Pictures and Comments from April 24th Damp Sanding and Machine Polishing Class

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Pictures and Comments from April 24th Damp Sanding and Machine Polishing Class


Thank you to everyone that attended today, I hope you all had as much fun as Dwayne, Yancy and myself... here's a few pictures form the class today...


We had a full class today!

Comparing Blown-up Views of Hand Sanding Papers to Meguiar's Unigrit Sanding Discs

Machine Damp Sanding using a 3M Air-powered DA Sander

Tough crowd!

Machine Damp Sanding using Meguiar's G110v2

Removing sanding marks using a rotary buffer

Robert from Impressions Detailing inspects the results...

Learning how to use detailing clay to remove above surface bonded contaminants...

Preston says... you looking at me?

Will trying out the Flex 3401

Elkin is a Pro Detailer from Miami wanting to learn some sanding techniques...

After a little guidance he's sanding like a seasoned pro...

He shared a portfolio of exotic cars he's buffed out and his work is very impressive!

I would also like to thank Shawn aka Sully, Robert from Impression's Detailing and Preston for helping out!


Again thank you everyone for a fun day at Autogeek!


That's all till Monday... time to shut down Autogeek's Show Car Garage!


:dblthumb2:

 

[Finemess]

Nice turn out, great job Mike.

 

[coldfirejt]

Just wanted to say thanks again Mike and good job with the class. I'm already looking forward to the next one. It still amazes me how much there is to learn with this stuff but I certainly enjoy it!

:xyxthumbs:

 

[GatorJZ]

Just arrived home from class (I live on the west coast of Florida).

Some observations in a totally random order.

1. The new Autogeek facility is both absolutely beautiful and huge. Amazingly large and nice.

2. The classroom is first class. Very spacious, climate controlled and comfortable. This section of the building was actually designed to be a classroom...not just converted as an afterthought...and it shows.

3. One phrase to describe the facilities...first class.

4. It is also conveniently located literally just off I-95 which is nice for people traveling in and/or not familiar with the area.

5. The two hotels recommended on the website...the Courtyard by Marriott and Holiday Inn Express are each about 1/2 mile from the facility. They both looked like nice hotels. The Marriott (where I stayed) was excellent. Join their rewards program and save a few dollars.

4. The class started EXACTLY on time...a first for me.

5. The staff was friendly and very accommodating. Thank you Yancy, Dwayne and especially Mike. Upon arrival free donuts and coffee were provided and they had a large cooler stocked with bottled water and soft drinks.

6. The class itself was very well organized and presented. The two powerpoint sessions were very professional...lots of high quality photographs and graphics to emphasize the particular points Mike was making. One nice touch was that just about every piece of equipment featured was not only physically present in the classroom, but was passed around for our inspection. We were also encouraged to try out anything we wanted, especially the equipment with which we were unfamiliar.

7. Free lunch was provided and I have to admit the Domino's commercials are true...their pizza is actually better.

8. Mike is an excellent teacher. He brings a LOT of knowledge and experience to the table and it shows. He also knows how to strike the balance of allowing people to ask questions and share insights while maintaining control of the class. Not an easy task with a pretty large class of people is comprised of folks ranging from veteran professional detailers to total rookies. In fact, that was one of the the things that surprised me. I was expecting a bunch of weekend warriors such as me, yet there was a significant number of professionals there who were obviously quite experienced. I think their attendance speaks well for Mike as an individual and Autogeek as a corporation.

9. The last 2.5 hours of class were all hands on and again we were welcomed and encouraged to try out anything we wished. Mike ensured there were people available to assist us if needed.

10. According to Mike, one of the main purposes of the class was to get you familiar and comfotable with new products, equipment and techniques. He was successful with this. Prior to this class, I would have NEVER considered sanding anything on one of my cars. After seeing and hearing about the new Megs Unigrit system and getting to play with it a little bit, I would actually be OK doing it if the need ever arises.

11. The free T-Shirt is nice as is the free detailing apron. That along with the store credit you get pretty makes going a no brainer.


Sorry if this rambled. I just wanted to again thank Mike, Yancy and Dwayne for an interesting and informative day. You guys went out of your way to make it that way and it is appreciated. I would gladly make the trip again for another class.

