Is it worth polishing a car with a grinder?
Minor scratches or chips on the car body do not need to be fixed in specialized workshops, nor do you need to buy paints and putties in stores. Abrasive car polishing will do a great job with minor damage and unevenness. This action will correct the shortcomings and save a significant part of the budget. All motorists have a lot of questions about polishing technologies, related products for polishing work, costs, grinding machines and many others. The main one is the possibility of correct and high-quality polishing of a car at home.
Is the game worth the candle?
The environment, trips out of town and not always high-quality road surfaces lead to cracks, chips and scratches on the body and bumpers. Exposure to direct sunlight will cause paint to fade, resulting in the need to refinish or repair your vehicle's paintwork.
There are a lot of opinions on polishing and minor repairs, and some believe that polishing a car with an angle grinder can lead to even worse results. This opinion can be called erroneous because the correct and precise approach to work and the choice of the right technology will allow you to get an excellent result.
By choosing the right materials, even the most neglected car can be restored to its original appearance. Initially, you need to determine the scope of work and select the appropriate paste and polish, among which there are several types:
- abrasive and non-abrasive - this applies to paste and polish;
- silicone polishes;
- restorative polishes.
Pastes are marked; for abrasive pastes the designations J3, J6, J7, J10 and M3 are used. Polish pastes are in demand. It is worth remembering that the polishing spray is designed to provide the final look and shine.
When preparing the body, fine sandpaper P 2000 is used. It clogs quickly, so it is necessary to frequently wet the surface with water. This fine sandpaper will get rid of deep scratches and paint chips.
Abrasive polishes are used to remove scuffs and scratches from car paintwork. Treatment with this product removes a slight layer of varnish, after which it will need to be restored. At the next stage of work, protective silicone polish is applied. It fills the smallest cracks, micro-scratches and adds shine.
In order not to perform the entire range of work manually, the car is processed with a grinder. When working, special circles are used. For grinding machines, eccentric ones with high runout speeds are chosen. It is better to purchase a professional tool, for example, from brands such as Makita or Bosch.
Is home polishing dangerous?
Websites and forums for car enthusiasts describe a huge number of methods on how to polish a car yourself. However, most of these methods provide a soft and superficial treatment. Although it does not require large amounts of money and time, it will not help get rid of serious problems. In addition, it is almost impossible to do the work professionally on your own.
You can fully appreciate the benefits of the procedure and enjoy the results only if the work is done well. A specialist must know polishing technologies, the features of different compositions, master specialized equipment and be able to analyze the condition of the surface in order to select the appropriate option and product.
Lack of skills and professionalism makes it difficult to predict all the subtleties. Craftsmen are often forced to correct mistakes that were made during polishing themselves. Typically, such corrections cost car owners more than simple sanding.
During polishing in a car service:
- the master uses various types of polishing materials;
- work is performed with high-quality professional tools;
- Usually the work is carried out by several craftsmen at the same time, which saves a lot of time;
- materials are selected wisely, taking into account the type of car coating and its condition;
- Thanks to the accumulated experience, employees avoid mistakes that can be made when polishing themselves.
If the damage to the surface of the car is serious, restorative polishing will be required. This procedure is serious and quite labor-intensive, so it is better to entrust it to professionals.
For the average motorist
For minor damage, a regular grinder or hand drill will suffice. The processing circles are made of wool or foam rubber. The tool must have a speed regulator to avoid unnecessary scratches and abrasions. The desired type of paste is applied to the circle and a little to the work area.
Polishing should be done crosswise, gradually moving vertically and horizontally. This will allow you to apply the paste evenly and properly treat the surface, the main thing is that the paste does not dry out while working. Polishing is carried out until the desired shine appears. All excess paste is wiped off with a soft cloth or napkin.
After the area is polished, silicone paste is applied and the same actions are carried out with a softer circle. The whole job takes several hours. The final step is to apply a protective layer using a soft cloth or a special mitten. The layer should be distributed evenly so that there is no excess polishing left; all drips should be removed with a napkin.
Types of grinding machines
It is a tool where surface grinding occurs unidirectionally, using a sanding belt, which is located on rollers provided for rotation. This type of tool is suitable for polishing large surfaces.
