Wax removal/buffing with PC7424

vegasdenali

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I usually apply and remove my wax (souveran paste wax) with my PC7424. For removal, I use a mf bonnet over lambs wool. But I was just reading one of the descriptions of a mf bonnet which said for best results, I should use a terry cloth bonnet for removal and then do final buffing using mf. Once I started using mf, I never went back to anything cotton. So I'm curious what others do? Do you use terry cloth first?
 
I just saw a great technique on the Adam's Polish video. He just places a plush MF towel on the surface over the polish residue and uses the PC with the polishing pad over the towel to agitate the towel and pick up most of the residue.

This saves the need for MF bonnets and takes some of the work out of removing by hand. I'm gonna give it a try.
 
I use a plush MF towel by hand. You can reach more with it.
 
I just saw a great technique on the Adam's Polish video. He just places a plush MF towel on the surface over the polish residue and uses the PC with the polishing pad over the towel to agitate the towel and pick up most of the residue.

This saves the need for MF bonnets and takes some of the work out of removing by hand. I'm gonna give it a try.
This works, but I'm not too sure how much of a benefit it will be for you.
I have used that method a few times, but just using a MF towel to remove product is pretty hard to beat.

Not to knock the Adam's Polish video, (Haven't seen it), but I first read about this method on Autopia in December of 2002.
 
I usually apply and remove my wax (Souveran paste wax) with my PC7424. For removal, I use a mf bonnet over lambs wool. But I was just reading one of the descriptions of a mf bonnet which said for best results, I should use a terry cloth bonnet for removal and then do final buffing using mf. Once I started using mf, I never went back to anything cotton. So I'm curious what others do? Do you use terry cloth first?

Here's how I do it...

Microfiber bonnet over a foam cutting pad because you want a stiff or dense pad with plenty of cushion. The lambswool bonnet works but offers no cushion.

The reason why terrycloth 'can' work better for removal is because typically the nap is larger in size than most microfiber material. The nap is th little cotton loops that make terrycloth... well terrycloth.

The larger the loop the better the fiber is able to slice into the continuous film you're trying to remove and break it up, breaking it's hold on the surface so it can be removed.

There was a guy on the Internet selling a alpine microfiber bonnet that had a large nap and it works really well and is more gentle to the paint than normal cotton.


I've been teaching how to remove dried wax or paint sealant using a DA with a bonnet over a foam pad for as long as bonnets have been around and actually like the method for show car work as it takes the pressure points of our fingers completely out of the picture.

Personal preference for sure.


Use the 5.0 to 6.0 speed setting and firm pressure, you want fast speeds when removing dried wax and sealant by machine. This technique doesn't really work well with WOWO products unless you apply them whisper thin.

With a bonnet, I show a technique for holding your fingernails against the face of the buffing pad and use them to lift and separate the fibers to remove accumulated residue and then quickly put the face of the pad back onto a panel of the car. You have to have your hand against the face of the pad anytime the pad isn't against a panel or the tool will speed up and your pad will go flying off.

This is part of every class we teach.

:)

:buffing:
 
I just saw a great technique on the Adam's Polish video. He just places a plush MF towel on the surface over the polish residue and uses the PC with the polishing pad over the towel to agitate the towel and pick up most of the residue.

Works okay on a flat or horizontal surface but if you try this on a vertical panel you'll find it hard not to watch the microfiber towel fall onto the floor anytime you don't keep firm pressure against it.

This works okay at slow speeds but wax and paint sealant is removed best on the 5.0 to 6.0 speed setting, at least most effectively removed and for the higher speeds bonnets on firm, clean, dry foam cutting pads is the way to go.


:)
 
What about this theory on mf vrs. cotton for wax removal?
Microfiber or Cotton to buff wax?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Removing Wax / Sealants

Water, being hydrophilic adheres to micro fibre; in comparison to cotton, a Microfiber will soak up 98% moisture, while cotton can only soak up at most 70%.
The polyester and polyamide content of Microfiber is typically; 80% polyester and 20% polyamide . The nature of this yarn is that it is an absorbent; the reason polyester appears to absorb liquids is the many thousands of micro fibres that collectively encapsulate liquids

a) Microfiber towel - made from polyester/polyamide will remove product due to its inherent properties (that’s why they are so good at cleaning without the use of chemicals). The polyester and polyamide are combined during weaving to create microscopic loops, which form a network of tiny hooks, scrubbing away dirt and grime while trapping it within the weave. These very fine fibres have little 'hook like claws' that reach into the tiniest of crevices, pulling out dirt, dust, grease, grime, and even bacteria. They hold these foreign materials in their web of weaves until they are washed in warm water where the fibres relax and release these materials.

