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Work Day # 35 - March 3, 2009 (3.5 hrs)
Today we worked on finalizing the finish. We decided to try a method suggested by a builder named O'Brien. After wet sanding to 2000 grit, we use a 3 step hand finish method using Meguire's auto finishing products. The first step uses a heavy-cut buffing compound (Mirror Glaze 4 Heavy-Cut Cleaner) followed by a fine-cut buffing compound (Mirror Glaze 2 Fine-Cut Cleaner) and finally a swirl remover (Mirror Glaze 9 Swirl Remover 2.0).
All three are applied like you would apply wax to a car. Work the product in and wipe it off with a clean cloth (microfiber). Don't let it completely dry on the guitar. O'Brien recommends using a new cloth for applying each product (we used a soft flannel cloth).
We found that to remove the sanding marks left by the sand paper, you have to take your time with the heavy-cut #4 and work with the grain. After the 3 steps, the shine came up pretty nice.
