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Pro Buffing Tips Explained
Step 6.
Once I finished buffing my first section of the hood, I move on
and begin buffing another section. The picture below shows the various
sections I've buffed. It's ok to buff smaller section. In each section
I apply a few ribbons of compound, spread it around with the buffing
pad, and have at it. Just like before, I move the buffer from one
side of my buffing area to the other side - slowly moving back and
fourth. Remember to overlap 50% on each pass.
 It's
a good idea to mentally divide each panel into "buffable sections".
I generally do it based on a panel's body lines.
In the picture to the R. I've used a drawing
program and colored the various sections I would buff independantly.
This is how I view a hood while I am buffing it. All of the sections
border either body lines or edges of the hood. I do the inside portions
of each section first (staying 1-2" from the edges), then do
the outer edges which fall on the body lines or contours. Again,
I do the body lines and hood edges separately so I can concentrate
on them because edges and bodylines are places most likely to buff
through.
Body Lines and Panel Edges
The most important thing to remember when buffing is that the direction
of the spinning buffing pad should always be AWAY
from a body line or panel edge. The greatest danger durring buffing
is the possibility of "burning through" the paint. This
happens when excess heat builds up on any one area and you buff
away too much of the paint. At corners, bodylines, edges and on
panel contours, heat builds up quickly and it's particularly easy
to burn through those areas. So, remember, when you buff a body
line, edge or contour, the pad should always be spinning away from
the edge or bodyline, not towards it.
Looking at the inset picture (above) you
can see how I approach the edge of the hood.The portion of the pad
by the red arrow is the part contacting the paint. The pad is spinning
away from the hood edge. The back of the buffer is lifted upwards
(remember the 15 degree angle?) so the back of the pad does not
touch the paint. If I accidentally dropped the back of the buffer
down, the backside of the pad will likely burn-through the edge
rather quickly. The green arrow in the inset picture shows the dirction
the buffer is moving.
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Step 7.
Here's a straight down view of buffing a body line on the
hood. Here again, you see I have the buffer positioned so
the pad is spinning away from the body line. The back of the
buffer is slightly lifted. The portion of the pad directly
below the red arrow is making contact with the paint surface.
I am moving the buffer along the edge of the bodyline (blue
arrow). When doing a body line like this, position the pad
so the part constacting the surface is about 1" from
the body line. In other words, play it safe, don't put the
buffer right directly on the bodyline. |
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Step 8.
Here is another view of buffing the same area as above, but
on the other side of the body line. Here you actuall have
to violate my rule of buffing away from a body line. In this
case, you don't have a choice but to buff towards the bodyline.
Here, I slow my buffer speed and use care.
As you can see, I've changed my body position and moved the
handle of the buffer around 180 degrees. The direction of
the pad is illustrated by the red arrow. I move the buffer
up and down the length of the hood (blue arrow) letting the
buffing pad ride in the contour. I am applying only a light
amount of pressure to the pad. Again, let the pad and compound
do the work. |
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Step 9.
The front of the hood, or any thin section, can be tricky.
In the large picture to the R. I am actually buffing the lower
edge of the hood. I have the buffer angled so the area of
the pad that contacts the surface is buffing downward. Here
I am moving the buffer along the front edge of the hood focusing
on the bottom edge.
In the inset picture, I have
rotated the handle of the buffer upwards and tilted the pad
so the edge of the pad contacts the paint surface near the
upper bodyline. Again, remember, never buff directly ON a
bodyline or edge, but near it's edge. That will help prevent
burn-through. |
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