Conversely the same attributes that make Microfiber so good at cleaning have an adverse affect when applying wax. A polymer sealant forms a molecular bond with the paint surface, so when you remove it, you are removing excess product. An organic wax however, doesn’t form a bond with the paint surface but merely adheres to it, forming a chain-link type coating. A micro fibre cotton towel will leave enough of the wax behind to enable it to form a surface coating.

b) Cotton towel - made from 100% cotton micro fibre with a terrycloth weave, spun with long staple cotton and then woven into 100% natural looped terrycloth or velour, the larger fibre loop size that makes up the towels nap are trimmed to produce a fine nap, ideal for buffing and leaving behind a coating on the paint surface.
 
That reads like something TOGWT wrote, at least the style looks/reads that way.

I was told that Microfiber aDsorbs while Cotton aBsorbs

Adsorb means to take onto itself
Absorb means to take into itself

I know I like drying off after a shower with a cotton towel.


:)
 
That reads like something TOGWT wrote, at least the style looks/reads that way.

I was told that Microfiber aDsorbs while Cotton aBsorbs

Adsorb means to take onto itself
Absorb means to take into itself

I know I like drying off after a shower with a cotton towel.


:)
Mike, do you think that cotton or mf is better for wax removal?
 
Mike, do you think that cotton or mf is better for wax removal?

That depends upon how you define the word better


Microfiber is more gentle to automotive paints and that's all the reason most of us need to choose and use Microfiber polishing towels for removing polish and wax residues off paints.

If I'm compounding and going to polish afterwards I'll usually use cotton terry cloth with a healthy nap for the ability of the nap to break up product. Any toweling marks inflected during wipe-off will be removed during the polishing step and then switch to microfiber after that.


See what I wrote about Good Cotton Towels in this article,

The 4 minimum categories of wiping cloths


How about you?

  • Do you think cotton or microfiber is better for wax removal?
  • How about paint sealant removal?
  • How about polish removal?
  • How about compound removal?
:)
 
This technique doesn't really work well with WOWO products unless you apply them whisper thin.
Sorry, I'm still learning acronyms. WOWO = ?
I use pinnacle souveran paste wax. And I'm thinking of trying the wolfgang deep gloss sealant and then a layer of souveran.
 
Mike Phillips said:
How about you?

Do you think cotton or microfiber is better for wax removal?
How about paint sealant removal?
How about polish removal?
How about compound removal?


I believe that the article has some merits. Just ordered some DF towels and will give them a try. Wax and sealant removal I would place in the same category as I would place compound and polish removal in the same category. I have alway's been a firm believer that buffing off wax is the wrong way to do it. I've seen so many detailers rub off wax like they were trying to get off every bit of wax from the paint. Waxes unlike sealants do not bond to the paint and by over rubbing you are removing more wax than is needed. I try to lightly remove the wax with a low nap mf towel (very thin coat) with the least amount of strokes as is neccessay to remove the hazed wax. I let it sit in the sun to allow the wax to flow. The next day I would use a good QD and go over the entire car. The next weekend I would put another coat using the same technique. Just my way of removing waxes.
 
I believe that the article has some merits. Just ordered some DF towels and will give them a try. Wax and sealant removal I would place in the same category as I would place compound and polish removal in the same category.

Agree. There's a difference between wiping off correction products and polishing products and protection products.

I have always been a firm believer that buffing off wax is the wrong way to do it. I've seen so many detailers rub off wax like they were trying to get off every bit of wax from the paint.

I'm going to assume that when you write,

I have always been a firm believer that buffing off wax is the wrong way to do it.

That when you say buffing you mean "Machine Buffing" off the wax because to just say buffing off wax could include working by hand.

I have to apologize for being so specific but posting to the "Forum World" with a handful of people on every forum that will dissect every word I write in an article has taught me to be specific and choose my words carefully. Also, there may be other reading this thread and I want to make sure I understood what you wrote so everyone understands what were both talking about. :)


Assuming that you meant "machine buffing" above, then this is where everyone gets to have their personal preference. For some projects I like to remove the wax by machine and done correctly I don't see any problem with it and in fact I know of a couple of benefits to it. I've taught how to remove dried waxes and sealants by machine in every class I've ever taught and leave it up to the student to make up their own decision as to whether they want to use the technique or not.

And again, everyone can find a way that works best for themselves.


Waxes unlike sealants do not bond to the paint

That starts to get into chemistry and one thing I do is never pretend to be a chemist. I would bring up one point and the word "waxes" like you used above might give people the impression that you're talking about a product based solely on naturally occurring ingredients like Carnauba wax. And how Carnauba wax actually sticks, adheres, or bonds to paint would be best described by a real chemist.

