Paint Correction expecting too much?

bossmustang16

bossmustang16

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Ok, so i'm doing my 2010 mustang gt today or atleast starting on it being its my first time on a full car, I've done the hood and fender, using Meguiars ultimate compound with orange GG pad and gg 6" orbital and finished it with swirlx with the black pad even though it probably didn't need it.. and then waxed it with the nxt 2.0 liquid wax. I bought a super bright peak rechargeable led spotlight today and it highlights all paint imperfections heres a 50/50 shot.. but question is.. am I doing all I can do? or should it be better? Its like I can still see like little particles and stuff when I inspect it after all 3 steps..Maybe i'm expecting too much?

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah316/bossmustang16/image2_zpsf600876f.jpg

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah316/bossmustang16/image1_zpsfc46c304.png
 
These two areas look pretty good
from where I'm sitting...Good Job! :xyxthumbs:






Bob
 
Im going to have to agree with Bob - the pics look great. You have to remember that not all imperfections will come out on every car everytime. If you have a stray swirl mark here and there work it with the polish again. Sometimes you can get 100% correction..... but don't beat your head if you only got 99% correction lol. As Bob said, looks great from here :dblthumb2:
 
ok awesome thanks guys! its just when I put that led spot light on it, it drives me crazy cause I can see everything lol of course I was taking my time but it took me 4 hours for just the hood and fender lol. i'm sure i'll get quicker with practice
 
haha, from what i can see, looks great to me unless you are preparing a total garage queen.

i too have the problem of wanting it to look as good as possible and if it's correctable, i'll usually chase it on my own stuff, esp. for whatever garage queen i currently have. it'd a hard impulse to control but i'm getting better.

but for anything else, it's hard to control the urge but you have to be realistic, esp if the car is going to be outside and/or driven often. a few instances of slight damage that can only really be seen under certain scrutinizing light are not worth thinning the clear coat to chase every single last piece of deep damage.

HOWEVER, it's possible to have an error or two in the process and if things were to tightened it up a bit, more pleasing results could be had. things like checking work properly before moving on to the next step or spending a little more time polishing/refining compounding work can go a long way. i'm not saying you had any process errors, i'm just saying that is something that can sometimes be adjusted to yield better results.

FYI, if you host images on photobucket or the like, you can post the direct image link you did but just put
after and it'll display them automatically, not just a hyperlink like it did there.

image2_zpsf600876f.jpg


photobucket even has IMG share links to the right of every picture you upload; see below in the pink circle

2a9vc4x.jpg


 
as everyone has already mentioned, it looks great and IMO for a DD one shouldn't expect perfection but more realistically 80-90% paint correction for what it's going to encounter from day to day driving. if I'm not mistaken, the GG orange pad is a polishing pad and you can step it up if need be for more correction to a light cutting pad. of course a test spot is always going to yield/determine the results you're going after...
 
Looks good! I'm a guy that everything has to be right and be done to the best that I can do. The quicker you learn you're not gonna have it %100 perfect the easier it'll be on you. Unless you're getting paid to have it done 100 percent! Keep up the old work :)
 
This is too funny, bc I say the SAME EXACT THING when I'm in the process LOL...

That's the curse of AG bro, we are all chasing perfection.

Some of these dudes here are real craftsman when it comes to this detailing thing. I'm in aww at some of the reclaimation project they post up. I'd say your winning for your first correction.
 
bossmustang16 said:
ok awesome thanks guys! its just when I put that led spot light on it, it drives me crazy cause I can see everything lol of course I was taking my time but it took me 4 hours for just the hood and fender lol. i'm sure i'll get quicker with practice
Click to expand...

4 hours for hood and fender?

First watch the videos from Mike Phillips about doing section passes and notice the speed, arm motion, and time in which he is buffing out a panel.

If you don't get a good correction results from using those techniques, switch to a more aggressive compound/polish or a more aggressive type of pad.

I was way too conservative when I first tried to buff out my car because of the many horror stories I read about burning thru the clear or in some way causing more damage than what was initially there. So I went with a combo that was so mild, I'd be surprised if I even removed 10% of the actual swirls. Old PC, not even the XP variety, some finishing polish and white lake country flat pads, back before lake country made thinner foam pads. I think cussing at the swirls might have gotten the job done faster.