This type of machine is also called a surface grinder. It is an instrument with a flat sole, hence the name. Surface grinding occurs using reciprocating movements of the sandpaper. It is this action that is vibrational in nature. This type of machine also has vacuum cleaners for collecting construction dust.
For working on ledges and corners, there is another type of vibration-type machine, this is a delta sander. The sole of this type of tool has a triangular shape, which allows you to work in hard-to-reach places.
This type is commonly called orbital. The name again comes from the appearance of the grinding pad. It resembles an orbit or, more simply, a circle.
This type of machine rotates around its own axis. In addition to grinding, the angle machine can cut metal, concrete and other materials.
The function of this tool is to polish metal and painted surfaces.
The brush performs the functions of a grinder, rotating along its axis.
Advantages of the method
Such a low-cost and accessible method for every car enthusiast will allow not only corrections for minor damage, but also giving the car a well-groomed appearance. The technology is simple, and it won’t be difficult to do all the work yourself. In this way, headlights, bumpers and windows can be perfected.
When processing headlights, do not use silicone polishes. In some cases, it may be necessary to treat the headlight glasses with sandpaper R 600-800, it all depends on their original condition.
Safety precautions
High-speed equipment, to which the grinder belongs, is a power tool with increased danger. During operation, the following safety rules must be followed.
- Work in special clothing , which includes gloves, goggles or a mask.
- When working with materials that create a large amount of dust, use equipment that helps remove it from the work area (special construction vacuum cleaners).
- Use discs only of those sizes for which the grinder is intended. Larger circles cannot be placed on such grinders.
- for grinding work .
- Before starting work, it is necessary to visually check the compliance of the nozzle with the technical requirements.
- Work should begin only after the grinder reaches maximum speed after switching on.
About prices
If we calculate the approximate cost of the entire amount of work, then car centers for polishing will announce a price of 150 USD. The price includes polishing with all the products offered by the center. It is not always possible to be sure of an excellent result when placing a car in the wrong hands. Moreover, many of these services do not bear responsibility.
The work done yourself will cost much less. On average, a can of polishing paste in an authorized store will cost more than 15 USD. One can is enough for five cars. Polishing wheels will cost 5 USD. If you don’t have a grinder or polishing machine, you can borrow it from friends or rent it; in extreme cases, a drill with the ability to adjust the speed will do. As a result, the total amount will be no more than 30 USD. In addition to significant savings, you will be confident in high-quality work done with your own hands.
Pros and cons of the method
Polishing a car with a grinder has the following advantages:
- availability of the method;
- simplicity;
- versatility (suitable for all parts of any car brand);
- low cost (do-it-yourself treatment is much cheaper than a polishing service in a salon).
In addition, when you polish your car yourself, you can be confident in the excellent quality of the work performed. The only disadvantage of this processing is the loss of your own time and effort. But it's worth it.
Some people believe that polishing with a grinder will only ruin the surface of the car. However, as practice has shown, this is not at all the case. The result exceeds all expectations. Try it and see for yourself.
Why polish?
Polishing may be necessary not only for minor damage or scratches. With the help of abrasive pastes and polishing agents, the car body can be kept in almost its original condition. Polishing the instrument panel, headlights and bumpers will keep it in perfect condition. The main thing is to choose the right type of product for a specific job.
Abrasives gradually remove top coats of varnish and paint; constant polishing will have the opposite effect. If there is no need to process the car body, there is no need to abuse abrasive polishing. This can result in complete removal of the paintwork, right down to the metal, which will require more expensive paint restoration, varnish application and final polishing.
Polishing a car with a grinder
In order to polish a car with high quality, it is not necessary to send the car for service or buy tons of expensive products in specialized stores. You can put your car in order very simply and economically - using high-quality polish, a special paste and an ordinary grinder. So, you will not only save money, but also be sure of an excellent result of the work.
Using a grinder when grinding concrete
Using an angle grinder, you can clean not only the wooden elements of the house. It can be used when you need to level concrete products with your own hands. Most often, concrete is polished with a grinder.
Before starting work, you should let the poured floor stand for about two weeks: during this time, the concrete will gain the necessary strength. Before grinding a concrete floor, its surface should be coated with a special compound, which, when reacting chemically with calcium hydroxide, forms a mineral binder. It can close the pores in concrete, which will give greater strength to the material and resistance to moisture. Floor grinding is performed with diamond cups specially designed for grinding concrete.
