Sometimes there's old nasty stuff that's trying to get out from under that old paint. It can become an eyesore that makes you wanna start over. Something like this under some old lacquer: Seems like short of a strip and refinish it's there to stay. But all is not lost. Can't make it disappear but we can make it far less obtrusive. My weapons of choice were some 1500 and 5000 grit sanding pads, some Dawn dishsoap in water (about a teaspoon to a qt), a 5" grinder with a cut down buffing pad and an orbital foam pad. Here's the 5000 pad and the sanded surface: You have to be thorough with the fine sanding so you dont have to machine polish too much. I also have an old Black n Decker professional polisher that I've used since I was 17yrs old, and it was old then (!) and yes the kind of tool most wouldn't use on a bet. Heavy and powerful: The 5" grinder has the speed for getting a high luster but it's not for the faint of heart. I can't share the touch and feel, but it's safe to say it comes in handy for the right job. The big one has the nuts for the 1st cut. For compound I use a mix of Maguires 3 and fine cut 3M, for the final and foam I use only the Maguires 3. With old lacquers it sort of "melts" some of the scars away. With a careful polish and good hard orbital foam pad we get this: I had no intentions of removing the blemishes completely, however the reduction was well worth the price of admission. All in this particular repair took about 30-40 min. Yes, there were such spots all over this car and some that will get sanded and paint blending. The car? What else... 1935 Packard 1207 Conv Victoria. A cpl before n after of this 12cyl beaut: So don't break out the paint stripper and spray gun rt away, see what you can do 1st. The transformation was worth a week's worth of effort. Go for it, and if you have any questions fire away. And yes, this works on old urethane too so no worries.
Great info. You are right, that buffer reminds me of the clip in the movie The Jerk. I've done this kind of work in my youth and have kept up my own cars. Most of the work shown could be done by hand to fix small spots for those who don't have the experience and tools, but the overall car shots show how much surface is involved! I do have one question for you. What current paint can be worked like this older stuff? I'd like to do a single stage but know that they are not as forgiving as older paint.
This works on newer finishes too. What you don't get is the "melt" like lacquer, you have to sand finer to almost a shine before you buff. The trick, if we wanna call it that, is to not sand too far. Just get some of it out and make it less apparent. It's a fix vs cure, but again, yes on new finishes too. Sand too far and the primer will show. Sneak up on it.
I do my own sanding and polishing but I love to see what others are doing, what variations and products. This was very helpful.
Thanks for the tips. That old buffer reminds me of the old Souix I grew up on and still have today, although it needs a pair of brushes. Its actually too heavy to lay out on a late model car hood without holding it up, but it definitely will cut.
Also have an old Souix that looks the same passed down from my dad, still in good shape. I've done a lot of work with it, but it's kinda dangerous. You can burn through in an instant and you know what happens when you catch an edge! Was great for rubbing out lacquer jobs back in the day. I know lacquer isn't as durable as new stuff, but it was a lot easier to spot repair and blend. A good buffer could make a lot of bad disappear. Got some small repairs to do on my OT daily and it looks like I'll have to prep and paint the whole quarter.
I still have my Souix buffer also. They tend to eat brushes because of the compound dust gets on the commentator and accelerates brush wear.
Good old Black and Decker polisher! My dad left me his B&D vintage 1/2" drill and its body looked just like your polisher. The thing had enuf torque to tear down a building. Was a man's tool, not for the feint of heart. Solid aluminum body, no stinking plastic, two wire power cord, no sissy ground wire. A short in the wire lit you up!!
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