Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges

[Mike Phillips]

Best Practice - Avoid buffing on top of body lines and edges (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/rough-draft/20168-best-practice-avoid-buffing-top-body-lines-edges.html)


Buff up to body lines and edges but try not to buff directly on top of body lines and edges

A good best practice whenever you're machine cleaning is to buff up to hard body lines but don't buff on top of hard body lines. There are two reasons for this,

1. Paint tends to flow off high points a little after it's sprayed but before it's set-up, so paint will tend to be thinner on edges and body lines.

2. There will be increased pressure from your pad onto the paint because the body line or raised edge will be higher than the rest of the surrounding paint.

This is what can happen, if you look carefully at the hard body line on the hood of this VW you can see where someone has remove too much paint and exposed the primer under color coat. This is an older VW and has what appears to be a single stage finish but the principal behind avoiding buffing directly on top of an edge or hard body line still applies.


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/719/BurnThroughVW1.jpg


This is a little out of focus, sorry I was using my iphone...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/719/BurnThroughVW2.jpg

As Benjamin Franklin once said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


A good best practice is to avoid buffing on top of hard body lines and edges and instead just buff up to them. You can also tape them off using thin painter's tape so in case you get your buffing pad close to the raised body line or edges you have a measure of extra protection.

This is where either slowing down and focusing on the task at hand comes into play or using smaller pads when working on thin panels.

Here at Autogeek we have a great selection of smaller buffing pads and backing plates as well as the Griot's Garage Professional Random Orbital 3 Inch Polisher for working thin panels.


Lake Country Beveled Edge 3.5 Inch Pad Pack (http://www.autogeek.net/bevel-edge-4-pack.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2067_42693478


Griot's Garage 3 Inch Orange Polishing Foam Pad (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-orange-polishing-pad.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2066_108030431


Griot's Garage 3 Inch Mini Red Wax Pad (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-foam-wax-pad.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2066_104968033


Griot's Garage Professional Random Orbital 3 Inch Polisher (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-orbital-polisher.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2066_108054776


2-3/4 inch Hook & Loop Rotary Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/2vebapl.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2067_29995755



D.A Adapter 5/8" X 11
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2069_58727767


Lake Country 4 Inch Low Profile Foam Pads (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-counrty-pads-4-inch.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2069_27956421


CCS 4 Inch Spot Buffs Foam Pads & Accessories (http://www.autogeek.net/4inch-spot-buffs.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2069_25226577


3.5" Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate (http://www.autogeek.net/lc-43085da.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2069_51075714

Rotary 3 ¾ inch Backing Plate (http://Rotary 3 ¾ inch Backing Plate)
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2066_89979010


:)

[eddie6th]

:dblthumb2:

Painters tape!...Where would I be without it.

[MisterShark]

Great tips for someone like me whose on the verge of buying a PC and would like to be forearmed with a bit of advance knowledge.

Keep em comin Mike! :xyxthumbs:

[alowe]

Nice write up. I have used those 4inch spot buffs many times, life savers for tight spots.

[Gary Sword]

Good Advice! :props: Sometimes I even tape an edge that's hard not to hit.:buffing:

[DLB]

Been wanting to pick up some of the 4" pads and backing plate - just got to get my funds built back up.

DLB

[Omar the Terror]

Maybe I'm a bit late to the party, but how do you guys buff body lines and odd panel contours? I tried polishing a friends Nissan Hardbody pickup with my PC, but it has a sunken channel right through the waistline that I couldn't get even w/ a 4" pad. Any tips for dealing with this and other areas where a PC can't reach?

[DLB]

Maybe I'm a bit late to the party, but how do you guys buff body lines and odd panel contours? I tried polishing a friends Nissan Hardbody pickup with my PC, but it has a sunken channel right through the waistline that I couldn't get even w/ a 4" pad. Any tips for dealing with this and other areas where a PC can't reach?
I usually always go back around a vehicle with my product and an applicator of choice and hit the spots by hand that I couldn't get by machine.
There's just some things that the machine can't do for you.

DLB

[Omar the Terror]

So you can make those hard-to-reach spots match the machine-polished portions of the car, or does it sometimes leave an obvious difference between the machine and hand-polished areas? Also, what applicator do you recommend for this? I have some LC CCS hand pads on the way but if there's something better, I'd love to try it out. Thanks!

[Mike Phillips]

There's just some things that the machine can't do for you.

DLB


That's a good point and that's why it's important to know how to properly apply a hand-applied compound or paint cleaner.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

So you can make those hard-to-reach spots match the machine-polished portions of the car, or does it sometimes leave an obvious difference between the machine and hand-polished areas?