If you use cups with a grit of 400 or higher, you can get a perfect mirror finish.
Types of polishes
Even the most reliable paint coating sooner or later fades - because of this, chips and cracks appear on the surface of the car body. It is these that polishing destroys, returning your “iron horse” to its original appearance. Of course, to make the game worth the candle, you need to choose the right polish and paste:
Car body polishing products
- Abrasives. Polishing using these substances removes abrasions and scratches from the surface of the car. Remember that such products also destroy a small layer of varnish, so after polishing the car it needs to be restored. Of course, you should not overuse abrasive polishing - too frequent use of such products can destroy the paintwork of the car body;
- Non-abrasive substances. Using such products, protective polishing is carried out. In order for the car to look presentable, such a procedure must be carried out at least once a year;
- Silicone polishes. These substances fill the smallest cracks in the body and give the car a pleasant shine. They are often used in combination with abrasives to secure the polish.
How to polish a car with an angle grinder
Despite its simplicity and economy, this method of polishing causes lively debate among car enthusiasts. Some drivers are firmly convinced that the grinder will only ruin the car, while other car owners diligently polish their vehicles using this particular tool and are completely satisfied with the result. The thing is that polishing is a very important task, so it must be done extremely carefully and carefully. Even one wrong move can ruin all your efforts.
Polishing steps:
- Preparing for work. First of all, clean the car of dirt and dust. If you don't do this, polishing will not produce the expected results and you will be wasting the substance. In addition, remove any signs of rust. Every driver knows that corrosion is one of the main enemies of a car, and untimely destruction of rust can lead to expensive repairs.
- Sanding the machine with sandpaper. Use only fine-grained sandpaper - it reliably removes all deep scratches and paint chips. Due to the degree of grain, such paper quickly clogs, so do not forget to wet the surface of the body with water from time to time.
- Using an abrasive polish or paste. The grinder for polishing must be equipped with a speed regulator - if you choose another tool, you risk severely scratching the car. Attach a polishing wheel to the grinder and apply paste to it. In addition, do not forget to drop a little product onto the working area of the car. Remember that you need to polish in a cross pattern, moving slowly horizontally and vertically. Make sure that the grinder moves smoothly - if the tool starts to slow down, spray the working area of the car with water.
- Application of silicone paste. After the surface of the machine is polished, remove any remaining paste with a soft cloth. Then apply a little silicone paste to the polishing wheel of the grinder and walk over the surface of the body.
- Applying a protective layer. At the final stage of work, you no longer need the grinder. Now you apply a little protective polish to a soft rag or a special mitten. Try to distribute the layers evenly - then there will be no excess polishing left, and drips can be easily removed with a napkin.
How to make the right purchase?
In order not to make a mistake when choosing one tool out of two, you should know exactly their functional features. Honestly, for carpentry or finishing work done on a regular basis, it is better to buy both, because the tasks are really very similar. However, today we choose one thing.
So, an angle grinder is a tool that, using a special disk rotating at high speed on a spindle, allows you to process a surface, removing the top layer from it. In this way, an effect is achieved that is somewhat identical to the work of an electric planer. An angle grinder works quickly and removes a fairly significant layer of material.
The polishing machine, as the name suggests, is designed specifically for polishing.
Roughly speaking, polishing is also the removal of the top, tarnished layer of material, but this is done very carefully so as not to damage the integrity of the product. For this reason, the number of revolutions made every minute by the disk of such a tool is significantly lower than that of an angle grinder. In addition, the polishing machine is designed to work with special compounds - polishes, which help achieve a more noticeable shine.
An angle grinder is, in fact, a professional tool, since not many people seriously engage in carpentry at home. Moreover, the final effect given by such a tool cannot be considered final - this is only primary processing, requiring further grinding.
The polishing machine is also much more often used by professionals, but its use is already quite justified at home, and we are not talking about any special skills. Since the tool is designed to work with any surface, including durable metals and fragile paintwork, it could theoretically be useful for any motorist who wants to see his car sparkling brightly. It is also possible to use it for cosmetic repairs - to give freshness to painted surfaces.
conclusions
The two types of tools are indeed very similar both in the principle of operation and in the results achieved, only the polishing machine is much more gentle. Unlike the grinder, it does not give the object a new shape, but only returns it to its original beauty and attractiveness, which makes it very popular in everyday life.
