Polishing Compound MEDIUM

The second step in leveling gloss paint

The medium-grade compound follows the coarse one and comes before the fine one. Its job is clear: to level the orange peel, the specks of dust and the sanding marks left in freshly laid gloss paint. It will not create deep gloss on its own, but it prepares a level surface on which the finer grade can finally work.

A procedure that works

The paint has to be fully cured; with two-part systems that means days rather than hours. Put a drop of compound on a soft cloth or a foam pad and work in small circles with the least possible pressure. Leave out edges, rivets and sharp transitions, because that is exactly where the paint is sanded through to the color beneath fastest. Wipe the residue off with a clean damp cloth before it dries in the engraving.

The model is plastic, not sheet metal, and so it heats up quickly. Electric bodywork polishers do not belong here. Working by hand is slower, but it handles even the small areas around windows, fenders and body seams.

When polishing makes sense

It pays off above all on car models, racing machines and finishes that are meant to look like a mirror. On matte military hardware the effect would do harm; there the compound will serve at most on the glazing, the lights and the clear parts, where it removes fine scratches left by sanding or by the mold.

The three grades work as a whole: the coarse one takes material off, the medium one levels and the fine one draws out the depth of the reflection. Skipping the middle step does not pay, because the fine compound only smooths the unevenness into gloss and the fault stays visible under harsh light.