Diminishing Abrasives
Diminishing abrasives require friction, to activate and progressively reduce there size until they become a finite milled dust; they are buffered or cushioned in a lubricating water-based oil film emulsion, usually in a semi-liquid paste. Wet polishes eliminate the heat caused by buffing; heat causes gloss loss. Some very abrasive compound polishes don’t feel abrasive to the touch because the particles are formulated in a solvent or polymer oils in a water-based emulsion and are not released without friction.
The abrasive start off as large particles, which removes the most paint, they are then reduced in size into finer and finer particles, removing progressively less of the paint surface, by the friction caused by the foam pads contact with the paint surface. By varying the size of the abrasive a differing cut is obtained, so the more the abrasives are reduced in size the finer the resultant finish until the particles are reduced to a very fine powder, which in turn produces a burnished surface shine.
It is important to know when a polish has broken down because if you take it too far it will dust and you will re-introduce surface marring, conversely if you don’t work diminishing abrasives sufficiently they will cause surface marring; this is due to the size of the abrasive and its cutting ability, were as once an abrasive has broken down it will burnish the surface as opposed to cutting it
Polish to a ‘haze’ - when a polish "flashes" from a liquid paste to a light semi-dry haze; its colour changes from the polish colour to almost transparent (akin to the look of Vaseline); the polish has then broken down and is ready for removal. The point at which a polish is fully broken down comes with experience but a good yard stick is when the polish has become clear and can easily be wiped off.
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Diminishing Abrasives- - Detail University - Auto Detailing Forum