Grinder is the colloquial name for a power tool designed for abrasive processing of metal or other types of material.
The most important parameter when choosing an angle grinder is the size of the disc
. The diameter of the disc determines the depth to which the device will cut the material. Also, do not forget that during operation the disc gradually wears out and becomes smaller, thereby reducing the cutting depth.
Advantages of polishing a car with an angle grinder
The popularity of this method is growing by leaps and bounds. The reason for this lies in the fact that polishing with an angle grinder has a number of advantages:
- Availability. A grinder is in every man’s tool kit, so you won’t need to purchase or rent professional tools.
- Simplicity. To polish a car with an angle grinder, you do not need to have specific knowledge or many years of experience. It is enough to do this work patiently and carefully.
- Versatility. Using a grinder, you can easily tidy up not only the surface of the body, but also the glass and headlights. By the way, when processing headlights, completely avoid silicone products. In some cases, it is necessary to use coarse sandpaper.
How to choose a grinding machine?
Before you start purchasing, you need to decide what specific device you need and what functions it should perform. The tape machine is designed to work instead of a plane. That is, the job of the tool is to roughly peel off the paint and level the surface. For vibration, work on wood, plastic and metal is more common. This machine produces high-quality cleaning and polishing of the material. The orbital sander is designed to work with convex and curved surfaces. Thus, before purchasing this kind of tool, it is important to decide what surface you will be working on and what requirements the electrical device must meet.
There are a large number of models offered on the power tool market; it is important to purchase a tool with a function that signals the force of pressing on the body. This will not only extend the life of the tool, but will also allow you to control the work process.
What should be the nozzle on an angle grinder for polishing a car?
No matter how carefully the driver operates his favorite “iron horse,” sooner or later small scratches, chips, abrasions and cracks will begin to appear on the surface of the car’s paintwork. Such damage occurs not only as a result of careless driving, but also due to small stones, branches flying towards you, temperature changes and much more. To renew and protect your car’s paintwork, all you need to do is purchase an angle grinder and select the right wheels for polishing your car.
Polishing discs have different characteristics and are suitable for different purposes, so when choosing products you need to pay attention to their types and scope of use.
What to look for when choosing a polishing wheel
Sometimes polishing attachments are already included with polishing fluids, however, if the products are purchased separately, you need to take them into account:
- Form. There are two types of discs: surface grinding (circular) and flap (cone-shaped). In order for polishing to be carried out as efficiently as possible, it is better to purchase products of several forms.
- Rigidity. This parameter directly depends on the type of polishing paste. If the liquid is used to restore the body, then it is necessary to select more rigid polishing wheels. To choose the right disc, just pay attention to its color: black ones are considered the softest, orange ones are medium hard and are suitable for all pastes, white circles are the hardest, so they are most often used to remove the most serious scratches.
- Diameter. It is better to purchase several discs of different diameters, then it will be more convenient for you to polish different parts of the car and hard-to-reach places. Large discs are usually chosen for polishing the body, and the smallest ones for headlights.
- Mounting type. The discs can be attached to a polishing machine or a regular drill in two ways: screwed onto a thread or fixed with Velcro. The latter option is considered universal, since you do not have to select discs based on thread diameter.
When choosing a nozzle for polishing a car, it is necessary to pay the greatest attention to the material of the sanding coating, since it will depend on it for what kind of work the wheel is most suitable.
Required Equipment
To secure the attachments, a support circle is required, which is mounted on the shaft. To grind metal on an angle grinder, grinding wheels with different diameters and thicknesses are installed on it. The most important indicator is the grain size. If the product becomes rusty during storage, pre-treatment with a wire brush is required.
For metal processing, you should buy large grinding wheels. Another option is skins, which can also be attached to a circle. Each type of work (rust removal, grinding, polishing) requires attachments with different grain sizes. For fine polishing you need an eccentric attachment.
Circle selection criteria:
- outer diameter indicator (the larger it is, the longer the circle will last);
- bore diameter (if the size is too large, an adapter will be required);
- thickness (thick circles last longer);
- grain size (fraction depends on the type of processing).
