Blended my first repair with a buffer and it went sideways fast

I was working on a 2018 Honda Accord hood last Tuesday, wet sanding some orange peel. Thought I had the technique down, went over it with the compound and a wool pad at 2000 rpm. When I pulled it into the sun, I saw these deep buffer trails that looked like scratches. An older guy I work with walked over and pointed out I wasn't keeping the pad flat on longer passes. I had been running it at a slight angle for years without realizing it. Has anyone else learned the hard way that their buffer angle was off?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler17627d ago

Nah man, I gotta disagree with @wood.john on this one. 2000 rpm with wool on a Honda clear is totally fine if your technique is solid. I run that exact setup all the time on Honda and Toyota clear and it finishes out great. The angle thing is key though - you gotta keep that pad flat for most of the stroke, but honestly a tiny bit of angle on the edge helps cut the heavy stuff. Sounds like you were just putting too much pressure on the edge without enough pad rotation to spread the heat. Wool will bite hard if you let it dig in at an angle. Try dropping your arm speed and keeping longer overlapping passes next time.

wood.john27d ago

2000 rpm with a wool pad on a Honda hood? That's pretty hot for single stage or even modern clear. Wool pads need lower speed like 1200-1400 tops unless you're running a forced rotation. Running at an angle is half the issue, but the other half is that wool actually needs a tiny bit of angle to cut properly. The real problem was probably too much speed plus heavy pressure on the edge. A lot of guys think wool is just for fast cutting but it'll leave holograms every time if you're not careful. Try a foam cutting pad at 1500 next time, way more forgiving.