Wetsanding and Rotary Buffer Pictures from Autogeek's Detailing Boot Camp Classes

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Wetsanding and Rotary Buffer Pictures from Autogeek's Detailing Boot Camp Classes


Here's some pictures showing hands-on action with people learning to,

  • Hand sand
  • Machine sand with 3M Orbital Air Sanders
  • Machine sand with DA Polishers
  • Use Rotary Buffers
  • Use DA Polishers
  • Clean Pads
  • Apply Coatings


You'll see a wide range of ages including Tyler, age 15 learning the craft of detailing cars and the art of polishing paint.


Here's Tyler, age 15 use a Flex 3401...
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At our classes everyone gets a chance to use ALL the different types and brands of polishers to see which one they like best...
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Here's Mackay using a Spur to clean a wool pad on a rotary buffer
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Mackay and Tim Machine Sanding. Mackay is using the Porter Cable 7424XP as a Dampsander and Tim is using the 3M Orbital Air Sander to Dampsand. Both guys are using Meguiar's Unigrit Foam Backed Finishing Discs.
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Here's Steve from Executive Auto Detail dampsanding using a 3" Griot's Garage Mini Polisher, the perfect tool for doing surgical wetsanding. Steve drove here all the way from Houston, Texas to attend this class!

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Here's Sean learning to hand sand using Meguiar's Nikken Unigrit Finishing Papers...

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Here's Sean using the 3" Meguiar's Unigrit Discs to dampsand right up to and edge...
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Here's Mackay learning to machine dampsand using a 3M Orbital Air Sander...
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Here's Tyler, showing all the men how to leave a swirl free finish using a Porter Cable 7424XP DA Polisher...
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Here's Tyler showing the proper way to remove polish residue so that you don't put toweling scratches back into the paint.
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Here's Sean using a wool cutting pad on a Flex Rotary Buffer to remove sanding marks...
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Here's Jeff learning how to pick up his bead using the 10 @ 10 Technique with a Flex PE14 Rotary Buffer and a Wool Cutting pad with M105
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Here's Tyler using the Grit Guard Universal Pad Cleaner to clean a wool cutting pad after the compounding step...
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After cleaning the wool pad in the pad cleaner Tyler then re-fluffs the wool fibers using a steel pad cleaning spur.
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Here's Sean using a Flex PE14 Rotary Buffer with a foam polishing pad after using a wool pad to remove swirls and create a clear, high gloss finish. He's also demonstrating how to pick up a bead of product using the 10 @ 10 Technique.
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These classes are very much hands-on and jamb-packed with learning correct techniques for detailing cars...

The next class is coming up on September 29th and 30th and there's only a few spaces left.



Next Detailing Boot Camp Class In September!







:)
 
Looks great Mike and Tyler's become quite a teacher!! :props:
 
Looks great Mike and Tyler's become quite a teacher!! :props:


He might be back this Thursday to help with the 2012 Camaro, if not we'll see him again sometime...


Here's some more action shots from our last Detailing Boot Camp Class...


Here's Sean and Don machine polishing paint with rotary buffers...

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Here's Tim machine polishing paint with a rotary buffer. Tim will be here i a few months with his Porsche and we're going to wetsand and buff it using the skill he learned at our classes.
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Tim's 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera - IF you want to be part of this wetsanding class reply here, Wetsanding & Rotary Buffer Class

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Iain and Tyler machine sanding, Iain is using the Porter Cable 7424XP and Tyler is showing the paint who's boss with the 3M Orbital Air Sander
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Tyler showing how to hold the air line which is under pressure so it won't lift the back of the sander and cause him to use bad technique...
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This is Tony and Jeff using Meguiar's 3" Unigrit Finishing Discs on the 3" Griot's Mini Polisher to dampsand...

