Cutting Polishes can drastically improve the condition of the clear coat. This step can help faded, oxidized, swirled and scratched clear coats look significantly better. The cutting polish helps restore a transparent clear coat, which allows for light to pass directly through the clear coat, thus creating a bright reflection with a deep shine. This step produces some of the most noticeable results that make you proud of your vehicles stunning appearance.

A cutting polish will remove a micro-thin layer of your clear coat. It helps smooth out scratches, swirls and buffs out watermarks that are etched into the clear coat. We suggest using a cutting polish once or twice a year or as needed to treat imperfections as they happen. The surface can appear hazy from using a cutting polish. This slight haze is to be expected and will be buffed out with finer polishes, also known as finishing polishes in the next step. Finishing Polishes are explained in more detail in the next step.

Recommended Products For Machine Buffing:
* Porter Cable 7424 Buffer or Cyclo Polisher
* Velcro Backing Plate
* Cutting Pad or Polishing Pad
* Heavy Cutting Polish or Medium Cutting Polish
* Quick Detailer Solution
* 2 - 4x Microfiber Towels

Recommended Products For Hand Buffing:
* Lake Country Hand Applicator w/ Appropriate Pad
or Microfiber Applicator Pad or Terry Cloth Applicator
* Heavy Cutting Polish or Medium Cutting Polish
* 2 - 4x Microfiber Towels

Is A Buffer Necessary?
While you can still polish by hand, the results are considerably better when you use a quality buffer like the Porter Cable 7424. Below are some of the major benefits of using the PC7424 with the velcro backing plate. The velcro backing plate screws directly into the PC7424 and allows you to easily swap pads on and off. The velcro backing plate is also 6” in diameter, which evenly distributes pressure from the buffer throughout the entire 6.5” diameter of the pad.

A) It saves you time and energy. When applying coat after coat by hand, you tend to get tired and slow down. Your fingertips exert pressure over a very small area so it requires many passes just to cover a small area. The 6.5″ circular pad on the PC7424 can cover a larger surface area quickly and easily. The Porter Cable is only 6lbs and has two comfortable places for your hands to guide the buffer. The buffer completes 2,500 to 6,000 orbits per minute, which creates plenty of heat that is nearly impossible to duplicate by hand. On average the buffer can help you complete a coat in 50% - 75% of the time it takes to complete hand applications.

B) You achieve more consistent results. When you guide the buffer across the clear coat it creates pressure that breaks down the product and works it into the clear coat. Alternatively, hand applications force you to attempt to apply the same exact force through a multiple step detailing process. Most hand applications yield varying levels of pressure that may leave the process looking slightly inconsistent or blotchy. You are exerting a lot of energy during hand applications, especially for polishes, which require steady pressure to perform their best. The Porter Cable comes with a dial that controls the buffer’s speed, so you get the exact same results throughout each coat.

C) You obtain better results. Because of the Porter Cable’s random orbit pattern you will not risk burning the paint like you would with traditional rotary buffers. The even distribution of heat and pressure will break down the product evenly so the results are perfectly uniform. This uniform application is essential with polishes to make sure the clear coat is equally bright and vibrant over the entire surface. The PC7424 is compatible with a variety of different pads that help best work in certain products. For polishes you can use a firmer cutting pad or polishing pad, while waxes and sealants can be applied with the ultra soft finishing pad. The correct pad selection is crucial to achieving maximum results.

If you still plan on tackling this project by hand, we strongly suggest investing in the Lake Country Hand Applicator Kit. This kit comes with an ergonomic hand applicator and a variety of pad textures to best work each different kind of product.

Choosing the Proper Polish:
Deciding on which polish to use can be a difficult decision. Some of it will depend on if you are trying to tackle the job by hand or with a buffer, severity of the imperfections, ease of use and more.

Cutting Polishing Overview:
One thing to keep in mind is that detailing is an art form and you will get better with experience. It is nearly impossible and generally not safe to remove every single scratch and swirl. Therefore have a realistic expectation on how much you can really buff out. A variety of factors will affect the results of the detail such as: manufacturer’s clear coating process, age and condition of vehicle, type of product, hand or buffer application, type of pad or applicator, skill of detailer and more. All of these factors ultimately mean that finding out what works best for your particular vehicle takes a little bit of trial and error.

Prep Stage:
At this point the vehicle should be freshly washed, dried and given a clay bar treatment if desired. For ease of use and best results the vehicle should be worked on in a shaded area where the paint is cool to the touch. Attach the appropriate pad to the Porter Cable 7424, centering the pad on the backing plate. Whether doing the application by hand or with a buffer, be sure to match the aggressiveness of the product with the aggressiveness of the pad (refer to Cutting Polishes Info). Prime the pad, especially new ones, with a couple mists of quick detailer solution. This will help keep the product on the pads surface and enhance your polishing results. A general tip for using the PC is to move relatively slow and keep the pad flat when possible.

Instructions for Machine Buffing:

1. Dispense a ring of product around the outer edge of the pad. (Note: If the pad is brand new add a little extra product, so the pad doesn’t run dry)
2. With the PC off smear the product over a 2’ x 2’ area on the clear coat.
3. (Optional) To help spread the product you can turn the PC unit on at a low speed setting and spread the product out evenly over the 2’ x 2’ section
4. Increase the speed setting to 4 - 6 and begin to apply light to medium pressure to the head of the PC unit. If the PC bogs down, you are applying too much pressure. (More experienced users may want use higher speed settings to attain better results. Newer users should start at lower speed levels)
5. Start in the top left corner of your 2’ x 2’ area and move the PC from left to right at a pace of no faster than 3” per second, overlapping each pass by 50%.
6. With the PC still on work the buffer from top to bottom moving at no faster than 3” per second, while overlapping each pass by 50%. Use light pressure only so the pad spins freely for this set of passes until the entire 2’ x 2’ area has been completed. After completing the 2’ x 2’ area turn the buffer off.
(Note: At this time the entire 2’ x 2’ panel should have received four passes. The surface may look a little bit cloudy in direct sunlight or florescent lighting, which is normal. The next polishing step will remove any haze or cloudiness. If the polish dusts excessively, the product was overworked.)
7. After a few panels take the time to wipe off excess product from the pad so it does not get saturated. Another option is to spin the buffer on a low speed and agitate it with a clean toothbrush to remove product build up the pores of the foam pad. Re-mist the pad with some quick detailer spray to increase lubrication and keep the product on the surface as needed
8. Continue this entire process until the entire vehicle has been buffed.
9. When finished, clean pads with Snappy Clean pad cleaners to ensure pads are in proper working condition.

Instructions for Hand Buffing:

1. Dispense a quarter sized drop of product on the applicator pad.
2. Spread the product and outline a 2’ x 2’ area that you plan on working the polish.
3. Start in the top left corner of your 2’ x 2’ area and work the polish in small circles with medium pressure moving from left to right, overlapping each pass by 50%.
4. Repeat this process moving up and down. (Note: The surface may have a slight cloudy look to it when you are finished, which is to be expected. The next step will use a finishing polish that will remove any haze or cloudiness.)
5. After completing a section or panel use a paint safe microfiber towel to wipe off any remaining excess product. Replace towel if it smears or becomes saturated with product.
6. Continue this process until the entire vehicle has been polished. Re-mist the pad with some quick detailer spray every couple of panels to increase lubrication and keep the product on the surface.
7. Clean the applicator pad with the Snappy Clean pad cleaning solution to remove excess product and to ensure the pad is clean for the next use.