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A rotary power buffer is an excellent method for buffing scratches out of your car, but it comes with a few risks. Improper use of a buffer can lead to permanent paint damage, so it is important to ensure you are familiar with the process before you test your luck on your new ride. Rotary buffing is relatively simple in theory, but requires a bit of practice to perfect. Once you are comfortable with the mechanics of using a power buffer to polish your car, you will be able to make corrections to small paint problems with ease.

Instructions

1

Wash your car thoroughly with a gentle dishwashing soap. It is imperative you start with a clean working surface. A quick squirt of dishwashing soap into a 5 gallon bucket is usually enough to get a nice, sudsy mix.

2

Place sandpaper into a bucket of water and leave it to soak for at least an hour.

3

Wrap the wet sandpaper around the sanding block and start to sand the correct area on your car. Sand each panel in the same direction the wind would travel over it. Keep the sanding surface as wet as you can.

4

Continue sanding until the area you are working on is filled with even, flat paint. At this point, you have successfully removed the clear coat and further sanding will begin to damage the actual paint job.

5

Wash the sanded area again and allow it to dry before continuing onto the polishing process.

6

Add the rubbing compound into the scratches surrounding the sanded area and run your rotary buffer over the surface at about 1,400 rpm with the cutting pad attached. Do not leave the buffer in any one area longer than a couple of seconds, and work the buffer over the entire sanded surface until the compound dries and begins to flake off. Set the rpm speed on the settings dial on the variable speed rotary buffer.

7

Wash the sanded area again and examine it for scratches. If you successfully removed the scratches around the sanded area, you can move on. If not, you will need more rubbing compound and another bit of buffing.

8

Apply polishing pad glaze to the polishing pad and run it over the entire sanded surface. Buff in the opposite direction from the way in which you buffed the rubbing compound until you see the surface reach a high, shiny gloss. At this point, you can continue working to buff out remaining scratches with the polishing pad.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates painting cars in home environments as well as in professional auto repair facilities. Car painting laws regulate the type of ingredients that can be included in the car paint and the method in which the paint will be applied. Since laws regarding auto painting at home are subject to change, it is best to check the EPAs website at www.epa.gov regarding volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are included in many types of auto body paint.

EPA Regulation 40CFR63

EPA Regulation 40 in the Federal Code of Regulations, Part 63, Subpart HHHHHH, (also known as regulation 6H) lists the laws for the permissible methods of car paint application and the persons who may apply car paint. Since most auto paints contain VOCs or hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), this regulation was written primarily with those substances in mind. VOCs and HAPs include any substance which has a significant amount of vapor pressure, and which is capable in impacting human health and/or the environment at large.

Included VOCs and HAPs

The EPA regulates spray application of paint or other coatings to any motor vehicles, including "Spray application of coatings to a plastic and/or metal substrate where the coatings contain compounds of chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), or cadmium (Cd)," according to the EPAs Summary of Regulations Controlling Air Emissions from Coating Operations. If auto paint containing the listed VOPs or HAPs is to be used, the painter must perform the paint job within a certified auto repair facility with EPA-approved equipment, must meet certain qualifications, including obtaining certification on spray gun techniques, spray gun maintenance and environmental compliance before the paint may be applied to the car. Therefore, none of the auto paints containing VOCs or HAPs may be used by people doing their own auto painting at home, regardless of method.

Qualifications For Painters

Home painters may not use VOP-containing paints at all, but are limited to paints which are not harmful to the environment, such as water-based latex or plastic-bound paints. Any home painter may use these paints as long as they are applied with a high volume, low pressure (HVLP) spray gun, electrostatic application, an airless spray gun or air-assisted spray gun.