T Cut but better?
Discussion
Hi all
A few minor scratches I'd like to take car of, I mentioned T cut and was told that was "the old way" and "too harsh for today's paintwork" so I tried Mcquires Ultimate compound which was recommended to me, however having tried that I can only view it as expensive water, it did not appear to do anything at all really.
Can anyone recommend a good product please ? Or maybe confirm tcut is fine which I always thought it was until recently
Thanks
A few minor scratches I'd like to take car of, I mentioned T cut and was told that was "the old way" and "too harsh for today's paintwork" so I tried Mcquires Ultimate compound which was recommended to me, however having tried that I can only view it as expensive water, it did not appear to do anything at all really.
Can anyone recommend a good product please ? Or maybe confirm tcut is fine which I always thought it was until recently
Thanks
Roboticarm said:
Hi all
A few minor scratches I'd like to take car of, I mentioned T cut and was told that was "the old way" and "too harsh for today's paintwork" so I tried Mcquires Ultimate compound which was recommended to me, however having tried that I can only view it as expensive water, it did not appear to do anything at all really.
Can anyone recommend a good product please ? Or maybe confirm tcut is fine which I always thought it was until recently
Thanks
What did you apply it with did you use a cutting pad of any type..A few minor scratches I'd like to take car of, I mentioned T cut and was told that was "the old way" and "too harsh for today's paintwork" so I tried Mcquires Ultimate compound which was recommended to me, however having tried that I can only view it as expensive water, it did not appear to do anything at all really.
Can anyone recommend a good product please ? Or maybe confirm tcut is fine which I always thought it was until recently
Thanks
Roboticarm said:
NH-0 said:
Super resin polish always works well.
Would that remove scratches like t cut or is that more for polishing up afterwards ?To be honest if it's a deep scratch I'd be getting the t cut out. Or if you're that worried go to a professional.
If you run your fingernail over the scratches do they catch? If so it’s likely gone through the lacquer and wont ‘polish out’.
If not spray it with some Panel wipe in a spray bottle, again, if the scratches look like they have disappeared when wet they will usually polish out.
The risk is if you go through the lacquer when working it then there is no coming back, but the proper way is to lightly wet sand the scratches with 2000 grit, then finish with 3000 grit, make sure its really wet for both stages. You need to sand on a small hard block.
Then use a heavy cutting compound to get rid of the 3000 scratches, then a final polish to finish off and bring up the shine from the heavy compound. Ideally you need a DA polisher, its not really feasible to do it by hand.
T-cut isn’t a ‘thing’ really anymore and is really only the equivalent of a modern heavy cutting compound.
Happy to talk you through it in more detail, or get a smart repairer or decent detailer in to do it for you. I would use a paint gauge first so I know how far I go sanding without going through the lacquer, not an option that you have for a DIY job.
You are playing with fire, there’s only a finite layer of lacquer and if you go through then the whole panel will need respraying!
If you just want to cover them a bit use a decent glaze type polish, it works for a while after washing etc, something like Poorboys Natty Red wax will help.
If not spray it with some Panel wipe in a spray bottle, again, if the scratches look like they have disappeared when wet they will usually polish out.
The risk is if you go through the lacquer when working it then there is no coming back, but the proper way is to lightly wet sand the scratches with 2000 grit, then finish with 3000 grit, make sure its really wet for both stages. You need to sand on a small hard block.
Then use a heavy cutting compound to get rid of the 3000 scratches, then a final polish to finish off and bring up the shine from the heavy compound. Ideally you need a DA polisher, its not really feasible to do it by hand.
T-cut isn’t a ‘thing’ really anymore and is really only the equivalent of a modern heavy cutting compound.
Happy to talk you through it in more detail, or get a smart repairer or decent detailer in to do it for you. I would use a paint gauge first so I know how far I go sanding without going through the lacquer, not an option that you have for a DIY job.
