O.C.Detailing
03-22-2010, 08:50 PM
Okay, so I can't claim to know all of the Kevin Brown Method, but I did use it today on a 1999 VW Passat and I must say...this method is NOT hype. I used less than half of the M105 I would normally use and it cleaned the defects out of the paint as well as any other technique I've used to this day. Not sure it saved me much time, but the savings in product alone make it COMPLETELY worth it.
So here's what I've learned. If you have more to add, please use this post to get the word out so others can benefit from it as well without having to resort to a Google search:
THIS TUTORIAL IS FOR M105 USING THE KEVIN BROWN METHOD. Not sure how it will work with other products.
1. Prime your pad properly before use
- Use quite a bit of which ever product you're using and squirt it on the face of your pad of choice making sure to cover the ENTIRE pad. The product should NOT be in a thick layer. It should just color the face of the pad a bit without actually clogging up the pores of the pad. Make sure you add more product to any areas that are not actually primed with product until the entire face of the pad is primed.
2. Use 3 slightly-smaller-than-pea-size drops on the pad and dab it on a 1' x 1' area to be polished out. Polish with a LOT of pressure until the product is starting to dust up then stop.
3. Spray the area you just polished with a MISTING of pure water
- The goal isn't to make the panel soaking wet, but just to get a nice, even, misty coat of water on the panel. Put your sprayer on it's tightest setting and get the finest mist you can get out of it before you spray the panel.
4. WITHOUT adding more product to your pad, buff the SAME area you just polished out and misted with a LOT of pressure doing about 3-section-passes then lighten the pressure just a bit until the product is either dusting again or gone. What you'll notice is that the water actually RE-ACTIVATES the product that is still in your pad and allows you to do 2-full passes on a section without having to add more product. This in and of itself is MORE than enough reason to use this method. I found I was using a LOT less product. Less heat was generated because the pad wasn't spinning as fast due to the pressure I was using and i was getting a VERY nice correction with just 1 pass of product.
5. Wipe the area and inspect. If you see more RIDS or swirls, rinse and repeat until the area is clear to your satisfaction.
Some pointers I've learned and applied:
A. CLEAN YOUR PAD OFTEN. Every 3rd 1' x 1' section, I used a low-quality MF towel and on-the-fly cleaned my pad by rubbing the towel on the face of my pad until I had removed product and waste so that the face of the pad was once again visible. Make sure you keep rubbing until all caked on material is removed. Once the pores of the pad get clogged with product and removed material, the pad stops cutting and the method is MUCH less effective. Change to a fresh pad if necessary.
B. Adjust your lighting so that the area you are polishing CLEARLY shows the reflected light so that you can inspect and correct as quickly as possible.
C. DO NOT use too much water when misting. 1-2 quick mistings from about 1-1.5 ft. away is sufficient to re-activate the product that is still in the pad.
D. Worry about where you're working NOW and not where you've already worked. A lot of times I used to get lost in the PATTERN of polishing instead of polishing according to what was necessary to get the results I was looking for. Some areas will only need 2-3 passes to be fully corrected where others will need 5-6 passes. Don't get caught up in doing 5-6 passes ALL of the time regardless of whether the section you're doing needs it or not. Only work an area until it's fixed, after that, move on to the next section. Buffing just to follow on-line instructions on HOW to buff without actually paying attention to whether an area actually needs 5-6 passes or more is just a HUGE waste of time, energy and product if all it needs it 2-3 passes to achieve the results you're looking for.
E. HAVE FUN...detailing is a job for people who really are a bit sick in the head. I can spend all day polishing out a car...back, shoulders wrists and hands hurting like crazy, but all I feel like I've done is played around all day instead of actually having worked. I enjoy the people around me (John, J.D. and Jonathan) and we joke and have a great time. I feel more like I'm spending time with my buddies than making money and breaking my back.
If anyone has more to add to this, please do. These are just some things I've picked up on-line and through real-world experience. These things work for me and may not for you, so your mileage may vary, but try to find the way that makes it work for you...in your own way. Nothing ever invented was invented because someone TOLD someone else how to invent it...it was invented because people took the initiative to create an item or technique ON THEIR OWN that helped many others. The true genius' of this world have always been the ones blazing trails and not following in the footsteps of others step-for-step. Don't just read and regurgitate what you learn on an internet forum as ultimate fact...go out, read and learn, apply what you CAN apply and modify where necessary to achieve the results YOU'RE looking for and what make you happy.