The nozzles are hard, medium and soft. Using hard ones, cracks and chips are removed, using medium ones, metal parts are polished, and using soft ones, they are polished.
When purchased in a store, the degree of hardness is determined by color:
- white – the highest hardness;
- orange (universal) – medium hardness;
- black – soft.
Discs for angle grinders for metal polishing can be made from:
- woven or pressed felt (may contain an admixture of synthetic fibers);
- cotton (not stitched, stitched, special);
- foam rubber with different cellularity (the choice depends on the requirements for the processing result);
- leather (single-layer or stacked).
Regardless of the type, the fiber must be strong and capable of holding the paste.
Lightness, elasticity and electrical conductivity can also be considered important indicators. The most popular discs are those made from felt.
When polishing, solid and liquid pastes are used.
What material to choose a disc from?
Today, the market offers a wide range of car polishing attachments that help remove both small cracks and deep chips. Let's take a closer look at them.
Wool wheels
Wool discs are the most popular due to their low cost and efficiency. Such products are suitable for rough processing of paintwork.
A harder finish can be achieved using a polishing wheel made from twisted wool thread. Such products are suitable for medium-depth cracks and small defects.
Abrasive discs
Wheels made from abrasive materials are also considered hard, but unlike their woolen “colleagues”, they are more efficient and, accordingly, more expensive.
The products have these properties due to the special chemical composition of the polishing surface coating itself. More often, the abrasive layer is made of electrocorundum, chromium and silicon.
Felt discs
Circles made of felt are most often used for metal car body parts. Such products come in different types, depending on the level of wooliness of the polishing coating. For polishing, it is recommended to purchase thick-wool wheels, which work best at removing fairly deep scratches from non-ferrous metal surfaces. Fine wool circles are used the least often.
The diameter of felt discs can be from 70 to 250 mm, and the width remains the same - 25 mm.
Vulcanite (rubber) wheels
Such discs remove a thin layer of paintwork, after which the surface has a mirror shine. Therefore, vulcanite wheels are used only at the final stage of polishing, when coarser disks have already been used.
The polishing surface of the wheels is made of vulcanized rubber with the addition of abrasive components.
As a rule, only metal surfaces are treated with a rubber polishing disc at the final stage of restoration work.
Felt discs
Felt wheels are used at the stage of basic work, after rough processing, but before final polishing.
Felt products cope with most types of damage and work effectively not only on metal surfaces, but are also suitable for headlights, glass, bumpers and other body parts.
When using such a universal product, one important nuance must be taken into account - the disc must be periodically moistened in water. Then it will be several times more effective.
Also, felt discs are suitable for almost all polishing pastes, together with which they remove scratches even faster.
ZM disks
This type of wheel is used after the car parts have been coated with primer and varnish. Such products are the easiest to attach, and sometimes even used without grinding machines. By and large, ZM is a cheap consumable material for washing and dry polishing body parts made of any material.
Foam rubber is most often used as a polishing layer in such discs. When choosing foam discs, it is worth considering one nuance - the smaller the cells of the circle, the better it will polish the paintwork.
Please note that the attachment on a drill for polishing a car will be less effective compared to a disk mounted on a grinder (or as it is popularly called, an angle grinder). Therefore, let's look at some recommendations for choosing specialized equipment.
Communities › Kulibin Club › Forum › Differences between an angle grinder and a polishing machine.
Please tell me. What are the design differences between a polisher and an angle grinder? Is it possible to turn one into the other just by replacing the gearbox?
On the polishing machine the speed is regulated.
In Bulgarian too
take both in your hands and you'll have it.
The grinder tears violently from its place - the polishing pad and even the backing fly apart... The machine has a smooth start, a powerful motor and gearbox - more powerful than on the grinder, the load compensator presses harder - the grinder goes off at low speeds, and the polisher continues to turn at the set frequency.
I understand everything, the main difference between an angle grinder and a polisher is the gearbox?
No. Compensation and smooth start. The rest is secondary.
Compensator, as I understand it, is an electronic device based on a hall sensor that maintains a given speed?
