zmcgovern45
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^Thanks! I like making any car look better, so I am always up to help someone out no matter the type of car. Just lately it seems like all I get to play with are BMW 3 series.
Not my typical type of vehicle... but hey, I'll polish whatever you want! 2008 Cobalt SS - Paint Correction
- Thread starter zmcgovern45
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^Thanks! I like making any car look better, so I am always up to help someone out no matter the type of car. Just lately it seems like all I get to play with are BMW 3 series.
DaVinciAutoSpa
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Great job! That red is dripping wet.
zmcgovern45
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^Hmmm... maybe I should call my paint correction packages the "Zach Attack" haha Thanks! :xyxthumbs:
^Thanks! I did 5-6 passes for the majority of the paint, sometimes 4 if that particular area wasn't too bad. I wasn't watching the clock too carefully but I would imagine the polishing took 4 hours? 4 1/2? something in that range sounds reasonable. Owner was pleased. He is going to be putting in an order with me to buy everything he needs to do a full correction on his old S10 pickup. Seems he caught the detailing bug after seeing his cobalt all cleaned up. :buffing:
^ Thanks! :dblthumb2:
DEVIN NAVARRO
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What polisher are you using?
DogRescuer
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:wow:Looks great, I am a newbie so excuse my newbiie question. Is it possible to get a finish like that without machinary?
zmcgovern45
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^Thanks! Yeah 22ple is not for everyone, but after I detailed this car, the owner put in a $500+ order with me to get him all of the supplies he needed to do a full correction on his S10 pickup, so maybe he will be on these forums soon! Looks like he caught the detailing bug :dblthumb2:
See below for info from initial post:
zmcgovern45 said:
Possible? I mean I guess? I have never attempted to polish a car by hand... it would take an extreme amount of time and a ton of work. Think about it... a DA machine spinning at say 5,000 oscillations per minute (OPMs) is able to polish out a 2x2 area in 1-2 minutes (just speaking theoretically here). It would take a tremendous amount of time and effort to attempt to produce similar results by hand, however I have a feeling the results would never be quite as good.
DA machines are incredibly affordable now, so there really is no need to proceed with correcting paint by hand. You can get started with the correct products for under $300.
Let me know if you've got any questions! :buffing:
DogRescuer
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Thank you for answering me, I guess I lack the confidence to take a powerful machine to my vehicle. Im not sure where to start, any suggestions? And what does "da" stand for. I have all the products Ill need minus the machine.
zmcgovern45
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DA = Dual Action... also referred to as RO (random orbital) or sometimes just called Orbital
These machines differ from the older, rotary machines that simply rotate around a fixed axis. The DA machines both rotate and oscillate simultaneously. This action allows heat to dissipate at a much higher rate, leaving the painted surface much cooler. For this reason (among others) DA machines are very safe, even for a complete beginner! While it is not impossible to damage paint with a DA machine, I will tell you that it is HIGHLY unlikely. These machines allow you to get professional looking results on your very first time... however proper research beforehand will put you way ahead of the typical "first time user".
If you do not already know who Mike Phillips is - he is one of the resident experts in the field of automotive detailing and is an extremely valuable source of info! He has taken so much of his time and devoted it to teaching proper detailing methods, that it would be wrong to not point you towards his section of articles. (You will also find him answering questions on tons of other threads throughout the forums).
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ke-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html
Here is part 1 of a 3 part series that will walk you through the basics of Machine Polishing.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUHRnHsSXZU]Part 1 - How to remove swirls, scratches and water spots using a Porter Cable 7424XP Polisher - YouTube[/video]
In the video Mike uses a Porter Cable 7424XP machine (a very, very popular machine for first timers! I've got one myself!). Another common machine is the Griot's Garage DA polisher - this machine is slightly more powerful and has a better manufacturer's warranty.
I promise, machine polishing is not rocket science. It is something that, thanks to dual action polishers, is very safe to do and will yield amazing results! Research, Practice, and Patience are key to perfecting your technique to get the absolute best results.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
-Zach
:buffing:
DogRescuer
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I thank you for taking the the time to answer my questions. My next one to you as a pro would be, can you recomend a good beginners polishing package? I will as you suggest purchase a machine, but as far as pads and polishes to go with it, man for a newbie its overwhelming. Thanks again.
zmcgovern45
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To cover all of your bases... I think it is best to equip yourself with 3 "levels" of products ranging from heavy cutting compounds to fine finishing polishes, and the corresponding pads to go along with them.
For cutting, I would personally recommend Meguiar's MF Cutting Discs and D300 Compound. This is a great combo that is easy to use, and works great.
For General Polishing, I find M205 is a very versatile product that can be used for moderate to light polishing depending on the pad you use with it. I would recommend the orange light cutting pads, white polishing pads, and black finishing pads.
If you have softer paint, or simply want to bring the absolute most gloss out of your paint as possible, you may want to also pick up a fine finishing polish like Menzerna FF4500. I typically use this polish with a Crimson Ultra Fine Finishing Pad.
I would recommend using 5.5" pads and also picking up some 3" or 4" pads as well. I would suggest a minimum of 2 of each color pad, as you will need to switch them out as they get dirty.
If you've got any more questions, feel free to shoot me a PM as I will see it much quicker since it goes straight to my email!
-Zach
For cutting, I would personally recommend Meguiar's MF Cutting Discs and D300 Compound. This is a great combo that is easy to use, and works great.
For General Polishing, I find M205 is a very versatile product that can be used for moderate to light polishing depending on the pad you use with it. I would recommend the orange light cutting pads, white polishing pads, and black finishing pads.
If you have softer paint, or simply want to bring the absolute most gloss out of your paint as possible, you may want to also pick up a fine finishing polish like Menzerna FF4500. I typically use this polish with a Crimson Ultra Fine Finishing Pad.
I would recommend using 5.5" pads and also picking up some 3" or 4" pads as well. I would suggest a minimum of 2 of each color pad, as you will need to switch them out as they get dirty.
If you've got any more questions, feel free to shoot me a PM as I will see it much quicker since it goes straight to my email!
-Zach