What is polishing by hand

<p>Polishing by hand can either refer to <a href&equals;"&sol;correction&sol;what-is-rubbing-polish&sol;">applying polish with the bare hands<&sol;a>&comma; or by moving the polishing pad by hand instead of using a machine polisher&period; This article describes the latter&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>What is polishing by hand<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Polishing by hand is the act of working in polish without the help of a machine&comma; but by moving the polishing pad by hand&period; This is obviously slower then working with a machine&comma; but will give much more control on the end result&period; Polishing by hand is usually done when the use of a machine offers to much risk&comma; for example when the paintwork is very thin&period; Some weekend warriors might use this technique because they might not have the budget available to buy a machine&period; Polishing by hand can be done with the same material and products as polishing by machine&comma; but some manufacturers make special products to make the process easier&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>What to use when polishing by hand<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>The products and tools that can be used to polish by hand can be the same as the ones you would use with a machine&comma; however some polishing pads can be difficult to hold while moving over the panel&period; The flat and round polishing pad doesn&&num;8217&semi;t offer much grip&period; Certain manufacturers have created polishing pads with shapes that offer more grip and are easier to hold on to while moving the pad around&period; The polishing paste used with these pads can also be the same as when working with a machine&comma; but a few manufacturers have created products that will give more results in a shorter timespan&period; The downside is that these polishes often require more aftercare to get to the maximum gloss level&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>The technique for polishing by hand<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Polishing by hand isn&&num;8217&semi;t very difficult or tricky&comma; the movement you make is very similar to that of applying wax or pre-wax to a panel&comma; although the movement when polishing should be a bit faster&period; There are some different discussions on the movement itself&comma; but in general the most common movement is making small overlapping circles&comma; working in areas of roughly 40cm by 40cm&period; The smaller the circle you make with your arm&comma; the finer the polishing result&period; Others feel that making straight lines offers better results&period; Regardless wether you make small circles of straight lines&comma; the common consensus is still that you should make overlapping movements&comma; and to make a criss-cross pattern&period; Meaning you work from left to right first&comma; and then from top to bottom &lpar;or vice versa&rpar;&period; After making several passes&comma; the detailer wipes off the oily polish residue&comma; wipes down the panel with IPA &lpar;or similar&rpar; and judges the finish&period; In general&comma; polishing by hand will take a lot longer then polishing by machine&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;