Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

I have been trying to figure out if the Norton Ice system just works this way...or if I dont know what Im doing. I wetsanded 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 and then went to the wool pad in the Norton Ice system that I bought from Eastwood. Here is what I did.

1. Cleaned of the surface with a car wash to clean it
2. Took the spur tool to the wool pad and let it spin a bit to get any crust out
3. Sprayed distilled water mist on both panel and pad
4. Applied a nickel sized blob of the Norton Ice compound for the front of the fender as a start
5. Smeared it around before I fired up the polisher
6. Turned on polisher to 1000 rpm as the instructions said
7. Light in fact hardly any pressure at all from me, just slowly working the pad over left and right
8. Washed off the panel surface with car wash
9. dried it with microfiber
10. Moved to the blue pad step 2 same as above, just up to 1500rpm as instructions said
11. Washed it off with car wash
12. Dried it with microfiber
13. Sprayed distilled water on panel and white step 3 pad
14. Applied the compound to the white step 3 pad and smeared it around the panel
15. Turned on the polisher up to 1500 per instructions
16. Washed off with car wash
17. Dried with microfiber
18. Became puzzled

And from a distance its really nice, but if you look closely the scratches and swirls are showing. Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal? I wondered if the wool pad was too scratchy and I should try another system with a foam pad for the initial cut?

Ill post pics of the 2500 wetsanded state and then the final polished state with a close up.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

That looks like scratches below the paint,,,as in the primer maybe...those scratches are straight..not swirled...that makes it look like maybe they're from pre-paint
my C30 has some just like that that never would buff out....and i think it's in the primer where I didnt sand it with finer grit..but it's between the cab and bed so it not easily noticed...
There'll be one of the more experienced folks thatll know....

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

It’s amazing how the paint can make the smallest flaw show up mongo is right they look like sanding scratches

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

definetly scratch from the sanding pre paint, you can see the cross hatch marks.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

Thanks guys, didnt want to keep at it with the polisher. Looks like my auto paint skills are lacking.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

Not knowing the process in which you used this could’ve happened for several different reasons, Did you use guide coat if not you may have not got all the scratches out, did you primer over scratches? If you buried scratches with a high build 2K Primer. Even if you used a guide code and got all the scratches out the high build the ones you buried under the high build will die back and show up in the finish paint. I see people leave heavy scratches from 80 or 180 grit paper and then buried them with primer just to have them die back

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

I should have been more meticulous, I used a the marker trick most of the time as a guide coat and used that all the way on the 2k up to 600 grit, then sprayed a sealer coat and wetsanded with 800, then base and clear. I have many more panels to go through and polish. At least I know where things went wrong.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

Don’t know what the marker trick is but It didn’t work

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

If there is enough clear you can remove them, put the panels in the sun, for a few days and let the paint sit, ive done black cars and had to rebuff a year later,

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

I took a sharpie marker and made doodles all over the panel then sanded till doodles were gone.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

If you didn't see those scratches before you started wetsanding then they're not leftover from the bodywork before paint. Looks like the 1000 grit scratches weren't completely removed by the finer grits. The scratches will open up and look wider/deeper after buffing if they're not completely removed.

If you have enough clear on it, try a small spot with 1500 again, you'll see glossy low spots of the scratches still as you start sanding. Sand in one direction until the glossy scratches are gone, then move up to the next grit and sand in an opposite direction until all of the perpendicular 1500 grit scratches are gone. Keep repeating until you're worked up to 2500, then buff it and see if you still have scratches showing. You shouldn't unless there is stray grit from not cleaning well enough between grit changes.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

Its likely more of a below the clear issue and me just not getting it perfect. I did wetsand that area with 1500 and there are some spots that are shiny but Im pretty sure I loused up getting everything smoothed out before the base and clear. Its overcast so its hard to get the same kinda pic but here is that area.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

same pics but contrast played with in photoshop and closed in on

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

How do your other panels look that you have not sanded and buffed do you see the scratches in them

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

Ill check them tomorrow and post a few samples

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

Ok the wheel humps I have one that I polished and one that hasnt been wetsanded yet. Here they are side by side, left side hasnt been wetsanded yet, the right one has been and polished.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

left side pics- non polished

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

more non polished

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

I see the orange peel and trash to nib, but I dont see the scratching like the fender has. Maybe I just did a better job on this panel...or maybe it doesnt show itself until the wetsand and polish. Makes me crazy. But here are the pics of the other hump that has been sanded and polished. I dont see the scratches but this spiderwebbing looking halo bugs me.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

Last 2 of the polished hump

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

It is very difficult to see stuff in a picture it may be as theastronaut said you’re not getting all of your thousand grit scratches, out if you’re not seeing them before sanding. The scratches look to be in a circular pattern. how many times are you going over your fender with the wool pad because you can buff out 1500 scratches in clear, also how meany coats of clear do you have to work with

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

I have 3 coats of clear to work with. The wool pad on that wheel tub was gone over 2- passes I think. I did it over a month ago but if I remember right it was 2 passes. Scared I was gonna eat through the clear so I kinda went quick.

Should I try a different pad other than wool? The foam?

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

It would be better with four coats especially if you started with the thousand grit. But if you only went over it twice with the wool pad scratches are probably in the clear. I would sand it again with 1500 And 2000 and buffet again I would go over it at least four times with the wool pad. Another thought is when you are sanding where is your water coming from ? spray bottle, water hose, Bucket personally when I can I use the garden hose without the metal end turned down low when I can’t use a hose I use a spray bottle, never use a bucket you’re Just recycling your cuttings. But in either case keep it well flushed don’t let the mud build up a bug a piece trash that got in your paint being scrubbed around can leave scratches. Another thing I do is periodically wash my pad out Instead of spurring it

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

I'd definitely say it's 1000 grit scratches that aren't fully sanded out before moving up to finer grits. And two passes with a wool pad isn't enough to fully polish out 2500 grit scratches and texture, especially with Norton. I like to make multiple passes with the pad spinning in different directions to until all the scratches and texture is gone. Nsb29 makes a good point about washing out the pad- they load up with clear and stop cutting effectively so you need to keep the pad clean.


I had problems with random sanding scratches after buffing on my first paint job so I took a few extra steps to make sure it wasn't me introducing any grit into the wetsanding process. I bought an inline filter for the water hose I was using (and can see trash in the filter element so it's working), kept a constant flow of water to keep the sanding sludge washed away, stopped using a fan so no dust was being blown onto the panel, hung panels so that the surface was vertical and could drain easily, and switched to Meguiars Unigrit sandpaper that has more uniform grit particle size.

Re: Polishing with Norton Ice--is this normal scratching?
 

The light spiderweb/halo scratches could be towel marks, leftover scratches from the wool pad, etc. A random orbital buffer and the right pad/polish will remove those if they're only light scratches. Using the proper towels is important too, some materials are aggressive enough to be abrasive and will leave fine scratches.