I recently wrote a new article and placed all the "Paint Protection Products" Autogeek offers into their similar categories and I personally found it interesting as to how many Hybrid products there are on the market.

A Hybrid product being a product blended using both naturally occurring protection ingredients and synthetic protection ingredients, so if a person is using a blended or Hybrid product that will really throw a wrench into how we all think or assume a product bonds or cross-links, or cures, or adheres, or sticks to the paint.

Here's the article and I've included all the categories and the products that fit into them... (I left out all the mundane copy but it's a good read for people that are interested in this topic)

How To Choose The Right Wax or Paint Sealant for your Detailing Project

Subtitle: The difference between a cleaner/wax and a finishing wax

List of Paint Protection Products

Here at Autogeek we care a great selection of both finishing waxes and cleaner/waxes, below you'll find a list for both types.


Cleaner/Waxes
Menzerna Sealing Wax APO 60
Collinite Paste Sapphire Auto Wax #73SS
Mothers California Gold Original Formula Carnauba Cleaner Wax
Poorboy’s World Polish with Carnauba (BLUE)
Poorboy's World Polish with 100% Carnauba
Collinite Liquid Sapphire Auto Wax SS216
Dodo Juice Need For Speed Cleaner Wax


Cleaner/Sealants
XMT 360 All In One Cleaner Wax
Griot's Garage One-Step Sealant
Klasse All-In-One Polish
Duragloss Polish & Cleaner 101
Finish Kare 215 One Step Cleaner & Surface Sealant
Finish Kare 2180 Ultra Poly Wipe Sealant Conditioner
Optimum Poli-Seal
Mother's FX Synwax Paste
Mother's FX Synwax Liquid
Mother's Reflections Advanced Car Wax
Wheel Wax Glacier Polish & Sealant
3M One Step Cleaner Wax


Finishing Waxes
Pinnacle Souverän Paste Wax
Pinnacle XMT 180 High Gloss Carnauba Paste Wax
Griot's Garage Best of Show Wax
Griot's Garage Carnauba Wax Stick
Finish Kare 2685 Pink Paste Wax
Collinite Paste Fleetwax # 885
Collinite Marque D’Elegance Carnauba Paste Wax #915
Collinite Super DoubleCoat Auto Wax #476
Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wax Liquid
Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax
Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax Machine Stick
Dodo Juice Banana Armour Hard Car Wax
Dodo Juice Blue Velvet Hard Car Wax
Dodo Juice Diamond White Hard Wax
Dodo Juice Hard Candy Hard Wax
Dodo Juice Light Fantastic Soft Wax
Dodo Juice Orange Crush Soft Wax
Dodo Juice Purple Haze Soft Wax
Dodo Juice Rubbish Boy’s Juiced Edition Carnauba Wax
Dodo Juice Austintacious Soft Wax
P21S 100% Carnauba Wax
P21S Concours Carnauba Wax
S100 Carnauba Paste Wax
Mothers California Gold Pure Carnauba Car Wax
Poorboy's World Natty's Paste Wax
Poorboy's World Natty’s Paste Wax – BLUE
Poorboys World Natty’s Paste Wax – Red
Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax, 250 ml. Refillable Hardwood Pot
Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845
Mother's Power Wax



Finishing Sealants
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0
Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze
Duragloss Clear Coat Polish (CCP) #111
Finish Kare 218 Poly Wipe Sealant Conditioner
Griot's Garage Paint Sealant
Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection Boosted with Polycharger
Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Paste Wax
3M Perfect-It Show Car Liquid Wax
3M Performance Finish
Meguiar's M21 Synthetic Sealant
NXT Tech Wax - Liquid
NXT Tech Wax - Paste
Liquid Glass Auto Polish
Poorboy's World EX-P Pure Sealant
3M Perfect-It Show Car Paste Wax


Hybrid Cleaner Waxes/Sealants
Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #6 Cleaner/Wax
Duragloss Total Performance Polish (TPP) # 105
Meguiar's M20 Polymer Sealant
Meguiar's ColorX
Meguiar's M66 Quick Detailer
Meguiar's D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream
1Z Einszett Metallic Polish Wax
Duragloss Wet Look Paste Wax


