I think i know.

My paint job was looking kind of dull and scratched up, so I put some rubbing compound in it by hand. I didn't have an electric buffer at the time. Now I do. It's still kinda dull looking because rubbing compound is really coarse. I assume that I should finish it off with the polishing compound and then the actual polish.

Doesn't wax just fill in the gaps and temporarily mask scratches? I figured poloshing compound like using sandpaper. It actually smooths the paint out, right?

 

Check out the forums at Autopia.org - lots of good info there. You can start with a light cut rubbing compound to remove scratches. Then go with a polish - more removal of scratches and some fillers. Top it off with a quality paste wax to seal it in. Some also top it off with Zaino. I use the pinnacle souveran paste wax. For "smoothing" out the paint or removing orange peel - wet sanding with a 1500 grit or finer sand paper is required. Then rubbing compound , polish & wax. Don't attempt this unless you have experience - you don't want to sand through your clearcote. 3M swirl mark remover polish for dark cars works excellent for reds , blacks , blues. Can find it at your local paint & autobody supply.
Dennis

 

Wax protects the paint and polish removes fine imperfections and some have silicones that fill in the scratches temporarily. Be careful with compounds because they can be quite harsh and dull the paint.

Compound should only be used to remove moderate to deep scratches or to fix an overall rough paint job. If you use compound, you have to follow it up with a couple different grades of polish until the compound scratches are smoothed out.

 

Should this be done by hand?

I bought an orbital buffer for like $14 at wal-mart. I put the rubbing compound in by hand and removed it by hand. I applied the was to the hood with the buffer and removed it with the buffer. I noticed that it didn't make as much of a difference as it did when I did it by hand. Is it more effective to do these things by hand?

 

The simplest analogy is this:

A polish is a cleaner and paint reconditioner. Polish burnishes the surface of your paint in order to make it smooth and streak free. Polishes range in abrasiveness from clearcoat safe (paint cleaner and mild polishes of retail brands) to fairly abrasive (polishing compounds) to aggressive (rubbing compounds). Fairly abrasive and beyond should be used to correct stubborn paint issues that cannot be cleaned out.

Wax is a non abrasive coating that is used strictly to protect the paint finish from ultra-violet sun rays and mild airborne contaminants, and to enhance the optical qualities of your paint surface. There exists a myriad of products with varying qualities of both a pure wax and wax and cleaner combinations, but the previous definition of wax as a coating only should be regarded.

Hope this helps.