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Jeff's getting into it! - Jeff details Motorcycles including some celebrities you would recognize if I listed their names...
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Here I'm going to show Donovan how to use the 10 @ 10 Technique to pick up a bead of product to keep from splattering it all over the place and to look like a real Pro when using a rotary buffer.
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Next up is Tyler's turn...



:)
 
Here's Tyler ready to learn how to use a rotary buffer with a wool pad and a cutting compound to remove his sanding marks...

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Modified 10 @ 10 Technique
IF you look closely, instead of picking up his bead of product at the 10 O'clock mark on his buffing pad Tyler is going to reverse directions and thus pick his bead of product up at the 4 O'Clock position. For this version of the 10 @ 10 Technique you move the polisher left to right and this way you pull the product into the pad instead of splattering it all over the place.

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After passing over the bead of product he then quickly lays the pad flat to the paint and starts removing his sanding marks.

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Here's Tyler, learning to hold the pad flat while holding the head of the Flex PE14 Rotary Polisher

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Freestyling....

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And here's Tyler moving to the other side to continue removing sanding marks. He makes it look so easy and that's the sign of a future Pro!

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Here's Donovan working the other side of the hood...

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Here's Stephan and Jeff learning to use rotary buffers with wool pads and compounds...

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:)
 
Besides learning how to wetsand by hand and machine and then how to use rotary buffers and DA Polishers, we also go over the Microfiber Pads and Coatings...


Here's Tyler applying Opti-Coat II

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Here's Steve applying CQuartz...
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Here's Sean applying CQuartz...

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Here's Gus trying out the Opti-Coat II

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Dom applying Opti-Coat II

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Everyone helping to wipe the CQuartz off after letting it dry for about 20 minutes. Remember you don't wipe the Opti-Coat off, you wipe it and leave a uniform coating on the paint and then walk away.

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And here's some Beauty Shots of the Rental Car after the students removed all the car wash scratches and restored a flawless finish.


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Remember, I documented what this Rental Car looked like before my students attacked it using the skills and techniques taught in the class.

Here's the thread where I documented it,

(I always document before shots, the process and after shots)

Pictures & Comments from May 5th & 6th Detailing Boot Camp


And here are the BEFORE pictures, this thing was trashed...


2012 Chevy Impala Demo Car
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If you look closely you can see straight line scratches running from front to back, there are actually very few circular swirls and mostly straight scratches.
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This is a negative of a cropped out section of the paint surrounding the reflection of the overhead florescent light near the windshield.
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Outside Sun Shots
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Scratches at the front of the hood....
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Scratches at rear of hood...
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Again, most of the scratches are running in straight lines...
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This is a full size, cropped out section taken from just above my finger in the above picture...
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Here's a Negative of the same picture...
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Water Spots all over paint and glass...
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Water spots on front fender...
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Water Spots on Glass...
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Water Spots on B-Pillar
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Water Spots and Scratches on Trunk Lid...
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Close-up cropped out of the above picture at full resolution...
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And here's the May 5th and 6th Detailing Boot Camp Class....

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Next Boot Camp Class is coming up real quick,


Next Detailing Boot Camp Class In September!

Click here to sign-up for Mike Phillips's Detailing Boot Camp September 29th & 30th





:buffing:
 
After attending any of our detailing classes students are awarded with Certificates of Completion...


Jeff...
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Steve...
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Tony...
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Donovan...
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Don...
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Mackay...
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Tyler - Age 15...
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Stephan...
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Gus...
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Sean...
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Paul...
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Iain...
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Steve...
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Tim...
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:xyxthumbs:
 
Mike,

So when picking up a bead with the rotary you can pick it up at 4 or 10 o'clock? Sorry I'm confused. Thanks for the help
 
A few questions.

1. It appears you had those guys using the Meg's solo-cut wool pad, of which I think consists of two types of wool pads; maroon and yellow. Any particular reason for using those vs. the Meg's W4000 wool pads? Did you use the matching Meg's backing plate for those pads?