You are playing with fire, there’s only a finite layer of lacquer and if you go through then the whole panel will need respraying!
If you just want to cover them a bit use a decent glaze type polish, it works for a while after washing etc, something like Poorboys Natty Red wax will help.
There is a vast range of cutting compounds and polishes. All have their place somewhere in the market. There's very abrasive cutting compounds which should be used with extreme caution, and there's fine polishes which hardly do anything except to increase the gloss of previously polished paintwork.
"Scratch", you say:
To know which polish - if at all - is best, first we must quantify the scratch.
"Scratch", you say:
To know which polish - if at all - is best, first we must quantify the scratch.
The photo as you say doesn't show too much, but it looks like they haven't gone through the lacquer.
My advice would be as per my post before, start with the least aggressive technique, but the most likely to work. I think a heavy cutting compound on a cutting pad, on a DA polisher, then finish with a finer polish on a lighter pad.
So, personally I use Mezerna, but they are all much the same, you only need a really small amount of a heavy cutting compound, so don't buy a litre bottle. Put three or four drops (pea size) on a coarse foam pad (they tend to be blue or darker colours) and see if that removes the marks, if it does, use a fine or finishing polish on a soft pad (they tend to be yellow or a lighter colour), same sort of amount and see if you're happy with the result.
If that doesn't remove it you would need to very carefully use some 2000 grit wet and dry, keep the area wet and sand it with a small square of paper, try to hold it against a small flat block so you are just sanding directly the scratches, but be careful as you will be removing the lacquer as well. Stop often and wipe it clean to check on progress. The wet dust should be white as you are sanding the lacquer not the red paint. Once you are happy use 3000 grit wet and dry, all you are doing at this stage is removing the 2000 sanding marks, then go back to the top and use the heavy cutting compound to remove the 3000 scratches and then the fine compound to remove the marks from the heavy compound.
Each step is simply removing the marks left from the process before, but remember the more aggressive the technique the more lacquer you are removing, you need to be very very careful on edges, it is so easy to burn through edges and if you are in any doubt put a line of masking tape over the edge so you cant accidentally sand or polish over the edge.
For marks like that a good mobile detailer will remove them easy and won't be much dearer than the cost of buying all the above equipment unless you already have it, and that way you don't run the risk of making it worse. I cant stress enough, if you rub through the top coat of lacquer you are screwed so be really careful, but honestly from that photo those marks can easily be removed with the a careful approach using the right tools.
My advice would be as per my post before, start with the least aggressive technique, but the most likely to work. I think a heavy cutting compound on a cutting pad, on a DA polisher, then finish with a finer polish on a lighter pad.
So, personally I use Mezerna, but they are all much the same, you only need a really small amount of a heavy cutting compound, so don't buy a litre bottle. Put three or four drops (pea size) on a coarse foam pad (they tend to be blue or darker colours) and see if that removes the marks, if it does, use a fine or finishing polish on a soft pad (they tend to be yellow or a lighter colour), same sort of amount and see if you're happy with the result.
If that doesn't remove it you would need to very carefully use some 2000 grit wet and dry, keep the area wet and sand it with a small square of paper, try to hold it against a small flat block so you are just sanding directly the scratches, but be careful as you will be removing the lacquer as well. Stop often and wipe it clean to check on progress. The wet dust should be white as you are sanding the lacquer not the red paint. Once you are happy use 3000 grit wet and dry, all you are doing at this stage is removing the 2000 sanding marks, then go back to the top and use the heavy cutting compound to remove the 3000 scratches and then the fine compound to remove the marks from the heavy compound.
Each step is simply removing the marks left from the process before, but remember the more aggressive the technique the more lacquer you are removing, you need to be very very careful on edges, it is so easy to burn through edges and if you are in any doubt put a line of masking tape over the edge so you cant accidentally sand or polish over the edge.
