Does anyone buff or polish...

Howie

Wooden Canoe Maniac
... the final paint coat to improve the finish paint job? If so, is it done when the paint job is relatively new/softer or old/harder? And might polishing compounds help, or should they be avoided. And does the procedure work better or worse on different paints? Never done it myself. Just wondering if there's a way to get rid of slight dust imperfections and bug footprints.
 
Don't know where you're located, but I'm in NY state where smart people stay at home away from the contagious masses. Which means I've a lot of time on my hands. Plus I've got a buffer I picked up at a yard sale that I've never used...
 
I have occasionally polished small areas to clean up minor scratches. This has always been done by hand when the paint was relatively hard. The results were good.

Benson
 
I’ve heard of some folks using carnuba Wax.
They say it shined them up and makes keeping them clean easier. I’m gonna try it one of these days.
Until then I’m going to keep using Epifanes paint. It looks like it’s waxed.
 

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I’ve buffed the canoes that we’ve donated to the Assembly Auction. (To make em look like Pam Wedd painted em) it’s a lot of work when done correctly. Lots of wet sanding with several different grits down to 2500. (By hand) ,then buffing with liquid rubbing compound, followed by buffing with “Ultrafine MachinePolish”. Also, I’d say a minimum of four coats of paint, and a prayer, that you don’t go trough. There’s lots of demo videos on you tube. Oh, one more thing. It’s expensive.
 
I’ve heard of some folks using carnuba Wax.
They say it shined them up and makes keeping them clean easier. I’m gonna try it one of these days.
Until then I’m going to keep using Epifanes paint. It looks like it’s waxed.

And waxing them reduced the coefficient of drag, so they go faster.
 
What I've found with furniture and motorcycles is that a certain size of small little dust or whatever will somewhat disappear on its own, as the paint continues to dry and shrink, and the surface is used enough that it gets polished on its own. The big danger in a buffer is, well ,totally ruining your paint job if things go wrong:) So use caution. I would do that sort of thing by hand. Sometimes you can just push a little piece of lint down with a spoon or your fingernail...
 
I waxed it with carnauba+turp mix few days after putting the 4th Epifanes coat. Not easy to buff by hand. Visual result was maybe less shiney but the wax is hard and it is easily cleaned off wet dirt after a ride. Would do it again.
 
There are many that swear buy using a good automotive orbital buffer on the hull. I've seen it done with spectacular results. I've used carnuba and the orbital on some of my boats with good results. However, garbage in garbage out. If you paint a poorly prepared hull and if you don't paint it properly all the buffing in the world won't hide roughness, sanding marks etc. If anything the more you shine it up the more you see your mistakes.
 
I have varnished a piano, but not a Gar-Wood runabout.
The first thing is to reduce or eliminate the dust. I have run my steamer for a few hours prior to painting.
Paint in a location that is not the same shop that created the dust.
Make a tent over the object.
Turn off all fans.
Minimize clothing.
When the paint is dry but not completely cured, I wipe lightly with a clean worsted wool clothing scrap.
 
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