buffing gel or paint

[wrenchdaddy]

I have a 78' sadler and the gel or paint whatever is on it has faded a bit, I was told that it is original. What should I do buffing/waxing wise to clean it up, its really not bad for its age. Any specific compounds or waxes I should use? BTW, It's two-tone blue.

[HOOTER SLED-]

If it has no metal flake, It should buff out great. Careful not to burn through the gel. It may be thinner in some spots. Try 3M compounds to remove any oxidation. Then follow that with a glaze. Then hand wax with a good carnauba wax. Circular buffers work best at bringing out the shine. Mine was actually so bad that I had to wetsand before buffing it. Patience and effort, and it will pay off. Good luck.

[BrendellaJet]

Try all those steps in a smal spot first, it may need a color sanding...

[v-drive]

If it has no metal flake, It should buff out great. Careful not to burn through the gel. It may be thinner in some spots. Try 3M compounds to remove any oxidation. Then follow that with a glaze. Then hand wax with a good carnauba wax. Circular buffers work best at bringing out the shine. Mine was actually so bad that I had to wetsand before buffing it. Patience and effort, and it will pay off. Good luck.
Metal flake does suck but ditto on the 3-M roducts..
:coffeycup :coffeycup v-drive

[Squirtcha?]

I had buffed mine several times and it came out pretty good, but the best results came when it was wetsanded first, then buffed. (mine's all solid colors).

[wrenchdaddy]

If I wet sand it what grit should I use and what process? It doesn;t have any metalflake just two-tone blue. The bottom looks liek it just needs to be waxed its pretty shiney, but the top is whats kinda dull.

[Mr.&Mrs.Budlight]

I would start with 600grit wetordry, do wet only using a 5gal bucket filled with warm water with a little dishsoap, use asoft sanding block so you don't put finger grooves in it. Then go to 1200grit. From there you can buff with 3m compounds or keep sanding finer, 1500, 2000, 2500. Each step gets easier, and the finer sanding you do, the less buffing you have to do. Plus it looks better and holds the shine longer. good luck and take your time, it will be worth it! Budlight

[Jet City]

I would do as Budlight said, except I would start with 1000 grit then go 1500, 2000 followed with 3M cutting compound and finally 3M perfect it swirl removing polish. I've also had excellent results with 3M products, they can be found at Napa, would be money ahead to buy a variable speed buffer (Makita, DeWalt or Porter Cable) , not cheap but cheaper than paying to have it done. Also, when you sand use forward to back motions without much pressure, not circular, be very cautious not to sand too far into the clear/gel. I don't paint for a living, just what I've learned.