2. Would you recommend those solo-cut pads/M105 combo for factory paint in this horrible condition... http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/41661-trashed-trailblazer.html .

3. What are all the egg cartons for shown on the cart in a few of the photo's you posted?
 
Mike,

So when picking up a bead with the rotary you can pick it up at 4 or 10 o'clock? Sorry I'm confused. Thanks for the help


That's actually a very good question and the answer is you choose the position to lay down your bead of product and then how to pick it up by the panel you're working on.

I'm pretty sure I go over this in this video,

Video: Tips for using a Rotary Buffer and the Flex 3401 on vertical panels



Tips for using a Rotary Buffer and the Flex 3401 on vertical panels
[video=youtube_share;gc_umhlote4&hd=1"]Tips for using a Rotary Buffer and the Flex 3401...[/video]​




This Thursday night I'll try to take a video showing how to do this on the Honda Extreme Makeover.


:)
 
A few questions.

1. It appears you had those guys using the Meg's solo-cut wool pad, of which I think consists of two types of wool pads; maroon and yellow. Any particular reason for using those vs. the Meg's W4000 wool pads? Did you use the matching Meg's backing plate for those pads?

I wanted to use 7" pads, no larger to make it easy for newbies to handle a wool pad on a rotary buffer.

The Meg's Solo Cutting pad cuts really well and is easy to clean because it has a long pile length. This is easier with a pad cleaner or a steel spur and actually both are the best way to clean pads and that's what I show in my classes.

I like the double sided Meguiar's and Optimum wool pads but I wanted the students to use and feel what it's like using a flexible backing plate. So that's what we used, the Solo Flexible Backing Pates, the Solo Cutting Pads and Flex PE14 Rotary Buffers and I also have the DeWALT, Makita and 3M for people to test too...


2. Would you recommend those solo-cut pads/M105 combo for factory paint in this horrible condition... http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/41661-trashed-trailblazer.html

This post is from months ago? Have you buffed out the paint yet?

IF not, then "yes" the M105/Wool Pad/Rotary Buffer approach would make quick work of removing the damaged paint and restoring clarity to the clear coat.

Just to note though, you could tackle this multiple ways... but the rotary buffer route would be the fastest as far as the correction step goes.


3. What are all the egg cartons for shown on the cart in a few of the photo's you posted?

I don't see them? Copy and paste a photo here to show me?


Good questions...


:)
 
2. Would you recommend those solo-cut pads/M105 combo for factory paint in this horrible condition... http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/41661-trashed-trailblazer.html .


This post is from months ago? Have you buffed out the paint yet?

IF not, then "yes" the M105/Wool Pad/Rotary Buffer approach would make quick work of removing the damaged paint and restoring clarity to the clear coat.

Just to note though, you could tackle this multiple ways... but the rotary buffer route would be the fastest as far as the correction step goes.


No, I haven't started the "Trashed Trailblazer" yet. I've been listening to you...and felt that I needed a good camera before starting the project so I could take good before and after photo's of my work. I posted on my link about the specifics of the camera I bought.

Well, I've used the w4000 pads/M67 combo on a boat with success. It was not the first time using a similar tool, as I've been around industrial grinders for a long time, but it was my first time using a rotary and wool set-up on a detailing project like my dad's boat. A 25' Baha Cruiser that I buffed out and it looked great. I really didn't have any trouble either, just kept it moving, and I kept the rpm's low. Using a tape line to tell where I was at and to make it clear to my dad the improvement being made.

Now I'm wondering that if I attempt to use the rotary on this trailblazer, on black paint, for the first time that maybe I should get the solo-cut wool pads to use. I'm not afraid to attempt using the wool, but at the same time I want to be cautious with how I approach this. Any tips are appreciated.Perhaps even going another route on this first black detail. I have a G110V2, some Meg's 6.5" pads (all 3) and a bunch of various B&S 5" foam pads, which may be a good route as well. I will be using a lot of tape either route I choose.


