Do I need compound or polish?
Polish acts like finer grit sandpaper than compound. Polishing a vehicle can reduce the appearance of scratches and get rid of remaining contaminants, oxidation, and other minor imperfections that compounding did not remove. Once the painted surface has been smoothed and polished, it can be waxed.
What is the difference between red and green polishing compound?
GREEN = Used exclusively for Stainless Steel. Abrasive: green chromium (III) oxide. RED = Jeweller’s Rouge, designed to polish without any cutting action. Safe on thin plates.
What is Black Rouge bar used for?
Black rouge polishing compounds are used by Jewelers as a final polish to shine and shade the metal. Best when used with a flannel buff without compound to remove fine, small scratches sometimes left after final finishing. Recommended for use with loose muslin, chamois or flannel wheels.
How are different types of polishing compounds different?
There are a LOT of compounds, and they’re all different. Every maker has a different formulation, and one maker’s “black” compound is going to be very different than another’s. Some polishing compounds use friable abrasive. This means that as you use the abrasive, it breaks down into smaller and smaller particles.
How big is a green polishing compound grit?
Most ‘green’ compound is comprised of chromium oxide at pretty small grit size (at least less than 1 micron, with many averaging ~0.5 micron). Some ‘green’ chromium oxide compounds are mixed with other abrasives, like aluminum oxide.
What does friable abrasive do to a polishing compound?
Every maker has a different formulation, and one maker’s “black” compound is going to be very different than another’s. Some polishing compounds use friable abrasive. This means that as you use the abrasive, it breaks down into smaller and smaller particles. I could be wrong, but I think Flitz and/or Simichrome use friable aluminum oxide?
Which is the best Polish for small scratches?
Flitz and Simichrome are also popular polishes. P.S. For reference: Visible light has a wavelength of 0.4 to 0.7 microns. So if your scratches start getting smaller than about 0.2 microns, you are into the optically smooth realm. Probably a an abrasive particle will make a scratch much smaller than it’s diameter]