PS: Get something to recycle the bottles and aluminum cans!.

 

[jjkacz]

Just arrived home from class (I live on the west coast of Florida).

Some observations in a totally random order.

1. The new Autogeek facility is both absolutely beautiful and huge. Amazingly large and nice.

2. The classroom is first class. Very spacious, climate controlled and comfortable. This section of the building was actually designed to be a classroom...not just converted as an afterthought...and it shows.

3. One phrase to describe the facilities...first class.

4. It is also conveniently located literally just off I-95 which is nice for people traveling in and/or not familiar with the area.

5. The two hotels recommended on the website...the Courtyard by Marriott and Holiday Inn Express are each about 1/2 mile from the facility. They both looked like nice hotels. The Marriott (where I stayed) was excellent. Join their rewards program and save a few dollars.

4. The class started EXACTLY on time...a first for me.

5. The staff was friendly and very accommodating. Thank you Yancy, Dwayne and especially Mike. Upon arrival free donuts and coffee were provided and they had a large cooler stocked with bottled water and soft drinks.

6. The class itself was very well organized and presented. The two powerpoint sessions were very professional...lots of high quality photographs and graphics to emphasize the particular points Mike was making. One nice touch was that just about every piece of equipment featured was not only physically present in the classroom, but was passed around for our inspection. We were also encouraged to try out anything we wanted, especially the equipment with which we were unfamiliar.

7. Free lunch was provided and I have to admit the Domino's commercials are true...their pizza is actually better.

8. Mike is an excellent teacher. He brings a LOT of knowledge and experience to the table and it shows. He also knows how to strike the balance of allowing people to ask questions and share insights while maintaining control of the class. Not an easy task with a pretty large class of people is comprised of folks ranging from veteran professional detailers to total rookies. In fact, that was one of the the things that surprised me. I was expecting a bunch of weekend warriors such as me, yet there was a significant number of professionals there who were obviously quite experienced. I think their attendance speaks well for Mike as an individual and Autogeek as a corporation.

9. The last 2.5 hours of class were all hands on and again we were welcomed and encouraged to try out anything we wished. Mike ensured there were people available to assist us if needed.

10. According to Mike, one of the main purposes of the class was to get you familiar and comfotable with new products, equipment and techniques. He was successful with this. Prior to this class, I would have NEVER considered sanding anything on one of my cars. After seeing and hearing about the new Megs Unigrit system and getting to play with it a little bit, I would actually be OK doing it if the need ever arises.

11. The free T-Shirt is nice as is the free detailing apron. That along with the store credit you get pretty makes going a no brainer.


Sorry if this rambled. I just wanted to again thank Mike, Yancy and Dwayne for an interesting and informative day. You guys went out of your way to make it that way and it is appreciated. I would gladly make the trip again for another class.

PS: Get something to recycle the bottles and aluminum cans!.

Great write up, makes me wish I was there even more!

 

[Dubbin1]

I hope you all had as much fun as Dwayne, Yancy and myself...

Funny, I don't remember being there

Super nice turn out but with Mike teaching that really doesn't surprise me.

 

[Impressions]

As always, from my experience, Mike did a great job instructing this class, very informative, easy to understand and great hands on!
Autogeek has done a great job with their new training facility. There was plenty of room for everyone to participate and not feel crammed into a small room. Oh yeh....A/C too. wish my detail shop had a/c.
Thanks to Mike, Dwayne, Yancy, the whole Autogeek staff and of course Bob(aka-Max) for making it all possible.

Looking forward to more great get togethers and how to's from Autogeek

thanks again........Robert

 

[sullysdetailing]

Mike the class was great. After going to both 101 and 102 classes I feel like this class was better then those two because it touched on a little bit of everything. It gave the students all the information from the 101 and 102 classes in a speeded up version, but still gave them enough information so they can go home and work on there own vehicles with confidence. I had fun helping out with the class yesterday, also great job on the new facility much better then the old one. Thank to everyone at Auto Geek that made this possible.

