angussg Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) I am currently using maguiers swirl free polish. Is this something that takes several uses to get a good shine ( i am polishing by hand)? Edited January 11, 2009 by angussg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godzilla Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 I am currently using maguiers swirl free polish. Is this something that takes several uses to get a good shine ( i am polishing by hand)? What did you use up to that? I just finished one with a Maguires swirl remover and it turned out great. I went to 12k with micro mesh and I used a soft cotton cloth dipped in mineral spirits to apply. One application for this one. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angussg Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 How Long or how many times did you polish it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godzilla Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 How Long or how many times did you polish it? Just the one time.....it looks slick and wet. After that I used some 3M performance finish. Looks real nice, not a contender though. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 In me experience, the three major factors that can mess you up at this stage are: #1 your sanding/polishing in the prior stages was not good enough. As you move down the grits, you need to completely clean off the instrument between each grit, otherwise you continue to make scratches from little bits of the larger grits that you haven't removed. Also, at each grit you need to make sure you have removed the scratches from the previous grit. #2 the substrate you're using with the Maguiars is not good enough. It might be causing scratching itself - I use the StewMac foam pad chucked into a drill for this stage, with the drill sitting in a vise so that I can hold the guitar with both hands. If I'm doing it by hand, I use a cotton T-shirt. Whatever you're using, you also have to be very careful to not contaminate it with dust or any other abrasive grit - I keep mine in a clean Tupperware box in a drawer, and from Day 1 I have used it only with Maguiars swirl remover and nothing else (no cross-contamination with other grits). #3 your finish is not hard enough to get a "dipped in glass" buff-out. This can happen if the material is just too soft (for example, Tru Oil can be buffed but not quite as hard as poly), or it was thinned with the wrong material (never thin with mineral spirits...), or it hasn't cured long enough to harden completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trashman Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 what exactly is the process for this and where can i find meguiar? i live in ohio. i have been reading dan erlewines "guitar player repair guide" and he says to use compound #2 after a 1200 grit sanding followed by #9(swirl remover) and then onto the #7 glaze. if i use micromesh papers up to say 12000 grit can i skip any of the above steps? also i found a pumice and rotton stone combination --anyone use this? i dont know what works best since im having a difficult time finding the meguiars. i apologize for the thread steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godzilla Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 What I used after the swirl remover was 3M hand glaze, not the performance finish. Sorry for any confusion. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trashman Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 i just reread your post 'zilla, and you did go to 12000 w/ micromesh. so that answers that. then just straight to the swirl remover and glaze. check and check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Mequiars stuff is typically found at any auto parts chain (NAPA, Advance, Pep Boys, etc). 3M also makes a swirl remover that you may see there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angussg Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) "your finish is not hard enough to get a "dipped in glass" buff-out. This can happen if the material is just too soft (for example, Tru Oil can be buffed but not quite as hard as poly), or it was thinned with the wrong material (never thin with mineral spirits...), or it hasn't cured long enough to harden completely." So if i were to use brush on poly (minwax) could i get a hard easily buffable finish? (sory i dont know how to quote Edited January 11, 2009 by angussg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 In addition, how long has the finish been allowed to cure. If you don't allow enough time for it to fully cure, the soft underlayers won't polish out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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