Polishing

Polishing is a sequence, not a product: cut the defect back, refine the haze that leaves, then finish. The compounds run in that order — orange, then blue, then white — and the sponges are colour-matched to them, so the pairing is hard to get wrong once you know the direction of travel. Pads and sponges come from 80 to 180 mm for the geared and rotary machines, with sheepskin and felt where a softer or harder action suits the surface. Because the geared machines polish on a rotary setting without generating much heat, gelcoat and paint can be worked without the burn risk that usually limits how long you can stay in one place. The finish cleaner and microfibre cloths remove residue at the end, which is when you find out whether the earlier stages were done properly.