Hi my tank is 25yrs old. Its in great condition but needs some TLC. Can anybody recommend a product to bring back its shine and maybe cover up those tiny scatches. cheers Kev
Depending on your budget, you could opt for a mini detailing machine. They use 3" pads and with the meguires etc you could really bring it back to life. If not, like bulling boots, small circular motion will do the job, decreasing pad roughness as you move on.
If you don't know what the paint finish is, either cellulose or 2 pack, I'd start with some T Cut which is the least abrasive, then maybe some compound if the scratces are deeper. If the tank colour comes off onto the cloth with T Cut it's cellulose so be careful as you can be down to the primer in no time.
t cut is a brand name wouldnt touch it with a barge pole if the color comes of on the cloth all that means is that there is no clear coat applied.
T Cut is just watered down compound. Cellulose finish, as was used almost universally before 2 pack finishes evolved, does not have a clear coat as the colour and gloss finish are one product. Cellulose was notoriously difficult to apply and get a good finish, especially over existing paint layers plus it doesn't have the resilience of modern 2 pack finishes.
Early T cut contained ammonia to eat into cellulose. It was a fine grade liquid, Modern T cut is a different formula and more like dense ketchup with either less or zero ammonia in. If it colours the cloth it just means there’s no lacquer on it which was the normal many years ago and still fine to use. If your tank is 25yrs old it’ll be two pack of original. You can still use T cut although your better using something like 3m fast cut or farecla g3 as that’s modern stuff. This will take a proportion of top surface off still and remove light scratches. You can use all this stuff by hand or by machine. If by machine then slow movements work best. Afterward use a good quality wax to finish it off.
