[thenewrick]

I just bought a GG random orbital and the aforementioned polishes. I know I need to wash the car first and then let it dry but I'm unsure about the moisture levels during the polishing stages.

Do I need to make sure the car is dry while polishing? I read that at least the sf4500 should be moist while being used. Does that mean a water spritzer?

My thinking was the si1500 on a dry car then wiped off with a microfiber cloth. Then the pf2500 on the dry car and wiped off.
Then the sf4500 with the car wet with water or quick detailer like when a car is being clay bar.

I haven't actually used a polisher before so if you have some easy to understand tips lay them on me

[TOGWT]

Abrasive polishes contain oils / wax for surface lubrication; so water is unnecessary

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Rinse surface and then dry
4. Polish
5. Protect


What I consider to be the best PC How-To available -Machine Polishing By Dual Action Polisher, Dave KG – http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=63859

[thenewrick]

Do I need to wait any time in between the different polishing steps or the final wax step?

If I'm polishing a car with some clear coat damage and 90% of the car still has clear coat but then I notice one small section begins staining my pad with paint what do I do? Do I immediately stop polishing the area and just wipe off and wax and leave as is or attempt to use a very fine finishing polish on the area to attempt to smooth it out a little before waxing?

[FI PETE]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

Do I need to wait any time in between the different polishing steps or the final wax step?

If I'm polishing a car with some clear coat damage and 90% of the car still has clear coat but then I notice one small section begins staining my pad with paint what do I do? Do I immediately stop polishing the area and just wipe off and wax and leave as is or attempt to use a very fine finishing polish on the area to attempt to smooth it out a little before waxing?

You don't need to wait in between steps...make sure you do an alcohol wipe down before applying your protection (wax, sealant, etc)

When you get to the area w/o clearcoat you don't have to stop, you just need to change your approach. Use the PF2500 with an orange or white foam pad light pressure and then go with the SF4500 to enhance the gloss. (this will work good on surfaces with light to medium oxidation. For heavy oxidation you might have to either apply more pressure or move up to the SI1500...MAKE SURE YOU MONITOR THE PAINT ON EVERY PASS. you don't want to go thru the paint)

Originally Posted by thenewrick

I just bought a GG random orbital and the aforementioned polishes. I know I need to wash the car first and then let it dry but I'm unsure about the moisture levels during the polishing stages.

Do I need to make sure the car is dry while polishing? I read that at least the sf4500 should be moist while being used. Does that mean a water spritzer?

My thinking was the si1500 on a dry car then wiped off with a microfiber cloth. Then the pf2500 on the dry car and wiped off.
Then the sf4500 with the car wet with water or quick detailer like when a car is being clay bar.

I haven't actually used a polisher before so if you have some easy to understand tips lay them on me

I have NEVER sprayed any water on my final polishing stage. There is a method called "The Kevin Brown Method" that I use in my compounding/polishing stage and it works very well when done properly(Meguiars M101 and M105, Menzerna FG400, PG1000 and SI1500).

Here is a link where you can learn all about that method.
http://www.buffdaddy.com/kevinbrownmethod

[thenewrick]

Wipe with 90% isoprop alcohol on a rag before final waxing?

[FI PETE]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

Wipe with 90% isoprop alcohol on a rag before final waxing?

50/50 or 60/40...I wouldn't do 90%...make sure you use a plush microfiber towel to avoid introducing scratches to the finish

[thenewrick]

Gotcha. I should be attempting my first polish next week. I hope it goes well!

[thenewrick]

So I tried out detailing for the first time tonight.

I used a black pad with Meguire's sf4500 finishing polish and it didn't really get out the light scratches. I switched to a white pad with pf2500 and that got out about 50% of the scratches. I didn't want to switch to the orange pads and si1500 because I was happy with the results for now.

I really need a proper light to see the scratches.

What would be the negative of accidentally using too little polish compound on the pad? I imagine using too much polish is just a waste but won't really hurt anything but just take longer for it to clear out and become effective.

[Otruba_843]

Using to much polish wastes product, makes it a little harder to wipe off, and clogs up the pad very fast which makes the abrasiveness of the pad close to nil.

[thenewrick]

What is the risk of using too little polish on the pad?

So I cleaned the pads as directed with the GG pad cleanser. The soap suds are really difficult to get out completely. Took many minutes of rinsing and wringing. They're drying very slowly as well. I'm trying them in the dryer now. Between cleaning the pads and polishing my hands and forearms sure are getting a workout.

[psnt1ol]

Not using enough product could diminish your result (especially with the final polish) since the product most likely is drying way too fast. Generally, this is not a big deal just as long you know when to stop. You could, in an extreme scenario, scour your paint if you continue. Polishing is the marriage of the polish, the pad, and the action of the machine. Your result generally will be less than stellar if one of the factor is out of balance.

How many pads are you using???? I always recommend having a minimum of 4-5 pads of each grade. This will help tremendously in keeping you moving along without the need to stop to wash out the pads every so often. Once you are done....soak them with a pad cleaner like Snappy Clean in a bucket overnight and rinse them out in the morning.

[thenewrick]

That's what I figured, just dry out quicker and not effective until more product applied.

I'm not doing entire cars at a time just scratches here and there so 1 pad per scratch. I just hand wash them in water/solution mix, let them sit for a while, then come back and rinse then let them soak in clean water for a while before wringing out.

I've been able to get out about half of the fine lines but some of the deeper scratches still remain. I haven't wanted to really push my luck. It does look better though for sure. It's a good way of getting those nagging little scratches you see every time you get in the car. I don't really notice most of the fine lines on side and lower panels so I won't bother polishing them.

I need some type of light before I can even really see them anyways. I've tried LED and they don't work. I need something that's similar to my garage's overhead fluorescent white light, it really shows the scratches well.

[psnt1ol]

Get a Brinksmann spot light to check for defects.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Brinkma...potlight-P466/

By the way....another side effect for using too much product is your pad durability. If the pad is overloaded with product, it will get warm and eventually the pad will start to soften. Your pad will be on life support shortly after.