Hybrid Finishing Waxes/Sealants
Wolfgang Füzion Carnauba Polymer Estate Wax
Pinnacle Liquid Souveran™ Car Wax
Mothers Reflections Advanced Top Coat
Poorboy's World EX Sealant with Carnauba
DP Max Wax
Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #26 Hi-Tech Paste Car Wax
Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #26 Hi-Tech Liquid Car Wax
Dodo Juice Blue Velvet PRO Hard Wax
1Z Einszett Glanz Wax
Poorboy's World EX Sealant with Carnauba
Finish Kare 2685 Pink Paste Wax



Spray-on Paint Protectants

Spray-on Carnauba Waxes
Pinnacle Souveran Liquid Spray Wax
Flitz Waxx Speed Wax
Griot's Garage Spray-On Wax
Mother's California Gold Spray Wax
Poorboys World QW+ Quick Wax Plus



Spray-on Synthetic Paint Sealants
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Spritz Sealant
Duragloss Aquawax - 22 ounce
Duragloss Aquawax - 128 ounce
Meguiar's NXT Generation Spray Wax
Mothers FX Engineered Spray Wax
Optimum Opti-Seal
Stoner SpeedBead One-Step Quick Wax



Spray-on Hybrids
Pinnacle XMT 360 Spray Wax
Four Star Ultimate Spray Wax Boosted with Polycharger
Meguiar's X-Press Liquid Wax
Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax
Mother's Reflections Advanced Spray Wax
Optimum Car Wax
Stoner Bead Max


Wheel Waxes
Detailer's Pride Wheel Glaze
Wheel Wax
Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant



Question: How many car waxes do you need?

"Car waxes and paint sealants are to men like shoes are to women, you can never have too many" - Mike Phillips



Me? I don't need to get this deep into the chemistry as to how a product sticks to the paint, I'm either going to use the product or not and after I make that decision I move forward with the process, not analyze it or discuss it to death on a forum although that is the nature of some on forums. It's all good, it's just not what I do, I go out into the garage and put the product on the paint. :)

I like to Keep It Simple Simon and when it comes to choosing a wax or paint sealant it becomes a Go/No Go decision, not a Go decision and now lets start a thread and analyze this product before I wax the old Ford. :laughing:



and by over rubbing you are removing more wax than is needed.

I'm with you on this. A lot of people don't realize that after initial wipe-off, either by hand or machine its time to walk away, quit wiping the paint. Every time you wipe a freshly waxed or paint sealanted surface you DISRUPT the coating, whatever it is. If the goal is to leave behind the maximum amount of protection ingredients, (whatever they are), then quit touching or quit wiping the paint and allow some time to go by for the protection ingredients to fully set-up.

Full set-up can include whatever means a protection products uses to stick or adhere to the surface.

I try to lightly remove the wax with a low nap mf towel (very thin coat) with the least amount of strokes as is necessary to remove the hazed wax.

That's a good technique to insure you're leaving the maximum amount of protection ingredients on the surface.

  • Some people apply a wax or a paint sealant to make the car look good.
  • Some people apply a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint
  • Some people apply a wax or paint sealant to do both
If the goal is to leave the maximum amount of protection on the car, then after initial wipe-off it's time to stop touching the paint and let the protection ingredients fully set-up.

I know that the natural inclination for most people is to wipe and wipe and wipe and love on their car. That's where a person has to just STOP, think about what they're doing and stop. Let the protection ingredients fully set-up and give the car a final wipe after a window of time has passed.


I let it sit in the sun to allow the wax to flow. The next day I would use a good QD and go over the entire car. The next weekend I would put another coat using the same technique. Just my way of removing waxes.

I 've read for years of people that let the sun warm the car and thus warm the paint and in turn warm the coating on the paint. Some people refer to this a baking the wax, so some such.

I don't do this myself for my own reasons but I respect that everyone has their own way that works best for them.

My personal preference would be to leave a freshly waxed or sealed finish in a place where air-borne contaminants cannot land on the paint, accumulate and then have to be wiped-off and that's the major problem with letting a freshly waxed car sit outside in the open air.


Great point you brought out Ron, good discussion...

:xyxthumbs:
 
Sorry, I'm still learning acronyms. WOWO = ?
I use pinnacle Souveran paste wax. And I'm thinking of trying the Wolfgang deep gloss sealant and then a layer of Souveran.

:laughing:

No problemo... the forum world is filled with acyrnoms...

WOWO means Wipe On, Wipe Off

WOWO is the acronym for waxes that are not formulated to have to dry before you remove them so they are talked about on forums as WOWO waxes.

I started a thread about what to call the waxes and paint sealants that do need to dry and the consensus was pretty much,

WODWO

Or

Wipe On, Dry, Wipe Off

Pronounced, WO DEE WO



Here's that thread...

What's the opposite acronym of a WOWO

(See the bottom post on page 2 of the thread)

:)
 
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