Pro Polish Issue or User Error?

[MikeWood]

All,

I know everyone has products they like to use for buffing, polishing, waxing, etc. That's great, but I'm newer at this and I'm still experimenting. I tried Buff Magic last night, followed by Pro Polish. Unfortunately, I was not happy with the result after applying Pro Polish. The boat actually looked better after Buff Magic. When I switched to the Pro Polish, the finish got a little hazier. It wasn't as clear and shiny and the color (dark blue hull) wasn't as rich. So did I do something wrong? I took one area and re-applied the Buff Magic so I could compare them side by side, and it absolutely clear that Pro Polish was making things worse instead of better.

I seem to remember this issue in an old thread here somewhere, but I can't find it now. Or maybe I imagined it?

Any insight appreciated,
Mike

 

[1990-270-da-lover]

I used Buff Magic then Star Brite PTEF polish, then paste wax. I did notice a bit of haze/residue after the polish, but after buffing the wax the gelcoat looked great. I'm going to do it again at the beginning of next season, and hopefully I will just need to wax after that. Good Luck.

 

[Mike Blake]

I used both those products with luck. Did you use the buffer they sell and watch the video?

 

[Lazy Daze]

What's going on is the Buff Magic wasn't enough of a "compound" to totally get rid of the oxidation. It got rid of some, but then it simply just filled in the remaining nooks/crannies/valleys with it's "magic". When you applied the polish, it took back out some of that magic, which brought that haziness back again. The oxidation was still there - but the BM was acting as more of a coverall. It's good stuff, but it's really just a final-step product.

Like Mike said, though, you really need to use a good buffer (you can get them cheap at Harbor Freight and they work well). If you were only doing it by hand or improperly with a buffer, that could also be the problem.

If you want to 100% tell what a compound is doing... When you think you have it right, wipe it down with acetone. Acetone will take out any leftover "fillers" and give a true representation of the gelcoat's condition. The idea is to get the gelcoat totally smooth (no oxidation) with the various grits of compound, as opposed to relying on fillers. Then you put a high quality wax/protectant on and it stays that way (if you keep on the wax).

Think of oxidation like this... what the water looks like on a windy day. The more wind, the choppier/rougher the water. As the winds calm down, the water starts to look like a mirror. That's what you want with your gelcoat - get rid of the waves. The only true way to do that is to sand off the tips of the waves. We're dealing with microscopic levels of "waves" here, so don't get too worried about my use of the word "sand"... although, obviously, if you go too far you can remove the gelcoat completely.

 

[MikeWood]

thanks guys. I was using the Shurhold DA buffer and followed their instructions/video for Buff Magic. I'll give it another go and see if I can get better results.

 

[endless seas]

I have used both products with great success good luck.

 

[HUMPH]

Just use Presta Products and make things way easier...

 

[1990-270-da-lover]

I used both those products with luck. Did you use the buffer they sell and watch the video?
No I have a buffer that I got from Harbor Freight, it's a variable speed 7" bonnet. Works well. My boat was severly oxidized when we got her so before even getting to the point where I could use the Buff Magic, I had to use 3M heavy duty compound to get down to some decent gelcoat.

 

[Dave S]

A few years back, I got involved in a controversy here on CSR where BoatTest.com had used a picture of my 260DA in their advertising for Shurhold products when I didn't use their polish on my boat. I started a long thread on the subject and Barry Berhoff (sp?) , the owner of Shurhold, was kind enough to send me some free Shurhold products to test. While I generally like Shurhold products, I was not satisfied with the results of Pro Polish. But I was applying it by hand, which is normally how I apply my preferred favorite which is Meguairs Flagship, after I compound with a buffer. I think I would have got better results applying Pro Polish with a buffer.

The other thing is with a colored hull, it is sometimes more difficult to get the results you are looking for with one product over another because i have tried many many different brands over the years.