Sometimes all you can do is all you can do. Machines will almost alway produce a better looking finish compared to working by hand when it comes to removing defects out of clear coat paints.

As far as obvious goes, how close are you getting to the paint to look? 10 inches? 4 inches?

Is it a daily driver or a show car? By this I mean, if the A-pillar on a 4-door Ford Taurus doesn't have the same same high-gloss finish as the hood because you cleaned, polished and waxed the A-pillar by hand but you machine cleaned, polished and waxed the hood with your Griot's Polisher or your PC 7424XP, how much is that going to matter?

Now if it's a show car or an exotic like the one Asphalt Rocket buffed out here where he had to remove factory sanding marks that were right on the edge of body lines, well the expectation for a car like a Lamborgini is much higher than a 4-door Ford Taurus.

2005 Lamborghini Gallardo - Lots of scratches (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/20974-05-lamborghini-gallardo-lots-scratches.html)



There were several aspects that were challenging-wet sand marks all the way to all the edges,


That's not to say you can't duplicate by hand what a machine can do on a easy to work on flat panel as you can a thin panel like an A-Pillar because you can.

Man versus Machine (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/faq/20257-man-versus-machine.html)




Also, what applicator do you recommend for this? I have some LC CCS hand pads on the way but if there's something better, I'd love to try it out. Thanks!



I used the different available foam formulas in this hand applicator pad line and they each worked great for their specific purpose.

CCS Euro Foam Hand Polish Applicators (http://www.autogeek.net/ccs-foam-hand-applicators.html)


They're kind of large for small, thin, intricate panels so give the LC CCS hand applicator pads a try. I have one in my hand right now and these applicator pads are fairly thick with plenty of cushion and this will help spread the pressure of your fingers out for smoother cleaning action.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2076_1432313

[Omar the Terror]

Thanks Mike. I saw that in the Man vs Machine thread, you used the CCS pads upside down. Did that work better for you, and are you not a fan of the CCS style pads? Or was it just to use both sides of the pad? Thanks again.

[JohnHenry]

So you can make those hard-to-reach spots match the machine-polished portions of the car, or does it sometimes leave an obvious difference between the machine and hand-polished areas? Also, what applicator do you recommend for this? I have some LC CCS hand pads on the way but if there's something better, I'd love to try it out. Thanks!


Wolfgang German Polish N’ Wax Applicator has two sides of premium foam in one awesome applicator! (http://www.autogeek.net/german-applicator-pad.html)

These things are great.

[paramount]

This is good info! I wondered why painters tape was used. So how do you clean or buff the body lines? I'm new to detailing so I apologize for my igonorance.

[Mike Phillips]

This is good info! I wondered why painters tape was used. So how do you clean or buff the body lines? I'm new to detailing so I apologize for my igonorance.

It's a great question and a common question. What you're talking about is called,

Perfectionist Detailing


While I don't have a dedicated article on this topic I've written about it a lot so for right now, I'm going to just copy and paste what I've already posted to the below thread with a similar question...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/58541-datailing-around-clear-plastic-protectant-film-2.html






Different, but related question: do you guys hand polish body lines before or after taping?

Or asked another way before or after machine polishing?




After as then you can remove any tape-line residue.


I call this, Perfectionist Detailing, that is rubbing out the thin space of paint that runs along trim that was covered by tape. I actually discuss this in in this article I wrote after first coming to Autogeek back in 2009. All the information in this article is just as accurate today as it was when I wrote it and it's a re-write of an even older article on the topic.


Step-by-Step How-To use the Porter Cable 7424XP (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/19994-2008-lexus-250-pinnacle-detail.html)





Here we've taped-off the rubber gasket between the glass and the window frame and I'm pointing to show that there's about an 1/8th of an inch of paint that's not going to get buffed with either of the two polishing steps.

After the correction steps we'll remove the tape and carefully wax these areas for a uniform look that will match the polished areas next to the tape line.

While not perfectionist detailing in some eyes, remember this is a daily driver, not a show car.

You can invest more time and just run the tape down the rubber and get it close to the edge of the panel if you want or just overhang a little like I did here. It's your choice based upon what you're trying to accomplish and how much time you want to invest.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/723/detail-141.jpg





The thing about Perfectionist Detailing is that it is very time intensive. Here's the deal...

If it's your own car go for it as it's your time.

If you're detailing for money and you can get your customer's to understand the time involved to do this kind of detailing and to pay you by the hour for it... then again, go for it as it's a good gig if you can get it.


My experience is most won't want to pay for it for a daily driver and only a few will pay for it for SIV's and you still have to educate them.


:)