new to da's

[BlackSunshine01]

so i recently purchaced a 7424 and will be reciving it in a few days(thanks ag!). bieng that it will be the first time to use a tool like this, would it be smart to use like 1/4 mask on the edges of the hood and fenders to make sure that i dont burn paint o rare these things pretty fool proof?

[sparkie]

so i recently purchaced a 7424 and will be reciving it in a few days(thanks ag!). bieng that it will be the first time to use a tool like this, would it be smart to use like 1/4 mask on the edges of the hood and fenders to make sure that i dont burn paint o rare these things pretty fool proof?
The PC is a very good tool. AG has some videos on how to use it. Look at them. Take your time one area at a time.:buffing::pc7424:

Porter Cable 7424 XP Dual Action Polisher - dual action orbital car polisher, car care kits, buffer kits, PC 7424,7424XP, 7424 XP, porter cable (http://www.autogeek.net/po.html)

[Mike Phillips]

More information?

What are you working on?

If it's a new or fairly new car with a clear coat finish then while it's a good practice to not buff on edges or raised body lines, it's not as big of a danger as some might think.

If it's the cool Nova? in your Avatar with single stage paint then definitely avoid or tape off any body lines or raised edges.


N - Nova
O - Omega
V - Ventura
A - Apollo


My guess by the hood is that's a 1971 or 1972 Nova?
:)

[ScottB]

watch the videos .... listen to hints from Mike ... and soon you will kick yourself for not grabbing a buffer sooner ! Best of luck, and please post pics too !!!

[BlackSunshine01]

no im not gonna do the nova....yet. im gonna test it out on my 01 mustang gt in my sig. i rember reading somwhere that its still possible to burn the paint with a pc. bieng that my car is black i was wondering if this would be a wise practice.

[BlackSunshine01]

the nova is a 74 and will be getting a detail after i test my7424 on my stang. we are the lucky 2nd owners. we bought the car in 00 with 69k on the clock completely bone stock. car now has cragar wheels, stainless exhaust with flows and 4bbl carb and elec ign. belive it or not that was supposed to be my first car!:eek: ill post some pics in the show and shine section from when i polished it up.

[Harleyguy]

no im not gonna do the nova....yet. im gonna test it out on my 01 mustang gt in my sig. i rember reading somwhere that its still possible to burn the paint with a pc. bieng that my car is black i was wondering if this would be a wise practice.Yes it is possible but highly unlikely you will burn your paint.The key here is too do as much reading and asking questions if you are unsure of what is needed to be done.As far taping up edges there are some great threads by Mike and it is well worth the reading.Taping is a good habbit no matter what kind of machine you are using tape is cheap but to repair a damage panel or part is the last thing you are going to want too do.I hope this helps a little bit and welcome to AG

[Mike Phillips]

no im not gonna do the nova....yet. im gonna test it out on my 01 mustang gt in my sig. i rember reading somwhere that its still possible to burn the paint with a pc. bieng that my car is black i was wondering if this would be a wise practice.

I've never burned through paint using a PC and normal practices. It would be the least of my concerns. That said, it's a good best practice to not buff on top of body lines.

:)

[BlackSunshine01]

so is the correct way to go back and hand polish the edges to get tnem to match the rest of the panel?

[Mike Phillips]

so is the correct way to go back and hand polish the edges to get tnem to match the rest of the panel?

Since I knew this question would come up forever... I addressed it in part in this write-up, it's in the #9 post in the below thread.


Step-by-Step How-To Article using Pinnacle Products with the new PC 7424XP (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/19994-2008-lexus-250-pinnacle-detail.html)


It's a very detailed write-up so I'll copy and paste the pertinent part below...

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



With new cars and all the plastic, felt-fuzzies, and rubber on the exterior car, I'll run my tape down a little edge of the paint and that area won't get all the treatment the rest of the paint will and that' just how it goes. You come back and wax it by hand and this shmoos it over enough that it all looks pretty even.

For hard body lines you can get 1/8" painter's tape, even thinner I think and you run the tape down the edge and buff around it for our correction steps. After the correction steps, remove the tape and lightly run your polishing or finishing pad with whatever your finishing and waxing with over it and call it good. It will still look good.

What's the alternative? Or in other words for such a small area of paint compared to the "big picture", how much time and energy do you want to invest?

Is this a show car you're getting pad big bucks for?
Is this your daily driver?

You can get as extreme as you like, as for me I major on the majors and minor on the minors...


:laughing:

[sportscarhiatus]

Mike... I resurrected this thread to ask this question:

So my question is this.... in general, how many buffing sessions can an average car (like a Honda Civic for example) take before all the clear coat is gone???? I know the answer probably depends on the kind of pad I use (i.e. orange, white, etc) and the kind of polish I use (i.e. Menzerna Power Gloss versus IP for example). But in general, is there a general rule of thumb? Am I okay to just use a Micro Polish twice a year???



I am really hoping the answer to this question is "You remove so little of the clear coat that it will take literally hundreds or thousands of times before you eat through the clear coat."



Please advise... thanks!!!

[BlackSunshine01]

^good question.

[sportscarhiatus]

^^^ I would like to reiterate my question, stating that I am using a PC 7424XP.... how many buffing sessions can an average car with clearcoat take, using a PC, before I "eat through" the clear coat??? Please note, the question is NOT burning through the clearcoat.

The question is for Mike P. or whoever at AG, or any other experts out there who would like to chime in please.

thanks.

[Rsurfer]

Mike... I resurrected this thread to ask this question:

So my question is this.... in general, how many buffing sessions can an average car (like a Honda Civic for example) take before all the clear coat is gone???? I know the answer probably depends on the kind of pad I use (i.e. orange, white, etc) and the kind of polish I use (i.e. Menzerna Power Gloss versus IP for example). But in general, is there a general rule of thumb? Am I okay to just use a Micro Polish twice a year???



I am really hoping the answer to this question is "You remove so little of the clear coat that it will take literally hundreds or thousands of times before you eat through the clear coat."



Please advise... thanks!!!The only true way of knowing, is to use a PTG. Just because it's a Honda doesn't mean all Honda's have the same thickness of clear. Honda's are known to have soft clear. Hundreds or thousands of times, I'm afraid not. If you polished twice a year it would take you 50 years to polish your paint a hundred times. IMO if you polished twice a year with a mild polish like 106 you should have no problems for 10+ years.

[sportscarhiatus]

The only true way of knowing, is to use a PTG. Just because it's a Honda doesn't mean all Honda's have the same thickness of clear. Honda's are known to have soft clear. Hundreds or thousands of times, I'm afraid not. If you polished twice a year it would take you 50 years to polish your paint a hundred times. IMO if you polished twice a year with a mild polish like 106 you should have no problems for 10+ years.

Anyone else chime in??? Mike P? Experts?

I guess, let me phrase the question a different way.... if an "average" clear coat thickness is say, a value of 10 for example.... on average, how much does a session of buffing using a PC, a white pad, and Menzerna 106 or Megs M205 remove??? .1 out of 10? .2 out of 10? .5 out of 10? You see what I'm getting at? I'm almost 100% sure that I am removing SOME clearcoat.... but just exactly how much???