Ultimate Compound by hand for light spiderweb scratch removal?

[kdrymer]

Hello, I have some light "spiderweb" and straight line scratches in my clear coat that is only visible under a light source and from an angle. I would like to remove these scratches. After a through washing and clay barring I applied Ultimate Compound by hand with a Meguiars foam applicator (the type that comes with their Ultimate Wax package) and despite using moderate uniform pressure it really didn't seem to remove any of the scratches.

Is this to be expected while trying to do paint correction/compounding by hand, or am I possibly doing something wrong? Perhaps a more aggressive cutting pad applied by hand would work better? Or should I just look into getting a DA polisher and apply with the machine? Just looking for any advice, other experience others have had. Thanks, Kevin

[The Guz]

Re: Ultimate Compound by hand for light spiderweb scratch removal?

You are experiencing the limitations of doing things by hand. A DA will get you much better results.

[Galcobar]

Re: Ultimate Compound by hand for light spiderweb scratch removal?

While a DA will certainly do more and take much less time, it helps to use the right application method. The foam applicator included with UW is an exceptionally soft foam, and will greatly diminish any product's cutting power. There's a reason why people don't use the black finishing pad on a DA to compound, and that holds true for working by hand.

There's an entire sub-forum dedicated to hand-application, with a number of threads on scratch removal.

[The Guz]

Re: Ultimate Compound by hand for light spiderweb scratch removal?

Here is a good video to watch when doing things by hand.

[drumdan]

Re: Ultimate Compound by hand for light spiderweb scratch removal?

You can amp up the cutting characteristic by switching to a microfiber or terrycloth covered applicator.

Any haze could be cleaned up by going over it again with the foam.