I could swear those look like egg cartons, but perhaps I need glasses. LOL! They're visible in a few of the other photo's as well, on the same cart. Is someone playing a prank on you, maybe?

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...
I could swear those look like egg cartons, but perhaps I need glasses. LOL! They're visible in a few of the other photo's as well, on the same cart. Is someone playing a prank on you, maybe?...

Aren't those water bottles? (those hard workers sure need them!)
 
Aren't those water bottles? (those hard workers sure need them!)


Yes, those are extra water bottles.

During our classes I try to get a variety of soda pop, both regular and sugar free, plus a fun flavor like Orange or Grape plus water bottles.

Something for everyone... did the same thing for years for my classes at Meguiar's in Irvine, California...

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:)
 
I must really need to make an appointment with the eye doctor huh? LOL! Those "egg cartons" weren't even sitting on that cart as I thought they were. I feel about as tall as Gimini Crickey lol.

Here's a better picture next to the cooler that I missed that should have told me what they were. I couldn't figure out why Mike had "eggs" in his class. :coolgleam: Geez...LOL!


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I couldn't figure out why Mike had "eggs" in his class. :coolgleam: Geez...LOL!


Hmmm.... we could try to "duplicate" an Egg Imprint and then try to remove the defects or fill them in with touch up paint. I have an article on that...



Mike Phillips said:
Imprint Chips - Chips in the paint caused by a thrown egg


When an egg is thrown at a car's painted panel, the force of the shell impacting and breaking up against the paint leaves a very specific type of chip pattern I call Imprint Chips.

Imprint Chips

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Fixing Imprint Chips is very difficult because there are usually lots of them in varying sizes including very tiny chipped areas.


We'll just need someone to volunteer their car so the students can throw eggs at it...


:D
 
The above pictures were taken on Sunday but on Saturday we cover a very wide range of topics and the class is completey hands-on...

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Lots of hands-on time both days... here' we're taping off plastic trim before machine polishing glass because as everyone found out it can be a little messy...
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Claying with Glass Clay from the Diamondite® Glasswork System Kit for Machine Application
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Jeff claying glass, Jeff is primarily a Motorcycle Detailing and his clients include Billy Joel and Ricky Martin
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Stephan claying the driver's side windshield. Stephan works mostly on classic car and muscle cars.
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Here I'm using a rotary buffer backing plate with the numbers of a clock face on it to help teach how to use the The 10 @ 10 technique for picking up a bead of product with a rotary buffer when machine polishing glass using a rotary buffer.
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Jeff using the Flex PE14 to machine polish glass...
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Sean machine polishing glass...
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Steve machine polishing glass...
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Donovan machine polishing glass...
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Our Detailing Book Camp classes are fast-paced and very busy all day, both days...
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Tony machine polishing glass...
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Don machine polishing glass...
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Tyler machine polishing glass...
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Nick providing a little hands-on training with Tim...
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More to come...


:)
 
Besides how to wetsand, cut and buff paint we also go over a number of other popular topics like machine polishing glass...

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Lots of hands-on time both days... here' we're taping off plastic trim before machine polishing glass because as everyone found out it can be a little messy...
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Claying with Glass Clay from the Diamondite® Glasswork System Kit for Machine Application
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Jeff claying glass, Jeff is primarily a Motorcycle Detailing and his clients include Billy Joel and Ricky Martin
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Stephan claying the driver's side windshield. Stephan works mostly on classic car and muscle cars.
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Here I'm using a rotary buffer backing plate with the numbers of a clock face on it to help teach how to use the The 10 @ 10 technique for picking up a bead of product with a rotary buffer when machine polishing glass using a rotary buffer.
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Jeff using the Flex PE14 to machine polish glass...
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Sean machine polishing glass...
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Steve machine polishing glass...
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Donovan machine polishing glass...
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Our Detailing Book Camp classes are fast-paced and very busy all day, both days...
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Tony machine polishing glass...
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Don machine polishing glass...
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Tyler machine polishing glass...
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Nick providing a little hands-on training with Tim...
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:xyxthumbs:
 
And headlight restoration by hand or machine and here's where the Griot's Garage 3" Mini Polisher really comes in handy...