Now, if that was 4 hours by hand, I'd say you're doing great!
 
aim4squirrels said:
I was way too conservative when I first tried to buff out my car because of the many horror stories I read about burning thru the clear or in some way causing more damage than what was initially there. So I went with a combo that was so mild, I'd be surprised if I even removed 10% of the actual swirls. Old PC, not even the XP variety, some finishing polish and white lake country flat pads, back before lake country made thinner foam pads. I think cussing at the swirls might have gotten the job done faster.
Click to expand...

This was EXACTLY how I started, too. You're doing a lot better than I was back then.

Keep up the good work and take your time. It doesn't all have to be done in one day. And it's better to err on the conservative side.
 
well 4 hours is counting getting all my materials ready, NUMEROUS inspections with that spotlight haha and trying out pad cleaning on the fly which with my pad cleaning brush seems to be a waste of time smh.. I don't see how it could help at all? it can't pull off any dampness from the pad.. and claying and all that stuff..
 
VISITOR said:
as everyone has already mentioned, it looks great and IMO for a DD one shouldn't expect perfection but more realistically 80-90% paint correction for what it's going to encounter from day to day driving. if I'm not mistaken, the GG orange pad is a polishing pad and you can step it up if need be for more correction to a light cutting pad. of course a test spot is always going to yield/determine the results you're going after...
Click to expand...

well its not my dd, its a garage queen/weekend cruiser/racecar lol
but after watching Mike Phillips do some correction videos, he deemed a hood 100% correction and it had particles and stuff all in it.. so I guess thats just part of slick paint. I think i'm learning :)
 
You should be more in the range of:

30 minutes per panel for Compounding

15 minutes per panel for Polishing

Hood & Roof each count as two panels
 
Might want to take a look at these threads. Much easier to host your AGO photos here than on an outside server.:dblthumb2:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...photo-into-your-autogeek-photo-gallery-2.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ur-photos-before-uploading-photo-gallery.html


bossmustang16 said:
well 4 hours is counting getting all my materials ready, NUMEROUS inspections with that spotlight haha and trying out pad cleaning on the fly which with my pad cleaning brush seems to be a waste of time smh.. I don't see how it could help at all? it can't pull off any dampness from the pad.. and claying and all that stuff..
Click to expand...

Cleaning on the fly involves more than just the brush. You'll want a big, thick, terrycloth bath towel. After you've cleaned with your brush, make sure your speed is up at least to 5 or better then with the towel laying flat in your hand (folded so that it's 2 to 4 layers thick) bury the pad into the towel and give it a few squeezes, work it around a bit, pull it off the towel, then bury it again. That should get the pad pretty clean, (even dry although not if you've soaked it in a bucket of liquid pad cleaner solution),

OTOH, what you've done so far looks pretty good. :props:

If it's taking too long, what you want is a bit more aggressive pad, a bit more aggressive compound. Always the least aggressive method, but 2~3 hours (after getting all the equipment together, taping, etc.) is a bit long for a hood.

If working with SMAT based (Meguiar's) products you'll not need but 4~6 section passes for correction. (Or at least you'll need to pull the pad and clean it, then put fresh product back on it for a few more passes if needed.) If it's a DAT compound (Menzerna, Wolfgang, Pinnacle, etc.) you'll need at least 6~7 passes to get it to break down and start working like it's designed, and likely as many as 8~9~10 passes before it's at the end of it's cycle.

Just make sure you don't work the pad too long and build up heat, and that you ALWAYS change out your pads more often when compounding. Heat builds up from friction not just on the surface, but within the pad, and especially on the back from the Velcro interface between the backing plate and the pad itself.

Not uncommon to use 2 pads for the hood, 2 for the roof, etc. If you start with one and only do a couple sections with it you can clean it on the fly and sit it aside to cool, moving on to pad 2. Same thing with that one, as it gets worked (and heat builds up) you rotate it out of duty and move to pad 3. It's possible to compound a vehicle with 2~3 pads (if it's cool enough outside/in the shop) but much easier with at least 4, and up to 6 (on average sized vehicles).

Polishing uses less of course because you don't generate as much heat within the pad. Most vehicles can be easily done with 3~4 polishing pads, and 2~3 are easily possible if you keep rotating them out for a cooler pad.
 
hmm nice info, I have noticed my compounding cutting pad getting hot after doing the hood and moving on to the fender.. I only have two cut pads right now.. sounds like I need more lol. I like the idea of having lots of pads but gosh thats a lot of pad priming to do as well..
 
bossmustang16 said:
hmm nice info, I have noticed my compounding cutting pad getting hot after doing the hood and moving on to the fender.. I only have two cut pads right now.. sounds like I need more lol. I like the idea of having lots of pads but gosh thats a lot of pad priming to do as well..
Click to expand...

