I never had success duplicating box surface for Storm/Roto using powerhouse factory polish and I tried many different steps. Maybe someone else will chime in that has been closer with it
I'm kind of surprised at this. Storm's "1500 grit polished" has always seemed to me to be equivalent (not identical) to a very high gloss polish over a 2000 - 3000 grit sanding. I have often achieved "similar" results by sanding to 2000 grit and using a high abrasive polish, like Storm's own Xtra Shine. It almost seems like a 4000 grit + polish finish, which should only be used when the lanes are VERY dry or the coverstock itself is VERY strong.
My opinion is that this "polish" is often a source of extreme over/under reaction on even blended oil patterns. It is easily cured by re-sanding with 1000, 1500 or 2000 grit sanding and then applying a light to medium polish with a more more "normal" (whatever normal might be. ) polish like Powerhouse Factory Finish or Lane Masters polish or ever Reacta Shine.
In any case, "1500 grit polished" is not a polish finish that you want to use very often, unless you have very slow ball speed or you are facing very dry conditions.
Have you tried Rough Buff, Royal Compound, and now Crown Factory Compound? I was always (still am) a huge fan of those products.
Yes.
They're amazingly variable with so much depending on the person applying and spinning.
Normally, and at the factory, 500 grit + Rough Buff/Royal Compound, with medium amounts and light to medium pressure for a "short" while, produces a finish in the 3000-3500 grit range. Further pressure and spinning can produce the equivalent of a 4000 - 4500 grit finish.
Using a base of 1000 grit with medium amounts and medium pressure and medium duration spinning can produce a shine or the equivalent of a polished finish, with some "grab" provided by the underlying 1000 grit.
Once you get up to 1500 grit base sanding + an application of RB/RC, you get more and more of a high gloss shine, equivalent to a high gloss polish.
That said,
I do use "500 grit + RB/RC" every once in a while, but I prefer the precision of 500/2500/3000 or 1000/2000/4000 strictly via abrasive pads.
If I want a polished finish, I use whatever grit I want for a base and then apply the polish. That could be anything from 500 grit + a light polish to as much as 1000/2000/4000 + a heavy dose of polish.
But that's just me.