Yes. When the car goes out, it gives it power... And it continues to maintain the same speed
Well, that’s understandable, I’d like to know about the motor itself, are there any differences?
I think no. Well, maybe collector/collectorless.
Although I may be wrong about the powerful motor... Makita has 1200 watts of power. In short, it seems to me a gearbox and a smooth start. And the limit is 3000 rpm maximum. Plus autopilot modes - 700 rpm, 1200/1500, etc. You set it and it doesn’t twist this threshold.
In short, there is an angle grinder, they gave it away for spare parts, 1 kW, I want to make a polisher out of it))
I have 3 grinders. And I started polishing headlights and small things with a grinder... In short, the increased consumption of polishing pads, which are expensive branded ones, got to me and I bought a polishing machine this year. There is a choice from 3 tr. But you must take it with a compensator and an autopilot regulator... This is if you want some kind of quality at the output... Plus, there are polishing machines with an eccentric - this is now the pinnacle of car polishing - without halograms. It works smoothly and does not tear the foam itself. I haven’t tried it in combat yet, so I plugged it in once... I’m preparing it to match the color of the car, and I’ll try it there...
pavelvaschilko
In short, there is an angle grinder, they gave it away for spare parts, 1 kW, I want to make a polisher out of it))
improvements are needed, the electronics must be installed with regulation and maintenance of speed, a heap of smooth start, there will be protection. On TDA1085 (used in washing machines)
or U2010B and polish to your health) In general, such options are not uncommon for grinders, although the price and speed range starts from 2800-3000 rpm, but this is a matter of setting www.vseinstrumenti.ru/ins...46][type]=check# searchRes simply if the grinder blocks the possibilities of polishing, then how will a capitalist and speculator sell polishing...) Profit is primary under capitalism)
Choosing a car polishing machine
To purchase a reliable and inexpensive grinder for polishing a car, you should pay attention to the following technical parameters of the tool:
- The power of the unit should be about 1200 - 1400 W. In this case, the grinding machine will cope with more tasks.
- Please note that there is a speed control function. If you have them, you will be able to carry out all stages of polishing with the highest quality. In addition, thanks to such modes, it will be possible to process different types of surfaces.
- Availability of a compensator. Thanks to power compensation, you can change the load level while maintaining the speed of the unit. The fact is that jumps in speed (when pressing and releasing the machine) can lead to rapid overheating of the paintwork surface, which is sensitive to high temperatures.
- Smooth engine start. This function will protect you from inrush currents during long-term operation of the tool. Thanks to this mode, the machine can be turned on when it is already installed on the surface of the body. In this case, “burning” will not occur.
Popular functions of the grinder
- Soft start function
. Devices that have this function are very convenient to use, due to the fact that the device starts working at lower speeds, gradually gaining power. - Balancing
. This function is present only on the highest quality models. - The brushes are turned off
. This function is also present only on high-quality devices. The brushes themselves automatically turn off in the event of a power outage.
Polishing a car with a grinder, necessary materials and equipment.
Perfect polishing of a vehicle body can be accomplished if you have specialized equipment. With the right selection of tools for this process, it is possible to get not only a good result of the work, but also save your money. The choice of the necessary materials, compositions and tools needed to perform the treatment directly depends on the quality of the procedure performed. Also, when polishing yourself, when there is no special room, you will need auxiliary means to protect the body being processed. To perform effective polishing, it is not necessary to take your car to a workshop or purchase overly expensive products. You can process the car in a simple and economical way: using a high-quality polishing compound, specialized paste and an ordinary grinder. Polishing a car with a grinder is carried out with specific attachments for this tool. If there are defects on the paintwork of a car (scratches, cracks, chips), then abrasive attachments with varying degrees of grain size are used. They are used when grinding the surface of the body, periodically moistening them. To clean the surface before polishing and for final polishing, felt attachments in the shape of a cylinder or flat are used. If there are scratches, foam rubber circles are used to remove them. They differ in degree of rigidity.
Each attachment is used for a specific polishing paste depending on its grain size. The softest wheel is used for non-abrasive polishing, and the hardest wheel is used for coarse abrasive polishing. How seriously the defects damaged the paintwork is determined visually. If the damage is deep, then polishing alone will not do; puttying is required, and then local painting of the cars. To add shine and gloss, sheepskin attachments are also used. But they are used mainly for final polishing. You can purchase such attachments at auto markets or specialized stores.