Anyway, hope that helps some of you out there. Long post, I know, but I feel better for having written it.
Adam
So here's what I've learned. If you have more to add, please use this post to get the word out so others can benefit from it as well without having to resort to a Google search:
THIS TUTORIAL IS FOR M105 USING THE KEVIN BROWN METHOD. Not sure how it will work with other products.
1. Prime your pad properly before use
- Use quite a bit of which ever product you're using and squirt it on the face of your pad of choice making sure to cover the ENTIRE pad. The product should NOT be in a thick layer. It should just color the face of the pad a bit without actually clogging up the pores of the pad. Make sure you add more product to any areas that are not actually primed with product until the entire face of the pad is primed.
2. Use 3 slightly-smaller-than-pea-size drops on the pad and dab it on a 1' x 1' area to be polished out. Polish with a LOT of pressure until the product is starting to dust up then stop.
3. Spray the area you just polished with a MISTING of pure water
- The goal isn't to make the panel soaking wet, but just to get a nice, even, misty coat of water on the panel. Put your sprayer on it's tightest setting and get the finest mist you can get out of it before you spray the panel.
4. WITHOUT adding more product to your pad, buff the SAME area you just polished out and misted with a LOT of pressure doing about 3-section-passes then lighten the pressure just a bit until the product is either dusting again or gone. What you'll notice is that the water actually RE-ACTIVATES the product that is still in your pad and allows you to do 2-full passes on a section without having to add more product. This in and of itself is MORE than enough reason to use this method. I found I was using a LOT less product. Less heat was generated because the pad wasn't spinning as fast due to the pressure I was using and i was getting a VERY nice correction with just 1 pass of product.
5. Wipe the area and inspect. If you see more RIDS or swirls, rinse and repeat until the area is clear to your satisfaction.
Some pointers I've learned and applied:
A. CLEAN YOUR PAD OFTEN. Every 3rd 1' x 1' section, I used a low-quality MF towel and on-the-fly cleaned my pad by rubbing the towel on the face of my pad until I had removed product and waste so that the face of the pad was once again visible. Make sure you keep rubbing until all caked on material is removed. Once the pores of the pad get clogged with product and removed material, the pad stops cutting and the method is MUCH less effective. Change to a fresh pad if necessary.
B. Adjust your lighting so that the area you are polishing CLEARLY shows the reflected light so that you can inspect and correct as quickly as possible.
C. DO NOT use too much water when misting. 1-2 quick mistings from about 1-1.5 ft. away is sufficient to re-activate the product that is still in the pad.
D. Worry about where you're working NOW and not where you've already worked. A lot of times I used to get lost in the PATTERN of polishing instead of polishing according to what was necessary to get the results I was looking for. Some areas will only need 2-3 passes to be fully corrected where others will need 5-6 passes. Don't get caught up in doing 5-6 passes ALL of the time regardless of whether the section you're doing needs it or not. Only work an area until it's fixed, after that, move on to the next section. Buffing just to follow on-line instructions on HOW to buff without actually paying attention to whether an area actually needs 5-6 passes or more is just a HUGE waste of time, energy and product if all it needs it 2-3 passes to achieve the results you're looking for.
E. HAVE FUN...detailing is a job for people who really are a bit sick in the head. I can spend all day polishing out a car...back, shoulders wrists and hands hurting like crazy, but all I feel like I've done is played around all day instead of actually having worked. I enjoy the people around me (John, J.D. and Jonathan) and we joke and have a great time. I feel more like I'm spending time with my buddies than making money and breaking my back.
If anyone has more to add to this, please do. These are just some things I've picked up on-line and through real-world experience. These things work for me and may not for you, so your mileage may vary, but try to find the way that makes it work for you...in your own way. Nothing ever invented was invented because someone TOLD someone else how to invent it...it was invented because people took the initiative to create an item or technique ON THEIR OWN that helped many others. The true genius' of this world have always been the ones blazing trails and not following in the footsteps of others step-for-step. Don't just read and regurgitate what you learn on an internet forum as ultimate fact...go out, read and learn, apply what you CAN apply and modify where necessary to achieve the results YOU'RE looking for and what make you happy.
Anyway, hope that helps some of you out there. Long post, I know, but I feel better for having written it.
Adam