Having trouble polishing the side panels

sullysdetailing said:
I agree. Also you tend to apply more pressure on the polisher due to it being vertical this causes the polisher to slow down or stop which can lead to you not completely removing the defects.
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I was able to get a better finish today. I think I was applying to much constant pressure and then not easing off on the final passes. Still not perfect, but at this point you pretty much have to shine the Brinkmann on the car and get your face right up against the paint to even notice anything. Maybe I can still do better or perfection may just be an unrealistic goal of mine.
 
mcpp66 said:
I was able to get a better finish today. I think I was applying to much constant pressure and then not easing off on the final passes. Still not perfect, but at this point you pretty much have to shine the Brinkmann on the car and get your face right up against the paint to even notice anything. Maybe I can still do better or perfection may just be an unrealistic goal of mine.
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What pad and product were you using?
 
sullysdetailing said:
What pad and product were you using?
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Here's every product I used:

PC 7424XP
White Lake Country CCS Pads (5.5" and 4")
Meguiar's foam pads
SwirlX (I used this mostly)
Ultimate Compound (for the more stubborn scratches)
M205

I SwirlX'd the car using the PC and white pads. For scratches that were being stubborn I hand buffed those with the Meguiar's foam pad and UC. Then I went over the metal panels with the PC, white pads, and M205. I haven't done my plastic bumpers yet. I was also wondering if I should go over the metal panels again with M205 except this time with a gray pad? Would that accomplish anything?
 
mcpp66 said:
Here's every product I used:

PC 7424XP
White Lake Country CCS Pads (5.5" and 4")
Meguiar's foam pads
SwirlX (I used this mostly)
Ultimate Compound (for the more stubborn scratches)
M205

I SwirlX'd the car using the PC and white pads. For scratches that were being stubborn I hand buffed those with the Meguiar's foam pad and UC. Then I went over the metal panels with the PC, white pads, and M205. I haven't done my plastic bumpers yet. I was also wondering if I should go over the metal panels again with M205 except this time with a gray pad? Would that accomplish anything?
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Again do a small section and see if you like it. 205 is not a jeweling polish like 85rd or Ultrafina.
 
Rsurfer said:
I'm saying 20sec for a 2X2 area. Do a wipe down after that and see if it needs more time. Every paint is different so you can't set this time in stone.
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First there's no right or wrong way to buff a car, each person has to find set of products and procedure that work for them and then perfect their own system.

Second, 20 seconds might work on paint in great shape to start with but it wouldn't be long enough for removing defects or following a more aggressive product to remove any hazing or micro-marring.

I don't as a habit time myself for procedures but my guess is for a 4-6 section passes you're going to be right around a minute if you're moving the polisher slowly.

I wrote the definition for single passes and section passes as I needed a way to explain to others the process of using a machine, you can find the first use of these definitions here, (it's also a very detailed article that covers a ton of information)

Step-by-Step How-To Article using Pinnacle Products with the new PC 7424XP

and here they are copied and pasted... I guess I better copyright them before a well-known information gatherer and assembler steals them and copyrights them as his own. (He's been banned off this forum, Autopia and MOL and that's all that I know of)


Mike Phillips said:
The definition of a pass
There are two definitions of the word pass as it relates to machine polishing with any type of machine.


Single Pass
A single pass is just that, it's when you move the polisher from one side of the section you're buffing to the other side of the section you're buffing. That's a single pass.


Section Pass
A section pass is when you move the polisher back and forth, or front to back with enough single overlapping passes to cover the entire section one time. That's a section pass.
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Copyright ©PBMA - Autogeekonline.net® All Rights Reserved ​



Rsurfer said:
Again do a small section and see if you like it. 205 is not a jeweling polish like 85rd or Ultrafina.
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Todd Helme I believe coined the term jeweling, before it had a name we all just called it finish polishing.

  • Is there a certain criteria that defines what a Jeweling Polish is?
  • Is there a list of polishes approved as jeweling polishes?


I'm the biggest proponent of people always learning new things so if there's a list or a set of criteria that differentiates Jeweling Polishes from other polishes then I want to learn about them.

I'm curious because M205 is a VERY light cleaner/polish, I don't know if you can get much lighter and I've used it to finish polish or jewel the paint.


