I need some education on PB's SSR products..

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skenzer

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Hi everyone,
I'm convinced that I did not work either of these products long enough when I did my last detailing job. I used the SSR2.5 with LC's Orange pad and the SSR1 with LC's White pad.

I guess I'm simply confused as to how I'm supposed to know when I should stop. Is there a look or feel to the product that I should be looking for in order to know that it is completely broken down?

And what exactly does it mean when I hear people say "work the product until it is broken down"? Does that mean that the product has been worked beyond it's usefulness?

Thanks for any tips and help you can provide this newbie
Brad
 
Why do you feel that you didn't work it long enough? Unhappy with the results or just didn't take enough time?

Generally people will tell you that the appearance of the polish should change from an opague paste to a transcelucent powdery substance when it has been fully broken down. I recommend watching the many excellent how-to videos available on Autogeek.

My (limited) experiance thus far has been that in part it's just one of those things that you have to learn on your own once you have the general guidelines and varies from product to product and even to some degree from day to day (unless you're working in a very controlled environment) due to changes in temp. and humidity.
 
Thanks for the help. Sorry I wasn't specific as to why I believe I didn't work it long enough. I'm not completely satisfied with the results I got. I still have light swirl marks throughout my Jeep that I know a PC and SSR2.5 can handle.

Basically, after reading some more information and watching some instructional videos (none on the use of PB's products but I get the basic idea) I think I just didn't take the product far enough.

I worked the SSR2.5 until it was somewhat clear..but not what I would call totally clear. And, on top of that, when I would wipe it off it was still pretty "wet" so to speak. It wasn't a simple wipe off like it would be if it were more at a powder type stage.

I also noticed that regardless of how well I initially spread the product out before kicking on the PC to 5 or 6 that it was quite messy to work with. I was getting particle spray all over. it was easy to clean up but it was quite messy so I wasn't sure if this was typical of this type of product either?

Sorry for the long post....thanks again for any help you can offer!
Brad
 
I haven't used the PB products yet, but from what I've read here, some "dusting" is normal, but, if you're getting liquid product spraying out even after spreading and it's taking a long time to break the polish down, I would consider the amount of polish. How much are applying at a time?
 
Here is a simple list of what I do in order to get optimal results with the PB SSRs (my favorite polish with a PC or UDM):

-Always use a polishing pad (or orange light cut ... if careful) with SSR2.5 (it'll remove a ton of swirls, if not do another pass or bump up to another product)
-DO NOT PRIME WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE PRODUCT ITSELF (very crucial)
-Apply a thin bead of product around the pad for each section of the car or several dots around the pad.
-Spread it at whatever speed you want, work it in at Speed 6.... don't be afraid of speed 6.
-Work it in until very clear (may take a few minutes... see pics in link below)
-If the product begins to build up on the pad, brush off with stiff brush or wipe off excess polish with a terry towel
-Wipe off
-Admire no swirls
-Go to finer polish (if needed- with the polishing pad you most likely don't NEED to follow up but it wouldn't hurt).
-Do not use a new pad that hasn't been washed- Pads come from the factory with small foam particles left in the pad that look like product dust.

The orange pad will dry out the product faster so I usually use a white polishing pad. However, recently I used SSR2.5 with an orange light cut pad and was able to go right to wax.

blkyukon has pictures of what the SSR 2.5 looks like through its polishing stages:
Polish Break Down Stages - Poorboys SSR2.5

*You may need to tweak your techniques when using SSR2.5 in different weather conditions. The product is still usable in the sun but workability will diminish slightly and it's more apt to dry out faster.

Here are some 50/50 shots with SSR2.5 with a polishing pad on Chevy paint:
HPIM0735Small.jpg
 
Last edited:
It seems like you have posted that once or twice before budman! :D Great instructions, and yes blkyukon's videos are great examples of usage.
 
yes, Budman has helped me out in the past and his instructions are excellent! I think I missed the word "thin" bead though....maybe that's where I've gone wrong. As Makdaddy mentioned above, I may be applying too much product to the pad. I guess that would explain why it's taking so long to break down and why I'm getting some spray from the PC.
 
Sounds like it. Try less and you should see much better results. Good luck!
 
OK,
I'll give it a go with less product and see how it works for me...
thanks again you guys for your help!
Brad
 
budman3 said:
Here is a simple list of what I do in order to get optimal results with the PB SSRs (my favorite polish with a PC or UDM):

-Always use a polishing pad (or orange ... if careful) with SSR2.5 (it'll remove a ton of swirls, if not do another pass or bump up to another product)
-DO NOT PRIME WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE PRODUCT ITSELF (very crucial)
-Apply a thin bead of product around the pad for each section of the car
-Spread it at whatever speed you want, work it in at Speed 6.... don't be afraid of speed 6.
-Work it in until very clear (may take a few minutes)
-If the product begins to build up on the pad, brush off with stiff brush or wipe off excess polish with a terry towel
-Wipe off
-Admire no swirls
icon_lol.gif

-Go to finer polish (if needed- with the polishing pad you most likely don't NEED to follow up but it wouldn't hurt).
-Do not use a new pad that hasn't been washed- Pads come from the factory with small foam particles left in the pad that look like product dust.

