice, but isn't 800 grit a bit aggressive to start with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 That turned out nice, but isn't 800 grit a bit aggressive to start with? I leveled mine with 320 and started wetsanding with 400. It turned out fine. It'd depend on the thicknes of the finish if you'd sand through or not. I suppose I'm fortunate I laid it kinda thick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 For giggles I did one completely by hand with no compounds. I started wetsanding with 800 grit paper (& soapy water) and worked up to 2000, then switched to Micromesh pads going up to 12000. It only took about an hour and a half sitting in front of the TV. It turned out pretty well I think. click You can see the reflection of the bridge in the top. That turned out nice, but isn't 800 grit a bit aggressive to start with? Apparently not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGW Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 That turned out nice, but isn't 800 grit a bit aggressive to start with? I leveled mine with 320 and started wetsanding with 400. It turned out fine. It'd depend on the thicknes of the finish if you'd sand through or not. I suppose I'm fortunate I laid it kinda thick. Holy crap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foil1more Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 +1 on car polishing stuff. I used mothers scratch remover and wax on poly on my bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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