Tips for using Detailer's Paint Coating

[Mike Phillips]

I think the issue with coatings that are sprayed on the panel (versus applying the product to the applicator) is that its easy to spray too much or too little. I mean, real easy.

I don't think it's that big of a deal. Maybe the first time a person uses the product because they have to get a feel for how well, how easy and how far a little product will spread over the surface but I'd say most people are sharp enough to get a feel for how much to spray after the first couple of spray and wipes.

That is if they are even remotely paying attention.

Too close to the panel and you are spraying too much.

That's kind of relative. If you hold the sprayer too close to the panel and spray too much, two things,

1. Simply spread the concentration out. That's a no-brainer, anyone applying this already knows they are supposed to spread the product out.

2. If a person does hold the sprayer too close and does spray too much, then again if they are paying attention at all they'll tweak their technique and do better as they move around the car. It's really not a complex procedure in fact it's actually easier than applying normal paste or liquid product as long as you follow Tip #3


Tip 3 - Look at the paint from an angle that allows you to see the product on the surface

If you are outside any wind will waste the product and you will apply too little as a result.

I'm glad we're covering all the possible scenarios.

For everyone reading this into the future, if you're applying the product outside in the wind then yes chances are better that some of the airborne spray won't make it to the panel. This is really not a big deal, in fact here are two tips for anyone that does not have a clean, pristine, controlled environment to apply ANYTHING, not just Detailer's Paint Coating.

1. Spray the product directly onto the applicator pad.
You could even bury the nozzle into the foam like I show for applying interior dressings in every interior detailing video I've ever made as well as shared on My Classic Car. You inject the foam with the liquid and then when you press the foam against the paint it will release the coating, voila... no wasted product!


2. Hold the sprayer purposefully close to the panel
Of course you do this FULL KNOWING you'll have extra product in a small area and then quickly spread the product out using overlapping circular motion.

Some people have a "heavy" pump spray motion, and others a weaker one.

I love bringing up all these hypothetical scenarios.

To everyone reading this into the future, taking your index finger and pressing down on the pump portion of the pump sprayer is really very easy. The best way to atomize the liquid during the pumping process is to press down firmly.

I always recommend that anyone detailing for money also exercise regularly as car detailing is a very strenuous work that requires a fit body. I was in the gym myself this morning at 5:00am because I've always worked out and because I like to lead by example.

Seriously, if you have a problem depressing the pump on the sprayer, then you can always fall back on using a paste or liquid wax.

Heck if you really want to use the coating but your finger isn't strong enough to depress the pump you could even remove the pump portion off the bottle and carefully dab some product onto your applicator pad and then spread it out.

But please... it's really not that hard to develop the skill of spraying liquids with a finger actuated pump sprayer. You can even use your thumb which tends to be stronger than your index finger. Like this guy is showing -->

I know with polishes, I'd much rather apply two or three dime sizes drops to my buffing pad then mess around with a spray (sorry Dr G).

Actually, out of all the coating application options available, I'm completely convinced the easiest way to transfer the product from the bottle to the surface of the paint is with a finely atomized spray instead of dabbing liquid onto the surface of a tiny applicator pad.

I also really liked the first generation of GTechniq EXO when it was an aerosol as it made application so so easy.

GTechniq EXO Application Instructions with Trista








Fact is, about a year ago I started writing an article showing available pump bottles for spraying coatings onto the paint but never finished it.

But for polishes, (not coatings), I agree with you Jim, applying the product right onto the pad works really well. In fact, at last weeks Mustang Makeover, I took a picture of this exact same thing....

1965 Mustang GT Convertible - Detailer's Paint Coating





Here's Matt chemically prepping the back of the car...

These tips should help a lot.

Thank you, that is the goal.

Keep in mind that not everybody has the luxury of testing products in a clean, pristine, controlled environment.

I agree. My first detail shop was a carport with an enclosed office and storage. I worked under cover from the rain, but exposed to the wind, cold and heat. Been there done that many years ago and completely understand that not everyone has an enclosed work area. That's when a person simply has to do what I've always done and use what you have make the best of it.