The orange pad will dry out the product faster so I usually use a white polishing pad. however, recently I used SSR2.5 with an orange light cut pad and was able to go right to wax.

blkyukon has pictures of what the SSR 2.5 looks like through its polishing stages:
Polish Break Down Stages - Poorboys SSR2.5
Click to expand...

That was excellent Budman. Thanks for the video link too.
 
budman3 said:
Here is a simple list of what I do in order to get optimal results with the PB SSRs (my favorite polish with a PC or UDM):

-Always use a polishing pad (or orange ... if careful) with SSR2.5 (it'll remove a ton of swirls, if not do another pass or bump up to another product)
-DO NOT PRIME WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE PRODUCT ITSELF (very crucial)
-Apply a thin bead of product around the pad for each section of the car
-Spread it at whatever speed you want, work it in at Speed 6.... don't be afraid of speed 6.
-Work it in until very clear (may take a few minutes)
-If the product begins to build up on the pad, brush off with stiff brush or wipe off excess polish with a terry towel
-Wipe off
-Admire no swirls
icon_lol.gif

-Go to finer polish (if needed- with the polishing pad you most likely don't NEED to follow up but it wouldn't hurt).
-Do not use a new pad that hasn't been washed- Pads come from the factory with small foam particles left in the pad that look like product dust.

The orange pad will dry out the product faster so I usually use a white polishing pad. however, recently I used SSR2.5 with an orange light cut pad and was able to go right to wax.

blkyukon has pictures of what the SSR 2.5 looks like through its polishing stages:
Polish Break Down Stages - Poorboys SSR2.5
Click to expand...

Holy cow Budman! I took a look at the link you posted and now I know for SURE that i've been applying too much polish. Actually, what he shows on the pad is about what I applied everytime I put some on the pad. Apparently, once the pad is primed I was supposed to cut that amount in half....I sure didn't do that. :mad: I didn't realize that once a pad was primed that you didn't need to use as much. Live and learn I guess.
Also, the stages of breakdown were good to see. It's harder to see those stages on my red Jeep though...but they did show me that I need to work it a bit longer though. however, putting less SSR on the pad will also help a lot.

thanks again, you're a life saver!
Brad
 
skenzer said:
Holy cow Budman! I took a look at the link you posted and now I know for SURE that i've been applying too much polish. Actually, what he shows on the pad is about what I applied everytime I put some on the pad. Apparently, once the pad is primed I was supposed to cut that amount in half....I sure didn't do that. :mad: I didn't realize that once a pad was primed that you didn't need to use as much. Live and learn I guess.
Also, the stages of breakdown were good to see. It's harder to see those stages on my red Jeep though...but they did show me that I need to work it a bit longer though. however, putting less SSR on the pad will also help a lot.

thanks again, you're a life saver!
Brad
Click to expand...

I figured Blkyukons site would be more helpful than my wording. His site is a great resource... lots of good information there. It does sound like you were using too much.. hopefully next time around you can fine tune how you use it and get even better results. Something that I do is about half way through the car, my pad gets saturated with product. This can lead to dusting or just an overall mess. I take an old terry cloth towel (or Al 53 recomends a nail brush) and I wipe the pad clean of any built up product. This will leave the pad primed but it'll take off the excess for a better experience. Plus you can use only 1 pad instead of getting a new one. Also, be sure that you don't get any water drips and to keep the SSRs away from water when you are working ... they don't like water :). Glad we could help.
 
I also use Poorboys polishes as they have worked great on every vehicle I have done. People complain about dusting, but then again, everyone swears by Menzerna and that dusts like no one's business.

Anyways, go easy on the product and work the product slow. If you're not sure that you've worked it long enough, work it a little more. I usually do about 5 minutes per area and stop when it really starts snowing in my garage (from all the dust!).

I have done some really rotten paintjobs with SSR2.5 on orange and SSR1 on white and they have all come out great. Just make sure that you work the SSR1 on the white pad long enough as the SSR2.5 and the orange pad leaves quite a bit of marring!
 
I"m sure you were not working it long enough and using too much since it is slinging but don't work it too long and go into a dry buff.
Some go from one extreme to the other.
wiping it off a little early would be better than going into a dry buff.

GOOD LUCK
 
You mentioned that SSr does not like water but when I finish I notice droplets from the area immediately under the pad when I remove the pad from the paint. Also I feel like I am getting into a dry buff issue alot earlier then I should be (i may be wrong but sometimes it seem slike it is the 3rd or 4th pass) and I have yet to see any marring from SSr 2.5 (with org) or SSR 3 (with yellow). I have scratches that I can not feel with my nail but I can not remove. They were reduced however with 2 passes of SSR2 followed by SSR 1 then dark paint polish and sealent x2 haha... I bought into PB big time because of workability in sunlight and posts on here but feel like I am doing something wrong. Any Input would be greatly appriciated.
 
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