For marks like that a good mobile detailer will remove them easy and won't be much dearer than the cost of buying all the above equipment unless you already have it, and that way you don't run the risk of making it worse. I cant stress enough, if you rub through the top coat of lacquer you are screwed so be really careful, but honestly from that photo those marks can easily be removed with the a careful approach using the right tools.
DaveF-SkinnysAutos said:
The photo as you say doesn't show too much, but it looks like they haven't gone through the lacquer.
My advice would be as per my post before, start with the least aggressive technique, but the most likely to work. I think a heavy cutting compound on a cutting pad, on a DA polisher, then finish with a finer polish on a lighter pad.
So, personally I use Mezerna, but they are all much the same, you only need a really small amount of a heavy cutting compound, so don't buy a litre bottle. Put three or four drops (pea size) on a coarse foam pad (they tend to be blue or darker colours) and see if that removes the marks, if it does, use a fine or finishing polish on a soft pad (they tend to be yellow or a lighter colour), same sort of amount and see if you're happy with the result.
If that doesn't remove it you would need to very carefully use some 2000 grit wet and dry, keep the area wet and sand it with a small square of paper, try to hold it against a small flat block so you are just sanding directly the scratches, but be careful as you will be removing the lacquer as well. Stop often and wipe it clean to check on progress. The wet dust should be white as you are sanding the lacquer not the red paint. Once you are happy use 3000 grit wet and dry, all you are doing at this stage is removing the 2000 sanding marks, then go back to the top and use the heavy cutting compound to remove the 3000 scratches and then the fine compound to remove the marks from the heavy compound.
Each step is simply removing the marks left from the process before, but remember the more aggressive the technique the more lacquer you are removing, you need to be very very careful on edges, it is so easy to burn through edges and if you are in any doubt put a line of masking tape over the edge so you cant accidentally sand or polish over the edge.
For marks like that a good mobile detailer will remove them easy and won't be much dearer than the cost of buying all the above equipment unless you already have it, and that way you don't run the risk of making it worse. I cant stress enough, if you rub through the top coat of lacquer you are screwed so be really careful, but honestly from that photo those marks can easily be removed with the a careful approach using the right tools.
Thank you, really appreciate your help. Will let you know how I get on My advice would be as per my post before, start with the least aggressive technique, but the most likely to work. I think a heavy cutting compound on a cutting pad, on a DA polisher, then finish with a finer polish on a lighter pad.
So, personally I use Mezerna, but they are all much the same, you only need a really small amount of a heavy cutting compound, so don't buy a litre bottle. Put three or four drops (pea size) on a coarse foam pad (they tend to be blue or darker colours) and see if that removes the marks, if it does, use a fine or finishing polish on a soft pad (they tend to be yellow or a lighter colour), same sort of amount and see if you're happy with the result.
If that doesn't remove it you would need to very carefully use some 2000 grit wet and dry, keep the area wet and sand it with a small square of paper, try to hold it against a small flat block so you are just sanding directly the scratches, but be careful as you will be removing the lacquer as well. Stop often and wipe it clean to check on progress. The wet dust should be white as you are sanding the lacquer not the red paint. Once you are happy use 3000 grit wet and dry, all you are doing at this stage is removing the 2000 sanding marks, then go back to the top and use the heavy cutting compound to remove the 3000 scratches and then the fine compound to remove the marks from the heavy compound.
Each step is simply removing the marks left from the process before, but remember the more aggressive the technique the more lacquer you are removing, you need to be very very careful on edges, it is so easy to burn through edges and if you are in any doubt put a line of masking tape over the edge so you cant accidentally sand or polish over the edge.
For marks like that a good mobile detailer will remove them easy and won't be much dearer than the cost of buying all the above equipment unless you already have it, and that way you don't run the risk of making it worse. I cant stress enough, if you rub through the top coat of lacquer you are screwed so be really careful, but honestly from that photo those marks can easily be removed with the a careful approach using the right tools.
Gassing Station | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff