Newbie 1st try with pc7424xp

[myers77]

This is my 1st post on here. I have been reading for awhile on here now and decided to order the pc7424xp and I bought the 5.5" hook and loop backing plate as many on here suggest. I did my first correction and was very pleased with how it came out compared to how it was. I have a few questions.

My process
Washed
Clayed (I didnt wash after this) I see some do and some don't on here.
m105 orange lc ccs pad
m205 white lc ccs pad

Then applied meguiars carnuba wax. When I made my order I didnt get any wax I had planned on using the nxt but it seems a lot of people are against it. I will get a better wax in the future.

I want to know if my process was correct or should I have used a sealant then a wax?

How do you know when the m105 or m205 is spent?

I've watched a lot of Junkmans videos and made sure to prime both my pads before use then only used 3-4 smalls pea size drops of product.

I noticed in some of Mike's videos he uses an x and doesn't prime his pads or is it because he uses that amount it primes it at the same time? It seems as he uses a lot more product that I did. I know I dont want to use to much or to less.

Is the best way to tell if you have enough product because it appears to be working? or is there a better way to check to make sure you get better results quicker.

How do you guys do your mirrors and the front of your bumper below the headlight?
Do you get the I think 3.5" back plate?

I know I have a lot of questions...just trying to figure it all out.

Thanks a lot,
Steve

I only took a few pics during the process.
Starting to tape off the hood

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/SIKGTP/Car/IMG_0557.jpg

This was the hood finished didn't do any side by sides

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/SIKGTP/Car/IMG_0568.jpg
Was a cloudy day my hood has quite a few chips and a couple deeper scratches that I couldn't get out.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/SIKGTP/Car/IMG_0577.jpg


http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/SIKGTP/Car/IMG_0628.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/SIKGTP/Car/IMG_0625.jpg

I noticed my paint looks like what I believe some say is orange peel. Is there anyway to get rid of that...the reflections aren't as clean as I think they could be.

Thanks for looking and Feed back please lol

[rider9195]

First off welcome to Autogeek Online!

That paint looks great after the 105/205. A very noticeable difference in gloss for sure. The only way to remove orange peel is to wetsand the paint.

[myers77]

Thanks for the reply rider.

[alko]

Welcome to the forum and fantastic job on the ride. Welcome to the addiction!!!

[Mike Phillips]

I want to know if my process was correct or should I have used a sealant then a wax?



Don't turn washing and waxing your car into rocket science, there's nothing wrong with keeping it simple. Some people like to apply a wax over a sealant but it's simply an option.

Another option is to do good job of applying either a wax or a sealant and then re-applying it on a regular schedule instead of trying to figure out when there's absolutely nothing left on the paint and starting over.

Kind of like we all change the oil in our car's engines... we don't wait till it's gone...




How do you know when the m105 or m205 is spent?



M105 and M205 are SMAT products, you don't have to worry about if you've worked them long enough. See this detailed article I wrote a few years ago...

The SMAT Pack - Everything you ever wanted to know about Meguiar's SMAT products... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/23561-smat-pack-everything-you-ever-wanted-know-about-meguiar-s-smat-products.html)





I've watched a lot of Junkmans videos and made sure to prime both my pads before use then only used 3-4 smalls pea size drops of product.

I noticed in some of Mike's videos he uses an x and doesn't prime his pads or is it because he uses that amount it primes it at the same time? It seems as he uses a lot more product that I did. I know I dont want to use to much or to less.


Millions of cars have been buffed out successfully by using an X-Pattern or a Circle Pattern of applying product to a clean, dry pad. Millions.

Priming ensures 100% of the pad is lubricated and coated with abrasives so the moment you turn on the polisher 100% of the pad goes to work for you effectively.

If you watch my more recent videos or anytime I'm on TV I always show priming clean, dry pads before using them. I have a screenshot of a post the Junkman made here (http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/715/JunkmanCredit.jpg). I took a screenshot because posts on forums have a way of getting "edited". :D





Is the best way to tell if you have enough product because it appears to be working? or is there a better way to check to make sure you get better results quicker.
[/quote}

Dial in a process that works when you do your Test Spot. Remember how many passes, how much product, how much downward pressure you applied, etc.

If your process works in your Test Spot then it should work over the rest of the car, simply duplicate it. See this brand new article on doing a Test Spot

How To Do a Test Spot (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/50162-how-do-test-spot.html)




A Test Spot
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/TestSpot03.jpg




[QUOTE=myers77;678044]

How do you guys do your mirrors and the front of your bumper below the headlight?
Do you get the I think 3.5" back plate?


Since you have M105, simply knock them out by hand, note how I'm removing SANDING MARKS by hand in this article,

The Rule of Thumb (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wet-sanding-cutting-buffing/25042-rule-thumb.html)


Show Car and Perfectionist Sanding and Polishing
For those of you wanting to do perfectionist sanding and polishing, first make sure you're getting paid well because you can sand right up to an edge but removing your sanding marks has to be done carefully and this means it will require you to invest more time into the project.


