Menzerna Heavy Cut Compound 400 is a strongly cutting compound that removes deep scratches, sanding marks and heavy usage marks from the clear coat. What sets it apart is that it cuts hard yet finishes glossy: Menzerna rates it a cut of 8 and a gloss of 8 on their own scale of 10. You apply it by machine with a cutting pad and work the paint in passes until the defect is gone. You will find Menzerna Heavy Cut Compound 400 in the shop.
What Heavy Cut Compound 400 does
A compound removes a thin layer of the clear coat to level scratches that do not go through the paint with the surface around them. Heavy Cut 400 tackles coarse marks: Menzerna states it removes sanding marks up to P1500 with a lambswool pad and up to P2000 with a foam pad. The formula is silicone-free and barely dusts, which is pleasant to work with and keeps your view of the paint clear. Unlike many heavy compounds, its high gloss rating often leaves a result that only needs a finishing step afterwards.
Where it sits in the polishing ladder
Polishing goes from coarse to fine. Heavy Cut Compound 400 is the first, coarsest step for real scratches and defects. After it you remove the light haze a compound leaves with a medium polish such as the Menzerna Medium Cut Polish 2500, and for a mirror gloss you finish with a finishing polish. If the scratches are light, you skip the heavy step and start with a medium polish or a one-step. Not sure about the approach, then read the guide polishing your car and removing swirls first.
How to use it
Clean, dry work area. Wash and degrease the paint first, so no grit gets between pad and paint and makes new scratches.
Dose the product. Put a few drops on the pad: for a 40 by 40 cm area count about 3 to 4 drops on a 95mm pad, 5 on a 150mm pad and 6 to 7 on a 180mm pad.
Work in a cross pattern. Spread the product first at low speed, then work in a cross pattern with firm pressure and lower the pressure as you raise the speed slightly.
Work out and wipe off. Work until the product looks almost transparent and oily, and wipe off the residue with a clean microfiber cloth without pressing.
Pad and machine
For the cutting power you use a lambswool pad or a cutting foam pad; for an optional gloss step you can then take a softer pad. Heavy Cut 400 works with both a dual-action machine and a rotary machine. On hard paint Menzerna advises starting a rotary at around 800 to 1500 rpm and finishing at 1800 to 2000 rpm. Keep the pad clean and swap it when it clogs, because a saturated pad cuts less and can leave streaks.
When to choose Heavy Cut
Heavy Cut Compound 400 is your choice when your nail catches in a scratch or the paint is full of deeper marks and haze that a light polish will not remove. For just some swirls and lost gloss it is too coarse; you then work more efficiently and safely with a medium polish or the Menzerna One-Step Polish 3-in-1. You will find more compounds and polish in the compound and polish category.