polishing tools

General Composites Discussions Equipment Talk
#1

i’m doing overlays using epoxy resin (uv stable) and i’m applying the resin with a brush. after the resin cures i do get that shiny finish i’m looking for without clearcoat but there are blemishes here and there (low/high spots). anyway the supplier of the resin says i can get that shiny finish after wet sanding till 1500 grit and buffing by hand with a cutting cream. i tried that yesterday but i’m not getting the same finish as before and i was thinking maybe i’m doing something wrong or maybe i need to be using a polishing machine instead of using my hand.

any idea what of what i might be doing wrong?

any recommendation on good polishing tools i can use?

#2

What make is the resin OP? Epoxy generally provides a matte finish, wet sanded and polishing will bring some luster to it but not like clear coat can.

Everything we make is epoxy based, we shoot a top coat of either high gloss Duratec or Endura in our moulds prior to infusing and with polishing after the piece is pulled, trimmed and wet sanded still requires some clear.

That’s my experience with it, for polishing we use a 3" mini polisher for hard to reach spots and a traditional Fein high speed polisher (same as any other polisher) with 3M foam pads or wool cutting pad.

We wet sand 400/800/1200 then use a finish compound (presta) after clear coat.

If you want some brilliance to it, clear coat is the only option for high finish.

#3

http://www.cp.com/en/whatwedo/powertools/ecatalogue/?family=7&filterby=all

#4

I wet sand to 2000. Then use random orbit polisher with a 3000 grit 3M Trizac pad, then 3M Perfect It Compounding, then 3M Perfect It Machine Polish, lastly Meguiar’s Swirl Remover 2.0. You can get some pretty cheap interface/polishing pads that can get chucked in a low speed drill rather than purchasing an expensive polishing machine. Often it’s easiest to clamp the drill in vise and hold the part.

#5

Here is what I do when I overlay and have to polish.

I use the following sand papers wet or dry, (depending on the part). 220o grit -> 400 grit -> 800 grit -> 1200 grit -> 1500 grit. I then buff with a heavy duty rubbing compound that is made to remove sand marks up to 600 grit. After that I buff with one made to remove 800, and then 1200. After that I’ll polish with a swirl mark remover, and then a polish glaze. After that I wax. Each cream has its own pad.

#6

Hi 2talljohn, what the purpose of the wax @ the final stage?.

if possible can you please list the products ur using for each stage.

i think i was doing it wrongly coz after wet sanding till 2000 grit i would a fine cutting compound and from there i would use 3M perfect IT glaze and skip the swirl mark remove step.

thanks.