How many of you use a MACHINE to WAX your vehicle?

[parshooter]

I'm old school, do everything by hand. But then again, I only do my own car, a few times a year.

 

[Dixarect]

Just depends on how I'm feeling.

 

[65vw]

I have used a machine since I got one to apply the wax.
It just saves so much time, I'm not retired yet!

I still do small sections on the paint that may need more attention by hand, and the areas the machine can't get to I do by hand too, and I remove all products by hand.

 

[hawaiian]

It's faster, spreads wax out even and thin, saves your shoulder, result's brilliant glossy shine.

 

[Tony C]

I always use the machine. It does the work faster and saves my arms and shoulders for the wipe off. Of course the small areas require application by hand. It makes liquid waxes like Collinite 845 go on very thin which is exactly what you want. It also makes paste waxes go very far per application.

Can I use the machine for a wax like Wolfgang Fuzion? I am a newbie and I thought that the machines were really only for liquid polishes.

 

[Souldetailer]

WAX - Always by hand. This is the chance I have to bond with
My vehicle

Peace

Darrin

 

[Zaskar]

We use a black Hex Logic pad to apply wax , I feel it spreads the wax even and with less waste . That's with Torq 22d on lowest setting

 

[tenblade2001]

anyone have the link to the article in which Mike Phillips demonstrates how to apply paste wax with DA?

 

[Marc08EX]

anyone have the link to the article in which Mike Phillips demonstrates how to apply paste wax with DA?

Here's one article written by Mike Phillips:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/pinnacle-wax/28651-how-machine-apply-wax-using-da-polisher.html


Here's another article Mike wrote and within that article, you can find a section about how to apply paste waxes by machine:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...w-car-finish-antique-single-stage-paints.html

Continued...
How to apply a paste wax by machine
You'll need a DA Polisher like this Porter Cable 7424XP with a 5.5" Flat Gray Finishing Pad, Dodo Juice Banana Armour Hard Wax and some Microfiber Gloves. For this step you could substitute any quality finishing wax or paint sealant. Here's a list of finishing waxes, sealants and hybrids.

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


For this procedure I'm going to place a microfiber glove over one hand in order to hold the wax without contaminating it or without it slipping out of my hand.

To get the wax out of the plastic jar you just have to carefully knock it out using inertia by holding the jar upside down and then knocking it against your other hand with a Microfiber Glove on it.

Then hold the polisher in one hand and the wax in your other hand with the glove on it and blip the on/off button of the polisher while holding the wax against the face of the pad and you can quickly transfer wax to the pad.

The Microfiber Gloves keep the wax clean until you place it back into the jar and enable you to grip the wax so it doesn't slip out of your hand and onto the floor...

Ready to start laying down some Banana Armour...

It takes a little muscle to do this because in one hand you're holding the wax and the other hand is holding the polisher for the duration of time it takes to run the polisher over every square inch of the car. If you had a helper they could hold the wax with microfiber gloves on and you could use both hands to hold the polisher, then as you needed more wax your helper could apply the wax while you hold the polisher, otherwise hit the gym.


If you look carefully you can see I spelled out Dodo on the hood in my wax pattern...

In the forum world you'll often read people talking about getting the "Sun Shot" , that's where they pull their project car out into the sun to show there are no swirls in the paint.

The below shot is kind of like the "Sun Shot", but I call it the "Fun Shot" because I was just having some fun with the Dodo name in wax.

I used a rubberband to hold a Cobra Indigo Microfiber Bonnet over a 3" Griot's Garage Polishing Pad on a DA Polisher and took the wax off only where the word DODO was spelled out and then pulled the car into the sun for a "Fun Shot".

The Sun Shot Fun Shot

Yep, this is how you get the high overhead shot, you have to get up in the air a little ways...

Removing the wax
After capturing the fun shot I pulled the car back into our studio and let the hood cool down and then removed the wax by hand using Cobra Indigo Microfiber Towels. Always fold your towels 4 ways to give you 8 sides to wipe with and to provide cushion to spread out the pressure of you hand.

Below is a link to a video and at the end of the video I show how to remove Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 by hand using the Cobra Indigo Microfiber Towels. In this video I share a technique I call "Breaking the Wax Open" and then "Creeping Out". Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 is a finishing synthetic paint sealant but the technique shared in the video can be used with any finishing wax, sealant or hybrid.

How to Apply a Synthetic Paint Sealant by Hand using the Straightline Technique


After removing the majority of the wax it's time to give the paint a final wipe. Here's an article on the technique for giving paint a final wipe.

The Final Wipe – Tips for creating a streak-free, show car finish

 

[tenblade2001]

Thanks bruther!

 

[miamijd7]

Well I finally gave in today and waxed with a GG and Collinite 476. All I can say is wow ! I say this because the last few times I did it by hand, it went on too thick and it was a heck of a time to remove. Today removing it was a breeze. I put a quarter size smudge of 476 on a pad and spread it over 2 panels, very thin. Worked like a charm.

 

[swanicyouth]

Well, I've always hand waxed. I've tried machines before and I wasn't enthused. I've posted before about how hand waxing is better...Then, the other day - I decided to try it yet again via machine. This time, it was great - I used hardly any wax and got a super thin coat.

I think a few things go into how well machine waxing goes:

1. How well the pad is primed with wax. Initially you have to load the pad up more than if you were doing it by hand. I suspect just wetting the pad with water will help the wax spread better - I often do this when hand waxing.

2. The product. An oily wax that spreads far (or a liquid product) is the ticket here. I primed the pad by initially using it by hand with a Polishin' Pal. I was using Vic's Concours wax which is pretty ideal for this process. I suspect most PBMG waxes would work well by machine.

3. The size of the pad. Using a 6.5" pad didn't work out well for me. The wax cake isn't nearly that size and it just took too much wax to get it loaded or primed. A 3.5" pad seems ideal.

4. The machine. I used a GG6. I suspect larger throw machines with >6" pad faces probably aren't ideal to apply wax on most normal cars with curves and contours. The GG6 has the power to keep spinning and apply an even coat on various surfaces. A large throw is no benefit here.

 

[silverfox]

The fact of the matter is that a machine can apply a more precise, even, and consistent layer of wax than a human hand can. And it doesn't get tired. Those who do not see the benefits of machine application of wax 99% of the time...are applying too much product. If applied properly, machine application of waxing gives the best result imo. Also, pad rotation is not critical to get great results with a DA polisher. You're not polishing.

 

[spewking]

I have switched to machine. Effortless with a black pad. Great even coverage.

 

[dimikfx]

Vote in the poll!

All the time

 

[dooger54]

Never.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[custmsprty]

The fact of the matter is that a machine can apply a more precise, even, and consistent layer of wax than a human hand can. And it doesn't get tired. Those who do not see the benefits of machine application of wax 99% of the time...are applying too much product. If applied properly, machine application of waxing gives the best result imo. Also, pad rotation is not critical to get great results with a DA polisher. You're not polishing.

:iagree:

 

[Jomax]

I don't remember the time I didn't use a machine. Just works better for me and puts on a more uniform coat.

 

[RottenII]

Just used my GG to put a coat of 845 on my Mom's Subaru for the upcoming winter. I'll never go back to hand waxing.

 

[rcoops77]

I like to apply wax by machine but enjoy wiping off by hand


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