How to polish a body with a grinder.
Polishing a body with an angle grinder is not a complicated and economical polishing method, but car owners have different opinions about this. Some car enthusiasts claim that such a tool will ruin the car's coating, while others are completely satisfied with the result of the treatment. Polishing is a responsible and painstaking procedure, so it should be done very diligently and carefully. Polishing a car with a grinder yourself occurs in several stages:
1. Preliminary work. First of all, you should wash the car and clean it of dirt, stains and dust. You should also eliminate corrosive deposits, as everyone knows that rust causes great harm to any vehicle, and if it is not eliminated in time, then you will have to carry out expensive body repairs.
2. Surface treatment with abrasive sandpaper. Fine-grained sandpaper is used as it is better at removing large damage. From time to time it is necessary to moisten the surface of the car with water, as the skin quickly becomes clogged.
3. Use of an abrasive agent (paste, polish). A grinder for polishing must have a speed adjustment, since it is much higher on this tool. You should use it very carefully so as not to scratch the paintwork. It is necessary to fix the polishing circle on the grinder and apply the product to it. You need to polish crosswise, smoothly moving the tool. If the grinder begins to slow down, it is necessary to moisten the surface with water.
4. Using silicone-based paste. After polishing is completed, any remaining paste particles should be removed with a lint-free cloth. Then, you need to spread a small amount of silicone paste over the body surface using a grinder.
5. Protective coating. The final stage takes place without the use of an angle grinder. The protective agent is applied to the surface with a special napkin. The paste should be distributed evenly and in an even thin layer so that no excess polish remains.
Polishing a car with a grinder, advantages.
The popularity of this method is gradually increasing, since polishing a car with a grinder has certain advantages:
- Public tool. Almost every man has this tool in his arsenal. You don't have to spend money on buying it or renting it.
- It's easy, quick and simple to polish with a grinder. It is not necessary to have the relevant knowledge and extensive experience. The main thing is to perform the processing carefully and carefully.
- A universal tool. With a grinder you can treat the surface of the body, glass and headlights. When processing headlights, you should not use silicone products; you can only use abrasive sandpaper with a coarse grain size.
You can always contact our company for help. Our specialists will perform the processing quickly, efficiently and at an affordable price. Reviews of our work can be viewed on our website.
Home polishing process
To save money, many people prefer to do their own polishing at home. Currently, there are two options for polishing a car at home - manual and mechanical.
Hand polishing a car is a fairly economical way.
For this polishing you will need special wipes. They can be bought at auto stores. It is also necessary to purchase detergents or car shampoo, masking protective polishes or abrasive pastes.
The entire manual polishing process is divided into three stages:
- Before the process, thoroughly clean the surface of the car.
- Hand polishing is carried out in small areas - apply a small amount of the product to small squares. To make it easier to distribute the product over the surface, leave it for a few minutes after application.
- At the last stage, a protective composition is applied to the surface of the car.
Manual polishing helps to achieve a good result, but it will not remove serious surface defects. But at the same time it is safe for paintwork. You don't need any special skills to be in complete control of the process, so you probably won't mess anything up. You can also manually polish areas that are inaccessible to a polishing machine.
Home polishing using power tools requires care and attention. The grinding machine wheel rotates at a very high speed, which is why you can overdo it and ruin the paint surface. This option is more expensive than the previous one - you additionally need to purchase the tool itself and polishing wheels with a grinding surface. However, the advantageous difference between this method and manual polishing is its high speed and efficiency.
Regardless of the polishing method you choose, if you decide to act on your own, follow these general rules:
- Take your choice of polishing materials seriously. It would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the available information about polishes, consult with experts, and look at people’s reviews on the Internet.
- “Home conditions” are, of course, not a yard or a damp garage. Choose a closed, warm, dry, ventilated and well-lit place for work.
- Clean the surface of the machine before performing the procedure. Do not allow dust particles to fall on the paintwork during polishing, otherwise this may damage the paint.
- Do not polish the car with solvent or gasoline - the paintwork will lose its brightness.
- Polishing is carried out from top to bottom - starting from the roof and towards the hood and trunk, fenders and doors.