Technical Quick question about paint?

Back in the day, people used to say they "hand rubbed" the paint. What does that mean exactly?

 

They didn't have an electric or air powered buffer to polish out the paint-likely lacquer-so they rubbed it out the hard way to get the shine up

 

The term comes from the old lacquer paint jobs.. once sprayed and dried on the car. The paint had to be lightly color sanded and/or rubbed with fine compound to get the "gl*** smooth" finish. Rubbing compound on a wool cloth or a wool polishing wheel is rubbed on the paint till it has a gloss..

 

Got it. Thanks guys. After spending hours at work wet sanding and more hours buffing with an electric buffer, I couldn't imagine doing it by hand.

 

Actually the automotive field was just a continuation of furniture finishing. You might want to google "French Polishing" where no they used rotenstone as the polishing medium.

Edit: Sorry brain freeze, not French polishing but polishing with pumice.

 

In 63' my friend sprayed my 37' with good old Lacquer, and it was so smooth I just took a two foot square area each day after work and hand rubbed it out using the Dupont red compound

Finished with a coat of wax and that it how it came ' Priceless '
DND

 

That is a BAD*** car!

 

Thanks Dude it was a fun ride too

 

Lacquer was MUCH easier to hand polish, than today's catalyzed paints. You can do today's stuff, but it is really labor intensive.