Temperature, weather, etc all play a part in using any product so when reading reviews always remember that unless you can duplicate the reviewers conditions, you are very likely not going to get the same results.

And that's true for ALL products, not just paint coatings.

[Mike Phillips]

On the topic of the best way to apply and remove Detailer's Paint Coating, using a two person approach, Tag Team if you will actually works really well.

That is one person apply the product to a panel or section of a panel while another person already wearing micorifber gloves and with clean, soft microfiber towels inspects and gives the panel a final wipe. This person can also point out any high spots to the person applying the product or buff the high spots off themselves. Kind of like a show in my how to apply Gtechniq EXO article...


And also just like we did on the Mutang last week, we had people gloved up to apply Detailer's Paint Coating and people gloved up to give each panel the final buff after application.

Here you can see Chris spraying some product directly onto the foam finger pocket on Robert's hand while in Chris's other hand he's ready to wipe with a clean, folded microfiber towel.




Robert spreading Detailer's Paint Coating into the thin, curved portion on top of the rear fender and door.





It's the easiest paint coating to apply on the market today. Try it yourself and see.

[Meticulous-Detail]

Mike, can the applicator pad(s) and towel(s) be cleaned or should they be tossed after?

Was wondering the same thing.

+2

I like to use my easy grip hex foam applicators and really dont want to toss them after applying the coating. What do you recommend to clean the applicators with? APC or Dawn?

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, can the applicator pad(s) and towel(s) be cleaned or should they be tossed after?

Was wondering the same thing.

+2

I like to use my easy grip hex foam applicators and really don't want to toss them after applying the coating. What do you recommend to clean the applicators with? APC or Dawn?

Hey great questions!


This question was also asked in this thread, (so glad my memory works to remember where all this stuff is on the forum),

See posts #5 and #6


Detailer’s Paint Coating on Single Stage Paint

Do you toss the pocket applicators or can they be reused?

I re-wash them in a normal washing machine and use them for something NON-paint related surfaces like applying tire dressing.

The biggest reason why is because the coating hardens if you don't wash them immediately and then you still probably won't have a foam that was as soft before using the coating.

I guess a guy could IMMEDIATELY take and really wash them well by SQUISHING them aggressively in your hand under running water with a strong cleaner of some type while wearing safety gloves.

And here's the follow up to that post last week BEFORE this project,

1965 Mustang GT Convertible - Detailer's Paint Coating




After we buffed out and coated the 1965 Mustang I always do some initial clean-up in the shop before closing down and leaving for the night.

That night I took all the gold foam finger pockets as well as the microfiber towels used to remove wax and microfiber gloves and immediately put them through the washing machine.

Tim aka 57BORNTORUN was still here waiting for me as I had something for him and he was probably wondering...


"What's taking him so long"



Well I was doing the normal lock down of the facilities, checking doors, turning off my computer AND starting a load of laundry.


Next day when I arrived at work I then placed them all in the dryer.

When they came out of the dryer I felt them and squished them and they seem to feel soft like they were when new.


So it might be possible to re-use the gold finger pockets or whatever you fancy as long as you take the initiative to immediately wash and dry them.


How's that for proactive on a topic I new would come up again...

[Mike Phillips]

Hee hee, I'm still famous :-p

Hey you're in good company... pretty much anyone that visits becomes an article!

Check out Jon aka Par Detailing... and as usual, I obtained a very cool car for my guest to work on....

1956 Pontiac Star Chief Convertible


Jon tries using the Flex PE-14 without the handle gripping the head for control and I think he liked it... he sure did a great job...




He actually took the Pontiac for a drive around the building...

[stibuki]

Clear on the applicators but not so clear on the microfiber towels. Should they be re-purposed for non paint use or can they go back into service on paint after a good wash? I can defiantly see the potential for any residual product left in the towel after washing wreaking havoc on the paint.