Next up is headlight polishing, for this we used the Meguiar's Heavy Duty Headlight Correction System with a twist, I demonstrated the Meguiar's backing pad for the 3" Sanding Discs but then shared how they also fit on the Griot's Garage 3" Mini Polisher and how working by machine takes all the work out of the project.


Wetting the face of the #1000 Unigrit Sanding Disc with plain water...
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Hand sanding... (elbow grease)
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Machine sanding (no elbow grease)
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Everyone pretty much just wanted to work by machine... here's Jeff machine sanding a headlight lens...
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Here's Stephan misting some water onto the face of the sanding disc...
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Stephan machine sanding a headlight lens
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Don machine sanding...
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Products used...

3" Griot's Garage Mini Orbital Polisher
Be sure to get the 3" Foam Interface Pad if you're planning on using the 3" Griot's Garage Mini Polisher for sanding headlights for dampsanding paint.

Meguiars Unigrit 3 Inch Foam Interface Pad

Meguiars Heavy Duty Two Step Headlight Restoration Kit - G3000


I also demonstrated the Flitz ScuffPads

The Flitz Mini ScuffPad is made of resin-coated non-woven abrasives in cut fiber strands. The flexible, durable sanding pads are perfect for contoured surfaces. Use the pads wet or dry.

The Flitz Mini ScuffPad is the equivalent to 1500 grit sandpaper. On scratched headlight lenses, plastics, wood, composite, and metal, the Mini ScuffPad sands down the scratched surface to create a more uniform surface. When you begin polishing, the entire surface is being leveled at the same rate. The results are uniform and smooth.


Flitz Mini ScuffPads 6 Pack, 1500 Grit

jpg


:xyxthumbs:
 
After machine polishing the glass, machine polishing the headlights and cleaning and dressing the engine compartment it was time to wash the car and i the process remove any of the polishing residues left behind from the above 3 steps...


First we used the Autogeek Foam Gun with the Detailers Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo
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Here's Tony foaming the rental car...
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Here's Tyler having fun making foam!
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Using the Daytona Speedmaster Wheel Brush to get behind the spokes...
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Tyler checking out the Daytona Speedmaster Wheel Brush...
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Steve using a Wheel Woolie...
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Tony has removed the Autogeek Foam Gun off the spray nozzle to rinse off the car...
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Everybody stands back to avoid being sprayed...
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After washing and rinsing we sprayed Iron-X over all the body panels and wheels, then re-washed and rinsed to remove any iron particles loosened and dissolved by the Iron-X.


Products


Detailer's Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo

Autogeek Half Gallon Foam Gun

CarPro Iron X Iron Remover 500 ml.

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss 16 oz.

Grit Guard® Dual Bucket Washing System - RED

Sheepskin Wash Mitt

Supreme Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt

Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush Special

Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush

Wheel Woollies 3-Piece Kit

Montana Original Boar’s Hair Car Wash Brush PLUS & Telescopic Handle
 
After the car is washed and dry, time to go over interior detailing including dry extraction, machine brushing, Tornadors and extractors...

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Of course you can use a hand brush but you can also machine brush using DA Polishers and also the Cyclo Polisher...

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After machine brushing to loosen dirt, we then did dry extraction using a Shop-Vac, here's Stephan removing loose dirt out of the weave of the fabric before we introduce any liquid cleaners.
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Here's Tyler joining in the fun...
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Here's Jon using the Tornador Black Car Cleaning Gun to clean vinyl
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Here's Mackay using the Tornador Black Car Cleaning Gun...
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After we brushed and vacuumed the upholstery to remove all loose dirt then we sprayed the fabric down with the Detailer's Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner.

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:)
 
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