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How to Remove swirls by hand.
  Removing swirls by hand.
Swirls are very minute etched
lines in the top paint or clear coat layer. Swirls can be permanently
removed or cosmetically hid. It is very difficult to remove swirls by hand. To
remove a swirl, you must abrade away the top layer of paint or clear coat that
contains the defect. This is best accomplished with a machine polisher. See our
article, "Removing
swirls with an orbital action polisher" and "Removing
swirls with a circular polisher." If you do not have a machine
polisher, you can still create the illusion of a swirl-free surface through hand
polishing.
Hiding swirls through hand
polishing:
Swirls can be visually hid by
polishing the surface with a mild polish. This rounds off the top edge of the
swirl, robbing sunlight of a sharp edge to cause a reflection. When you buff off
the polishing residues, fillers will stay in the depressions. Finish by applying
your favorite wax or paint sealant. This will hold the fillers in place,
cosmetically hiding swirls and minor paint blemishes. Polishing also restores
surface gloss and prepares the surface for waxing. This procedure does not
remove the swirl. Swirls may be visible in certain light conditions (fluorescent
lamps are ruthlessly revealing) and will reappear as the wax ages. That said,
most people will look at your car and think it's flawless.
Before you start:
Before polishing, it's a good
idea to check for paint contamination. This is easily done by placing your
hand inside a plastic sandwich bag and running your fingertips over the surface.
If the paint is rough or gritty, consider using a clay bar before trying to
remove swirls. See , "How
to remove paint contamination" on our Problem Solving page.
This step is optional but worth the extra effort. Hand polishing will not remove
rough, gritty paint contamination. If your car's paint surface is smooth,
proceed with polishing.
Products required:
Procedure:
- Work on a 18 to 24 square inch area, out of
direct sunlight.
- Apply polish to a Microfiber or Terry
Applicator Pad or directly on the paint. This is a personal preference. If
applying polish to the applicator pad, I use a liberal, Quarter-size amount
of product. If applying to the paint, I apply a couple of 8 inch long lines
of polish.
- Using a moderate to firm pressure, work the
polish over the paint using back-and-forth motions. Polish in a side-to-side
motion and then in an up-and-down motion until the polish is almost dry.
- Wipe off polish residues using a clean
Microfiber or Terry detailing cloth.
- Continue working in 18 to 24 square inch areas
until the complete panel or vehicle is polished.
- Follow immediately with your favorite wax or
paint sealant to protect and seal the finish.
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Apply polish to
Terry Applicator Pad.
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Wipe-on with
back-and-forth motion.
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Note: There is
a debate over what category of wax or paint sealant to use after
polishing. Purists feel you should follow polishing with a pure wax or
paint sealant. They feel one-step, cleaner/waxes or cleaner/ sealants
remove some of the fillers left in the etched lines defeating some of
the purpose of polishing. Manufacturers of one-step products insist that
using their product after polishing compliments the previous polishing
step and provides additional gloss enhancement. |
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Buff off polish
residues.
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From my experience, on solid black or red vehicles, I prefer to follow
polishing with a pure wax or paint sealant. On any other color, I can't
discern a difference between using a pure wax or a one-step product. I
have routinely followed polishing my beige mini-van and green sedan with
Klasse All-In-One (a one-step product) and obtained excellent results. |
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Apply paint sealant
to Microfiber Pad.
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Wipe on.
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Show car glaze step:
This step is
completely optional but is used on many show cars to deepen the gloss
before waxing. After polishing, repeat the procedure using a glaze such
as Menzerna
Finishing Touch Glaze, Meguiar's
No. 7 Show Car Glaze or 3M
Imperial Hand Glaze. Obviously this doubles the amount of
work which can be arm-numbing when you get to be my age. I have to admit
I've cheated on this step and just glazed the hood of my car and then
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Buff to a bright
shine.
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finished with a coat of wax. This step
does make a difference, especially if you own a black, red or dark color
vehicle.
What kind of results
can I expect?
Several years ago,
before I invested in a machine polisher, I took delivery of a new, deep
burgundy vehicle that I swear was dealer prepared with a Brill-O Pad!
The finish was a mass of swirls. Repeatedly polishing the finish, using
the above procedure, over a period of 3 to 4 months, I was able to
create a pristine, swirl-free finish. It took a lot of work but every
time I hand polished the surface, I rounded over more of the swirl until
I reached a point where it really was invisible. I mention this because
one polish application will visually reduce swirls but will not remove
them. They will reappear as the top, wax coating ages and the entire
procedure will need to be repeated.
Personal Note:
After my burgundy car experience, I invested in a machine polisher. I
started with the orbital, Porter
Cable 7424 because I was inexperienced in using a polisher
and did not want to harm my car's finish. It was the best car-care
investment I ever made. I was able to achieve better results in 20 to 30
minutes of machine polishing than I could in months of hand polishing.
If you're serious about keeping your car's finish vibrant and
swirl-free, I strongly recommend investing in a machine polisher.
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