I was not at all impressed by the finish I got from the roof and hood of the Europa. As I ran out of primer when I wanted to start the engine block, I put the Lotus 49 aside and got back to the other one. The first picture is what I had after 1500 and 2000 grade sanding, then 3M rubbing and finally car waxing the body. That is a dull finish, full of seemingly deep scratches that came from who knows where... I went back to a thorough 1500 sanding in order to get rid of the scratches and to have an even surface for the subsequent stages. A light sanding with 2000 grade paper gave also a good result, and I then tried to use 3000 and 4000 grade sanding pads on the roof. I did not think at first that those two pads would be of any use as I had a bad feeling about them. An equivalent paper would be quite smooth to the touch and the pads felt gritty. Anyway it was worth a try and there was no scratch left after having used them. I went on with the rubbing compound and then the wax, only to have a finish no better than the initial one. It was not mirror-like enough for me.
I started over at the 3M compound stage, this time using a soft cotton cloth. After wiping the dried wax, my eyes opened to another kind of reality. That was some serious shine I had in front of me! Just have a look at the second picture to see the difference. I will not pretend the result is perfect, as some defects in the paint are still visible, but it is now much more satisfying. Conclusion: drop the microfiber cloth for polishing and go the soft cotton cloth way.
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