Duragloss 501 and compounding/polishing

[richy]

dg501 will deep clean the paint and some add protection but will not remove defects like a dedicated polish/compound. try doing a test spot first with sf4000 (try a few different pads) and if that doesn't yield the results you're looking for then step up to fg400. least aggressive first and work your way up...

DG 501 is an excellent cleaner. The best way I've found to incorporate it into a paint improvement session is to compound and remove defects first and then follow that with DG 501 with a white B/S or equivalent pad. If your white pad is turning gray, you're still removing stuff from the paint. It probably will. Follow that up with wax or sealant but NOT a coating.

[richy]

I wouldn't suggest 501 as your LSP. Not much durability and if i'm gonna compound and buff to remove swirls and scratches i would want a more durable LSP. Just my opinion.

Your comment has me curious. Have you said this because it didn't last for you? In my humble opinion, 501 is doing a double chore: cleaning and protecting. IMO if it's being primarily used (whether intentionally or not) for cleaning, then yes, it's already done its job and won't last long as protection. However, if that's not the case, (or you're putting a 2nd coat on with the aim of protection), I think you'll find it lasts very well. Don't forget that this product is designed to coat boats that sit in water 24/7.

[Jowillie]

DG 501 is an excellent cleaner. The best way I've found to incorporate it into a paint improvement session is to compound and remove defects first and then follow that with DG 501 with a white B/S or equivalent pad. If your white pad is turning gray, you're still removing stuff from the paint. It probably will. Follow that up with wax or sealant but NOT a coating.

I am glad you posted this suggestion. I was thinking about doing this process on an upcoming project. I have had great duration of DG#501 on roof and wheels. Plus, I will top the 501 with Clear Coat #111 after it cures anyway. Duration should be excellent. Thanks

[Paul A.]

Your comment has me curious. Have you said this because it didn't last for you? In my humble opinion, 501 is doing a double chore: cleaning and protecting. IMO if it's being primarily used (whether intentionally or not) for cleaning, then yes, it's already done its job and won't last long as protection. However, if that's not the case, (or you're putting a 2nd coat on with the aim of protection), I think you'll find it lasts very well. Don't forget that this product is designed to coat boats that sit in water 24/7.

My experience has been it hasn't lasted more than a month in my climate. I will say that i have only applied it with one layer however have tried it several times on several different paints. I do like how it cleans paint. My opinion stated above was simply based on my thought that FG400 followed by SF3800 would "clean" the paint adequately for an immediate LSP and one with more durability than what i've experienced. I didn't feel the "cleaner" step would be necessary after abrasion steps and that's what i use 501 for most...cleaning the paint and prepping it for LSP. The only thing i am still certain of is that it would not be my first step if i'm going to correct paint with an abrasive.

I greatly appreciate you asking for clarification, Richy. That's exactly why this forum is so helpful. And it's how you ask that is so gracious as well. I respect your work and your opinion greatly and will take another approach to 501, specifically adding more layers of it when used by itself on clean paint and trying it after correction with a white pad to see if it cleans anything left behind. I am certainly guilty of trying a product a certain way and finding how i used it wasn't as effective as it could be. Discussion here helps greatly in those instances.

[richy]

My experience has been it hasn't lasted more than a month in my climate. I will say that i have only applied it with one layer however have tried it several times on several different paints. I do like how it cleans paint. My opinion stated above was simply based on my thought that FG400 followed by SF3800 would "clean" the paint adequately for an immediate LSP and one with more durability than what i've experienced. I didn't feel the "cleaner" step would be necessary after abrasion steps and that's what i use 501 for most...cleaning the paint and prepping it for LSP. The only thing i am still certain of is that it would not be my first step if i'm going to correct paint with an abrasive.

I greatly appreciate you asking for clarification, Richy. That's exactly why this forum is so helpful. And it's how you ask that is so gracious as well. I respect your work and your opinion greatly and will take another approach to 501, specifically adding more layers of it when used by itself on clean paint and trying it after correction with a white pad to see if it cleans anything left behind. I am certainly guilty of trying a product a certain way and finding how i used it wasn't as effective as it could be. Discussion here helps greatly in those instances.