How to sand right up to an edge and remove your sanding marks by hand
There is a fix for the issue of sanding right next to an edge or a raised body line and that's by carefully sanding and then using Meguiar's M105 Ultra Compound by hand to remove your sanding marks. Another way to remove sanding marks next to an edge or to a raised body line is to use Spot Repair Pads on a rotary buffer using a technique I call Edging.

Because M105 is aggressive, (rated at being able to remove #1200 Grit Sanding Marks on fresh paint), and recommended for use by hand, you can easily remove sanding marks by hand if you're willing to put a little passion behind the pad (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23568-put-little-passion-behind-pad-mike-phillips.html).

There are a lot of compounds that can be applied by hand to remove sanding marks, but it's the ability of the super micro abrasive technology, (SMAT), used in M105 that gives it both its' cutting ability and the ability to polish out clear and glossy that makes M105 Ultra Compound a good choice for carefully rubbing out sanding marks right up to an edge or a raised body line by hand.

Note: The blue line you see in the pictures below is vinyl tape applied over the top of a body lines on the hood of this 1969 El Camino to make it easier to see and protect them. You can also do this with the edges of a panel.


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/834/RemvovingSandingMarksbyHand01.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/834/RemvovingSandingMarksbyHand02.jpg





I noticed my paint looks like what I believe some say is orange peel. Is there anyway to get rid of that...the reflections aren't as clean as I think they could be.

Thanks for looking and



Orange Peel is normal and if you're working on the factory paint it's too thin and too hard to remove SAFELY by wetsanding.

See this article,


Wetsanding - Fresh Paint vs Factory Paint (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wet-sanding-cutting-buffing/21471-wetsanding-fresh-paint-vs-factory-paint.html)

Here's an example of what can be done to remove orange peel by machine only but I wouldn't recommend it and keep in mind the paint on the 1958 Chevy Belair I buffed out was a custom paint job, not a factory paint job. Point being it's thicker and usually softer thus less risky to work on and easier to remove sanding marks out of.


What is Orange Peel and can I remove it with a Porter Cable DA Polisher? (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/26258-what-orange-peel-can-i-remove-porter-cable-da-polisher.html)

This is 1958 Chevrolet Belair that I compounded heavily from the center chrome trim up including the hood, roof and deck-lid. The owner didn't want to spend any more than $300.00 so wet-sanding was out off the table.

The pictures don't show the results as well as looking at the results in person but you could definitely see there was less orange peel on all the paint above the long stainless steel trim running down the car and the paint below the trim.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/648/orangepeellessened01.jpg



Close-up, cropped out section...
http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/forums/photopost/data/648/orangepeellessened02.jpg


That was a huge car to buff out...

Note the use of newspaper even back then to cover and protect the wheels and tires during the buff-out...


So can orange peel be removed or lessoned by just machine compounding? You bet, been there and done that... but wet-sanding is the right way...





I know I have a lot of questions...just trying to figure it all out.

Thanks a lot,
Steve


Questions are good, if you like the help you're getting here then share AutogeekOnline with your car buddies. We take pride in providing a family friendly and helpful forum. You won't get one-line answers or told to use the search button on this forum.


:dblthumb2:

[myers77]

Wow, Thanks a lot for all the input Mike. Very much appreciate it. Very informative. I wont even bother with the orange peel cant really tell until your up close anyway.

[Mike Phillips]

Wow, Thanks a lot for all the input Mike. Very much appreciate it. Very informative. I wont even bother with the orange peel cant really tell until your up close anyway.

It's never any fun to be buffing out sanding marks, turn your buffing pad over and see the color of the paint under the clear layer on your pad.


:D

[Klasse Act]

That GTP came out great, no need to worry about being perfect its like what, a 15 year old car or so, surely looks waaaaaaaay better than before. Welcome to AG, you'll like it here, I sure do!!

[Junkman2008]

If you watch my more recent videos or anytime I'm on TV I always show priming clean, dry pads before using them. I have a screenshot of a post the Junkman made here (http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/715/JunkmanCredit.jpg). I took a screenshot because posts on forums have a way of getting "edited". :D

You won't catch that post being edited by me. Up until I learned how to use a orbital polisher, the only thing that I had used was a big ol' heavy buffer that my father used during his 40 years of auto body work. Like most old school body shop guys, I thought that a orbital polisher was a waste of time. I saw an old video of you using one and decided to give it a try. I quickly realized that not only could it do some work, I also realized that you could get some very desirable results if you used an effective technique. I started with the technique that I saw you use and after 6 months of experimenting, I came up with a technique that worked for me and still yielded some outstanding results. What I also learned was that the technique that you use trumps the name of the polish on the bottle. A person experienced with a polisher and a solid technique while using a lousy product will get much better results than a novice using the best product on the planet and a lousy technique. That's why I always say that technique trumps product 7 days a week.

So if that post ever gets edited, you can rest assured that it wasn't by me. :)