Paint Decontamination. How good can you really expect it to be??

[RMarkJr]

Ok, so I am going to go ahead and do my 2015 Honda Accord again. The first time I did the car I didnt really do as well on the paint decontamination as I could have.

So today I have gone out on the trunk lid. I felt bumps with a plastic bad. I used IronX, let that sit for 5 minutes, and washed it off. I then hit it with the Autoscrub pad on a Porter cable at speed 4. I did 4 passes and checked.. still bumps .. better but still quite a few. I did another 4 passes at speed 4.Checked and again felt about the same.

I am not sure how well to expect this to come out. It seems like every video I watch they always say it smooth and no bumps. I am starting to think that they mean smoother than what it was before and not completely bump free.

So here I am asking ... what is realistic when it comes to paint decontamination in regards to how smooth its actually going to feel?

Thanks

 

[Calendyr]

I never used a pad on a machine to do decon, I don't like them.

Maybe you should try doing it by hand. There is less chance of marring the paint, and you can feel the pannel getting smoother as you clay it. At first you will feel a lot of resistance and as you clay you will feel the pannel getting smoother and smoother until you get no resistance at all. Also without the sound of the machine, you can actually hear the grit on the paint when you start then it becomes silent when all contaminants are removed.

 

[RMarkJr]

I never used a pad on a machine to do decon, I don't like them.

Maybe you should try doing it by hand. There is less chance of marring the paint, and you can feel the pannel getting smoother as you clay it. At first you will feel a lot of resistance and as you clay you will feel the pannel getting smoother and smoother until you get no resistance at all. Also without the sound of the machine, you can actually hear the grit on the paint when you start then it becomes silent when all contaminants are removed.

I used a clay bar the first time I did it with about the same results. However it was one if the Meguiars Clay bars from autozone that come in a kit. I have heard good thing about Blue Magic Clay bar .. I think its called. I might try to order different clay. Unless there is a better one out there.

 

[TMQ]

I doubt it's going to get any better with another clay bar. You probably did all you can re: pulling out contaminates.

What you are probably feeling are the orange peels in the paint. To get the "perfection"---wet sand the paint.

Otherwise---just get the paint as clean as you can and then be done with it...

Tom

 

[soobaroo]

Never used an auto scrub pad but when I use clay the surface comes out very smooth and bump free. Maybe the pad doesn't work so well or it could be orange peel as mentioned. Had good results with Blackfire poly clay bars but I'd guess any clay from the top brands is good. Worth trying if it isn't some other paint defect.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I then hit it with the Autoscrub pad on a Porter cable at speed 4.

Did you mark your backing plate like this?

So your eyes could "easily" monitor pad rotation?


My guess is on speed 4 on a Porter Cable the pad would barely be rotating and if all it's doing is vibrating against the paint then you're not going to get good decontamination just like you would get lousy correction.

Bump the speed up to at least the 5 to 5.5 speed setting so that pad is spinning good against the paint and apply about 4-5 pounds of downward pressure. Use lots of lube and "yes" it can be messy.

 

[fightnews]

One thing about the baggy test I noticed is the car has to be super clean. I would do a full irony treatment then a good mitt wash and dry. Then even wipe the spot down with quick detailer or whatever. Otherwise you will feel other distribution and dust. Then after you clay a spot wipe it down good with Lube or whatever to make sure it's clean

 

[PaulMys]

I doubt it's going to get any better with another clay bar. You probably did all you can re: pulling out contaminates.

What you are probably feeling are the orange peels in the paint. To get the "perfection"---wet sand the paint.

Otherwise---just get the paint as clean as you can and then be done with it...

Tom

Tom makes an excellent point.

Before you start, ask yourself this question: "Do I really need a show car-like result from my work?"

When I first started paint care on my (then) new truck, I thought this was essential. A few years later, I now realize that my factory Ram paint, while beautiful to my eyes, has a bit of orange peel, and will never feel 100% smooth like that of a high-dollar Corvette or Viper.

That being said, when I get done with my correction/polish/LSP, my results are completely satisfactory to me, and while it may not be "100% show-car", it looks great to me, I get a ton of compliments on how "a truck shouldn't be so shiny", and I know it is protected.

 

[WillSports3]

With clay, your paint should feel smooth. What contaminants are your clay showing? The other thing too I'd you're using too slick of a clay lube it won't pick stuff up that great, it'll just glide over a lot of it.

 

[RMarkJr]

Did you mark your backing plate like this?

So your eyes could "easily" monitor pad rotation?


My guess is on speed 4 on a Porter Cable the pad would barely be rotating and if all it's doing is vibrating against the paint then you're not going to get good decontamination just like you would get lousy correction.

Bump the speed up to at least the 5 to 5.5 speed setting so that pad is spinning good against the paint and apply about 4-5 pounds of downward pressure. Use lots of lube and "yes" it can be messy.

I didnt on this one although it looked like it was spinning pretty good and I wasnt really putting any pressure on it.

I will go ahead and try it again on a higher speed with more pressure on it as well

 

[RMarkJr]

With clay, your paint should feel smooth. What contaminants are your clay showing? The other thing too I'd you're using too slick of a clay lube it won't pick stuff up that great, it'll just glide over a lot of it.

I havent used an actual clay bar this time around. However i did order two bars that are coming tomorrow. A medium and a heavy bar. i`ll see which one is needed. I am using Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash as a clay lube. I think its 3oz per gallon of water that I am using right now.

 

[1953hogan]

+1 on the OP's first post. I've used a combination of clay and/or a nano towel and no matter how hard I try, I can't get the paint 100% bump free, especially if doing the baggie test. I don't think I'm feeling orange peel. I can't see it with the naked eye at least. So, RMarkJr, you're not the only one out there who can't get perfect baggie test results. Thanks for posting. Ive been wondering the same thing for a long time.

 

[RMarkJr]

+1 on the OP's first post. I've used a combination of clay and/or a nano towel and no matter how hard I try, I can't get the paint 100% bump free, especially if doing the baggie test. I don't think I'm feeling orange peel. I can't see it with the naked eye at least. So, RMarkJr, you're not the only one out there who can't get perfect baggie test results. Thanks for posting. Ive been wondering the same thing for a long time.

Ya I am going to try the clay bars that I am getting tomorrow and will try the autoscrub again and will update this on how they do. The clay bars I got, one is medium, and one is heavy grade.