Thanks for that. There is absolutely NOTHING to be accomplished by being rude in a response. Everyone lives in a different climate (especially on such a diverse forum as this one) and there is often not a one-style-fits-all answer. Even though I am guilty of not using DG Squeaky Clean (which is basically 501 without a sealant) as an extra step on cleaning the paint, it does make a difference. Why? It's cleaning chemically versus using abrasives. I find it amazing what I can pull out of paint when I use it or SC. I religiously use SC on barrels prior to coating b/c they are small and don't add too much time like it would to do it to the entire car. Now I wish I'd used it on my wife's Durango, LOL.

Thanks again for an engaging conversation! And please PM me when you do try it with a white pad after correcting to see if it did pull something else out. I'd be very interested to hear.

[Paul A.]

Will do, Richy and thanks again.

[Hoytman]

Richy,
If it's cleaning chemically, then does your amount of product on the pad increase any on a section versus say a cutting polish? I'm wondering if this wouldn't be an instance where more is better...by that I mean a line of product on a section pass instead of pea or dime sized drops. Is it one of those things just know how much to use...because too little isn't enough and too much becomes obvious...sort of thing?

[AZpolisher15]

Richy,
If it's cleaning chemically, then does your amount of product on the pad increase any on a section versus say a cutting polish? I'm wondering if this wouldn't be an instance where more is better...by that I mean a line of product on a section pass instead of pea or dime sized drops. Is it one of those things just know how much to use...because too little isn't enough and too much becomes obvious...sort of thing?

There's a thread that I can't find right now in which Mike P talks about using AIO's/cleaner waxes "wet". Meaning... More is better than less with some products in certain instances (ex. "Paint cleaning"). It wasn't a straight up "use more". Rather, use the appropriate amount, and that amount wasn't "three pea sized drops". It was basically a detailed tutorial specific to what you refer to here. I'll try to find the thread...

[Hoytman]

I am familiar with those comments from Mike and that thread, but wasn't thinking about Mike's "wet or heavy" comments when I posted. I was more thinking about more chemical coming into contact with the paint...which is sort of the same thing you mentioned. Just wanted to get richy's comments on it to see if he's noticed anything special with regard to how much or how little product he usually uses.

[richy]

Richy,
If it's cleaning chemically, then does your amount of product on the pad increase any on a section versus say a cutting polish? I'm wondering if this wouldn't be an instance where more is better...by that I mean a line of product on a section pass instead of pea or dime sized drops. Is it one of those things just know how much to use...because too little isn't enough and too much becomes obvious...sort of thing?

Bill, I haven't used 501 on a pad in a while as I've been doing exclusively coating work, but I do with Squeaky Clean and it is like 501 without a sealant, although since it's a pure cleaner, it may require less. But let me try to answer your question from memory. I think I recall using about 3 nickle sized drops on a 5" pad. It really depends on how big of an area you're trying to work to be honest. I would go no larger than 2' X 2' to start and then see if it dries up on you or is still runny and you can expand your area out. You may also find that it will react differently on different paints too, so on some you may need more/less.

One thing for sure (which is why I started a new paragraph) is that you're definitely not going to work it in as long as you do a compound or polish. I work 100/205 a long time. You don't need to with a chemical cleaner as it's an entirely different approach. I had a pure chemical cleaner that Jerry had sent me to try and I remember doing a Solstice with a stain down the side of the paint that M105 would not remove. The chemical cleaner got rid of it quickly and effectively.

To summarize, I think you already guessed it by your last line is that you'll have to let it tell you what it needs...more or less...smaller area or larger.

The other thing for people to realize is that 501 is just plain nasty to remove from your pads. Clean them first with a solvent. Soap will NOT touch it.

[Mike Honcho]

Mineral spirits?

[dlc95]

Mineral spirits?

I've used Meguiar's Hot Rims all wheel cleaner ro remove the 501 from my red b&s pad.. It was the only thing that would work that I had on hand.

[ski2]

I've had good results cleaning my pads of 501 by first soaking them in Snappy Pad Cleaner as I change pads while working on the car then final cleaning with Awesome Purple degreaser from the Dollar Store.

[richy]

Mineral spirits?

Yup. That would do fine. Soap after that.

[Mike Honcho]

Yup. That would do fine. Soap after that.

What about the towels used to wipe the 501/601 off the panels? Do they need a solvent soak or just throw them in the washer with some microfiber towel soap?