[MarkD51]

Not trying to buck what Mike P has already said, and I hope I'm not sounding like a broken record here, as I mentioned some of these things before, perhaps in another thread.

I've of course used this product, and I will somewhat agree that the product's use is not "hard" per se, but I think a more correct description is that perhaps dependent upon the conditions, and environment you are applying it in, it might be a bit "tricky".

By tricky, I'm saying this because of two apparent qualities-characteristics of this product are 1, It is a clear product, is not easy to see, and might be harder on light colors. My Spectra is a dark Magenta Metallic, and I had problems seeing it on the paint.

In any case, and this probably applies to any-all products, but more especially to this one, good lighting will no doubt be a tremendous aid.

The AutoGeek Garage, and its lighting is probably an optimal environment for both correcting, and applying any LSP product. And on the other hand, with my environment, using ambient outside light, and had forgotten to use any lighting aids, my environment was perhaps the worst.

2, the ultra fast flashing of this product I found occurred virtually instantaneously upon contact with the paint. Thus this too made application sort of a guessing game, and I essentially went by feel, some decent experience with the use of WOWA's previously, and as well, some guidance by Nick's comments, and how he applied.

Thus, whether I seen the product or not, I tried to keep in mind that per spritz of the product onto a panel section, I tried my best to cover a minimum 18"x18" to 22"x22" area at a time before I moved on.

I kept in mind to overlap my applications, but also kept in mind to not make such over-lapping excessive, and kept visual cues as to where I exactly left off on the panel's paint.

As I massaged it in, it first was sort of invisible, then after further spreading saw a slight bit of hazing from the product, and whether this was the product's characteristic, of was a cause from not using the DP Paint Prep Product first, and was "stirring up" some other previously applied products such as old LSP's, or Polishes, I honestly cannot say.

All I can say, is that when I went back to level, even the finish, and remove any slight remnants of hazing on any panel, what I felt with the clean MF Towel was an ultra slick finish, and to test, I did try the towel on an untreated area for comparison.

The difference in slickness was not at all subtle. I did mention I did feel one very small circular area on the roof that there was just a tad of drag with the towel, and I quickly assumed that this was an area I must've missed? A slight spritz and wipe in that area evidently proved me correct.

As I have previously mentioned in some comments, this is about the slickest, and most "slippery" product I can ever recall using in more recent times, and would probably be correct in saying that I've never used a product in all my 35-40 some odd year's experiences with car care that was as slick as this product is. On Horizontal Panels, the Towel will literally fall off the vehicle on its own.
Mark

[Mike Phillips]

Clear on the applicators but not so clear on the microfiber towels. Should they be re-purposed for non paint use or can they go back into service on paint after a good wash? I can defiantly see the potential for any residual product left in the towel after washing wreaking havoc on the paint.

Here's what I posted above, allow me to quote myself...

After we buffed out and coated the 1965 Mustang I always do some initial clean-up in the shop before closing down and leaving for the night.

That night I took all the gold foam finger pockets as well as the microfiber towels used to remove wax and microfiber gloves and immediately put them through the washing machine.

When I felt the towels, they felt genuinely soft. I'm going to use them again as they are already placed back into the general inventory.


I'll let you know if I see any problems...

[57BORNTORUN]

Here's what I posted above, allow me to quote myself...





When I felt the towels, they felt genuinely soft. I'm going to use them again as they are already placed back into the general inventory.


I'll let you know if I see any problems...

Hey and I cleaned the floor(Shawn has an oil leak and somebody.... I mean Chris spilled polish).We dont need Mr Phillips slipping on the floor!!!

[Mike Phillips]

Hey and I cleaned the floor (Shawn has an oil leak and somebody.... I mean Chris spilled polish).

Well the good thing about the Racedeck TuffShield tiles is they are glazed on the top so liquids, even motor and tranny fluid won't seep into them and leave stains. Wipe-up is easy due to the glaze too...


Mops up easy too...

Cleaning Racedeck TuffShield Diamond Tile floors with Detailer's Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate






Just look at that shine! On the floor and on the car!