:xyxthumbs:
 
I would go over the areas with a Gray LC Pad and 85rd or Ultrafina. This will get rid of the little problems you are talking about.
 
Mike Phillips said:
20 seconds might work on paint in great shape to start with but it wouldn't be long enough for removing defects or following a more aggressive product to remove any hazing or micro-marring
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Mike..I've used 105 and followed with 205 and it didn't take but 2 passes to clear it up.

Mike Phillips said:
I'm curious because M205 is a VERY light cleaner/polish, I don't know if you can get much lighter and I've used it to finish polish or jewel the paint.
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Mike, have you used Ultrafina with a blue Ultrafina pad to jewel?
 
Rsurfer said:
BTW you should reach max finish in about 20 sec with 205. Any longer and you will be diminishing the gloss.
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Buffing longer than 20 seconds means you start making the paint look dull?

If that's what you're seeing I'm okay with that but that's not what I see. That's why since coming to AG I've learned there is no right or wrong way.

So to the OP, try Rsurfer's suggestions, chances are good they're work for you as he's an experienced detailer.

Rsurfer said:
.
Every paint is different so you can't set this time in stone.
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I agree with you on that, in fact I've been typing that for as long as I've been typing on detailing.

Just because one product/pad/process works on one paint system that doesn't mean it's going to work on every paint system. That's why you want to test to small are and make sure you're getting the results you want and desire, if not then it's time to try a different approach and keep trying until you dial in a system that work.

:xyxthumbs:
 
sullysdetailing said:
I would go over the areas with a Gray LC Pad and 85rd or Ultrafina. This will get rid of the little problems you are talking about.
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What about the gold Lake Country Jeweling pad? Would that be better than the gray pad for this purpose?
 
Rsurfer said:
Mike, have you used Ultrafina with a blue Ultrafina pad to jewel?
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Okay, going out to remove #2000 grit sanding marks with the new Mother's Heavy Duty Cutting Compound with a wool pad on a rotary buffer and then can try your recommendation and check the results. Might as well buff with the M205 and the put the Brinkman on it and see if there's any difference.

:buffing:
 
Okay.........I just ordered the 85rd. So after I finish with the 205, do I jump to the 85rd or do I wash the car again, then do the 85rd, then top it all off with a wax? Or, 205, 85rd, then wash and wax?
 
Rsurfer said:
Mike..I've used 105 and followed with 205 and it didn't take but 2 passes to clear it up.
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Hey Rsurfer,

In post #27, (your post where you quoted me), I edited it and added the actual quote tags. (Makes it easier to read and gives the right credit to the quoted portion being copied into a new message)

There's a button on the bottom right hand side of each post where you can Quote or Multi-Quote.


:)
 
mcpp66 said:
Okay.........I just ordered the 85rd. So after I finish with the 205, do I jump to the 85rd or do I wash the car again, then do the 85rd, then top it all off with a wax? Or, 205, 85rd, then wash and wax?
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Some will tell to wash with a detergent wash and some will tell you to chemically strip the paint, if it were me I would inspect one section you've buffed with your process and if you want chemically strip that section and inspect.

As long as it's looking good to you then go to wax.


:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Some will tell to wash with a detergent wash and some will tell you to chemically strip the paint, if it were me I would inspect one section you've buffed with your process and if you want chemically strip that section and inspect.

As long as it's looking good to you then go to wax.


:)
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Well, I've already washed the car before I SwirlX'd and am in the process of 205'ing it now. I haven't driven it since I started this. The way I interpreted a previous thread was that I should wash it again before using 85rd, even though I haven't driven it since my last wash. Sorry if I'm being stupid, I guess I don't know if I'm being told to wash it again before 85rd, or if I don't need to do that since I washed it before I begun this whole process and haven't driven it since. In which case I would wash it again after all the polishing is done and then wax it with Megs Nxt Generation Tech 2.0 wax.
 
Washing won't hurt it. It will remove any polish left behind so you have a clean fresh surface to work with your finishing product.
 
turbos17 said:
Washing won't hurt it. It will remove any polish left behind so you have a clean fresh surface to work with your finishing product.
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To save some time I think what I'll do after I'm done with the 205 is use some Griot's Garage Waterless car wash product to get all of the polish off. Then I'll use 85rd with the gold jeweling pad from Lake Country, wash the car with a foam gun, and then top it off with some Wolfgang paint sealant.
 
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