Well, once they are primed you don't have to do that again. (For that job that is.) That's why I mentioned moving from one to the next to the next, then back to the first one.

Once you've primed your pad, all you need the next time (after cleaning on the fly) is a few drops. Even if you have a pad that's cooling off, you really don't need to totally prime it again. Just as long as you've not washed it completely it should be OK.

I've said for years now that I'd like to see something along the lines of a "Detailers Dozen" where you could order 13 (pay for 12 just like getting donuts or bagels). Something like 4 orange, 4 white, 3 blue, 2 black and that'd do pretty much anything.:dblthumb2:

As I mentioned before, heat will build up everywhere inside the pad. It can be so bad that it'll actually melt the backing plate!!!!! :eek: You'll know when your pads are getting too warm as the cellular structure of the foam itself will actually start to collapse. The middle of the pad will get thinner than the edges (and it doesn't come back). If you pull the pad off and put the back of it up against your cheek, (or the back of your hand) and it's more than just a little bit warm.... IT IS TOO HOT to keep using.

When you pull them for cooling, it's best to put them Velcro side up on a raised surface so air can get underneath them. Something like the bottom of a plastic Coke crate, or liquid detergent, spray can paint caps, or even on lids like from milk jugs.
 
Perfection is a unicorn; a mythical creature that you can chase forever but never actually capture because it doesn't actually exist.

There is also what I refer to as "The Waldo Effect". Once 95% of perfections are removed, the remaining ones stand out more since they are no longer camouflaged. It is just nature for the eye to be drawn to what is different from the surrounding area.


Switching to a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads will improve the cutting ability. 1" doesn't sound like a big difference but the pressure difference can be significant.

Area: πr^2 = 3.14 x 2.75 x 2.75 = 23.76 square inches.
Area: πr^2 = 3.14 x 3.25 x 3.25 = 33.18 square inches.

That is almost 50% more area to create drag. With the same amount of pressure the resistance will slow the rotation of a DA polisher. In order to keep the rotation speed the same as the smaller pad you would have to reduce the pressure of the larger pad. Whether you reduce pressure or you reduce speed, the result is reduced efficiency. This is one of the first mistakes made by many people when first attempting to correct with a machine they just purchased since they almost always come with a 6" backing plate.
 
nice info guys.. and yea actually when I got done using my orange correcting pad after just the hood and fender and half a door it has actually deteriated a little in the middle not bad but just a little.. not sure if i did that from polishing or from using that pad cleaning brush but regardless..
 
Nth Degree said:
Perfection is a unicorn; a mythical creature that you can chase forever but never actually capture because it doesn't actually exist.

There is also what I refer to as "The Waldo Effect". Once 95% of perfections are removed, the remaining ones stand out more since they are no longer camouflaged. It is just nature for the eye to be drawn to what is different from the surrounding area.


Switching to a 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads will improve the cutting ability. 1" doesn't sound like a big difference but the pressure difference can be significant.

Area: πr^2 = 3.14 x 2.75 x 2.75 = 23.76 square inches.
Area: πr^2 = 3.14 x 3.25 x 3.25 = 33.18 square inches.

That is almost 50% more area to create drag. With the same amount of pressure the resistance will slow the rotation of a DA polisher. In order to keep the rotation speed the same as the smaller pad you would have to reduce the pressure of the larger pad. Whether you reduce pressure or you reduce speed, the result is reduced efficiency. This is one of the first mistakes made by many people when first attempting to correct with a machine they just purchased since they almost always come with a 6" backing plate.
Click to expand...

yea I've heard that from a few people about switching to a 5.5 back and pads but i've got the griots garage machine and they say the motor from it is stronger then a pc or similar.. I feel like i'm getting decent results already and I already have bought a 3" plate and pads to hit tight spots which is working out well, I'd rather not have to buy a whole other set of pads for a 5.5 unless its really worth it to get rid of my 6 6.5" pads I have..
 
and my gosh guys I went to buy 3 gg orange pads and the shipping was $12.95 to NC.. I think that is steep? is there anyway to get away from all this money shipping these products?
 
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