 

[Shane731]

Looks like you guys had a lot of fun! :xyxthumbs:

I like this picture. The guy in the middle in the blue and white striped shirt looks like he's saying, "Watchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" :laughing:

 

[pushtiulk]

Great class. Congrats Mike for all these classes that you make.

 

[Ed-word]

Thanks for an excellent class Mike! You are as articulate as you are knowledgeable! I highlighy recommed this class to EVERYONE! There were pros from both the detail and body shop side of the biz that gained knowledge, and there were also complete newbies like myself that got a chance to get some hands on experience and access to professionals. This is a fantastic way to expand your knowledge base no matter what level you are on - and fun to boot! The facilities are top notch and the environment is open and friendly. Take my advice and sign up early for the next class - you will be glad you did!!!

 

[kyny]

Hi Mike
Mike thanks for the excellent class also for sharing with us your great knowledge, believe me I felt very comfortable with the explanations and tutoring.
I hope news about the new class
Thanks also to autogeek for the impeccable facilities.
Elkin
elkinad.blogspot.com

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

As a way of saying thank you to Mike Priest, the owner of the maroon Chevy Truck we used in our demonstration on how to remove rotary buffer swirls,

Will testing out the Flex 3401 on Mike's truck...

After the class I sanded down the hood and then buffed out the entire truck.

This was actually a new paint job that had both orange peel, swirls and some sort of mottling going on in the paint giving the paint a very dull, flat appearance. Here's a few pictures...

If you look at the surface of the paint surrounding the reflection of the overhead florescent lights you can see the paint has a very blotchy, or mottled surface texture. This results in very cloudy or fuzzy reflections out of the paint as well as an overall dull appearance.

Machine Damp Sanded with Unigrit #1500 followed by #3000 Foam Finishing Discs

Machine polished to remove the sanding marks and restore a clear, deep shine.

Thanks Mike for letting our class practice using different polishers on your truck!


:xyxthumbs:

 

[sullysdetailing]

I wouldn't of sanded down that paint if it was me some places had 5 mils and same had 10 mils lol. But your the pro Mike. Great turn around. Can't wait to see the new truck with that bad ass bumper

 

[Meghan]

Very cool to see some familiar faces in the photos at the class! The new training facility is absolutely amazing, I like to take a break from the office and just go in there and look around. Max always does it right with whatever project he is working on. Thanks Mike for another awesome learning experience for our fellow geekers!

 

[markm]

Wow Mike,
That made a big difference. I thought you were afraid to sand that bugger. I guess you figured you really couldn't have made the paint look worse. Now that I learned how easy damp sanding is I will have to order some supplies. Easy does not mean "not labor intensive" just not that difficult once a pro shows you how.

Thanks for a great class.

Mark

 

[loxhotrod]

I know this is a little late, but I had the privledge of attending the Sat. class with Mike, Dwayne, and Yancy. I am a little above a novice but I soon realized that most of the people are professionals. I was so impressed with the way Mike was able to relate to everyone in the class reguardless of their level of experience. Mike was able to cover a ton of info yet I did not feel overwelmed. The breakfast and lunch were great as it allowed the students to enteract with each other. I do hope there will be more classes. The classroom and equipment in it was first class. Once again THANKS to Mike, Dwayne, and Yancy

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

A couple guys had to leave early and so we had them back for a little one-on-one training on how to remove swirls out of a black Porsche and a red metallic Toyota, both with water spots and swirls.

We used the Wolfgang Twins and Füzion on the black Porsche and we used the Pinnacle Twins and Souveran Liquid on the Toyota and used the techniques shown in this DVD

Mike Phillips' Principles of Machine Polishing


Here's a few pictures from last night...

:xyxthumbs:

 

[sullysdetailing]

Great Stuff Mike, Looks like they got the hang of using the DA

 

[rspratt]

Re: Forum News Updates and Announcements

Just a belated thank you to Mike For the detailing class a week ago. As a new comer to the detailing world I can tell you I really learned a lot. Also thanks to to Dwayne for setting me up with some new equipment. Thanks, again guys, I really appreciated it and now than I am back in North Dakota my XLR-V will be swirl free. Hope to see you next year when I am back at our condo.