TimAD
11-25-2013, 02:28 AM
Polishing Tips & Tricks:
Over the past several years from trial and error, research and talking with fellow detailers I have compiled a few polishing tricks that I have found to help create a better end product. Because I've learned so much over the past several years from the detailing community I thought it would be a good idea to share some of those tips with you. Although I can't promise it will be ground breaking, or even new information but rather what I have found to work best for myself.
Polishing Prep is one of the MOST important steps and is often overlooked by many. Its imperative that the paint surface is not only contaminant free, but that the surface has been properly prepped before starting any correction work. This means from step a-z the vehicle has been washed, clayed, trim and edges taped, paint readings taken(If Possible), and inspected via LED & Halogen lighting. Skip Claying and you will start noticing pigtails and deep scouring during polishing, skip stripping previous LSP and you pads will gum up and defects won't be as visible. In addition I recommend that the interior, engine bay etc. are cleaned before polishing work is completed. This also means door jams are cleaned as well so that you don't have any chance of cross-contaminating paint surfaces down the road.
Test Section:
As stated many times before do a test section to nail down your combination. I normally will do two, on the bottom driver side bumper area, and one on the driver side passenger door. Any location is fine really, but I typically like picking areas that have the highest concentration of marring. In addition paint reacts differently on metal panels vs. plastic, fiberglass etc. which is why I do two test spots. Not necessary but I have found it to be helpful in knowing the combinations of each.
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/timcoats001/photo.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/timcoats001/photo.jpg.html)
Compounding:
-Clean your pad out with every section! I can't stress this point enough especially during heavy compounding stages. You are picking up old CC, Polish and whatever else you are cutting from the surface in that pad. Using clean pads will help to reduce micro marring and pigtails. Compressed air, pad brush or even a microfiber towel or cloth works great.
Here's an example of the finish from buffer with most likely a dirty/clogged pad. Notice all the micromarring?
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/LP-560-4%20CQuartz%20Finest/IMG_8170.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/LP-560-4%20CQuartz%20Finest/IMG_8170.jpg.html)
-To extend the cut and work time of a compound use distilled water! SHHH this has been a little trick amongst the "Elite" crew of detailers. To increase the cut and extend the work time of a given section use a couple sprays of distilled water on your pad and enjoy the little extra boost!
-Depending on what machine you are using, SLOWER is BETTER. That means slow down your arm movements! And also reduce the speed of the polisher to around 4.5-5. NEVER go to speed 6 unless you want extra work during the polishing stages.
-Continuously inspect your results, if your starting to notice more micro marring and less cut after a while it might be time to switch out to a new pad. In addition you want to ensure that you are getting a consistent level of correction throughout the vehicle. I use a LED Husky Light that can be bought at Home Depot for around $90 that works great for following me around the car during compounding.
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/e92%20M3%20Correction/IMG_7931.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/e92%20M3%20Correction/IMG_7931.jpg.html)
-MF Towels, I typically go through about 10 per compounding stage per car. My preference is to use fresh towels as I have found that they will eventually get filled with polish and have the potential to smear and or Marr the finish.
Polishing:
-Once again speed and arm movements are key here. During polishing you really want to focus on using very light pressure but in giving the polish enough time to work and "break down" on the surface. I like to work in roughly a 2'x2' section on speed 4-5 on my Rupes, using very slow and deliberate arm movements. Really you can get close to a 90%+ correction if proper techniques are used in compounding and in this polishing stage. One of the biggest problems I have seen with most people is they 'rush' the polish with too fast of arm movements and too big of a surface area. Not giving the polish enough time to work and break down to properly polish the surface.
-Im a big fan of the Menzerna line for my polishing steps typically 203s and 106FA are my go-to polishes but sometimes use 205 as well. With the Menzerna line a little trick I have found is to properly prime the pad before using. You want as much of that pad surface in contact with the abrasives in the polish, then after it has been primed it only takes a few dabs to continue with each panel.
-Once again, clean out those pads!!
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/timcoats006/IMG_7803.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/timcoats006/IMG_7803.jpg.html)
IPA Wipe down/LSP Prep:
-During polishing its important to find a balance between time and quality. You don't want to spend an extra 10 hours on a car when you don't have to but it's also important to deliver the best product for the job. So for me I have found that when wiping off residue after each section pass during polishing that I take an extra 5-10 sec to get the majority of the oils and residue off the surface. This makes the prep for LSP much quicker. For the most case I usually always wash the vehicle with a Citrus soap or Dawn before I apply LSP. This does two things, One is it removes any oils or residue from the paint surface and two, it gets all the darn polish dust out of the cracks, crevices and off the car!
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/LP-560-4%20CQuartz%20Finest/IMG_8240.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/LP-560-4%20CQuartz%20Finest/IMG_8240.jpg.html)
-Towel choice is key for IPA wipe downs. I use a plush Korean/ silk lined MF towel that I have found to not Marr the surface and to not be fairly grabby, two issues during IPA wipe downs.
-In addition I recommend using CarPro's Eraser in place of regular alcohol. It's easier to use, smells pleasant and has been specially formulated to break down AND remove polishing oil and residue from the surface.
Thank you for taking the time to read through and I hope these couple tips help you in your paint correction and polishing process. Let me know if you have any questions!
All the best,
Tim
Adonis Detail, San Diego
Over the past several years from trial and error, research and talking with fellow detailers I have compiled a few polishing tricks that I have found to help create a better end product. Because I've learned so much over the past several years from the detailing community I thought it would be a good idea to share some of those tips with you. Although I can't promise it will be ground breaking, or even new information but rather what I have found to work best for myself.
Polishing Prep is one of the MOST important steps and is often overlooked by many. Its imperative that the paint surface is not only contaminant free, but that the surface has been properly prepped before starting any correction work. This means from step a-z the vehicle has been washed, clayed, trim and edges taped, paint readings taken(If Possible), and inspected via LED & Halogen lighting. Skip Claying and you will start noticing pigtails and deep scouring during polishing, skip stripping previous LSP and you pads will gum up and defects won't be as visible. In addition I recommend that the interior, engine bay etc. are cleaned before polishing work is completed. This also means door jams are cleaned as well so that you don't have any chance of cross-contaminating paint surfaces down the road.
Test Section:
As stated many times before do a test section to nail down your combination. I normally will do two, on the bottom driver side bumper area, and one on the driver side passenger door. Any location is fine really, but I typically like picking areas that have the highest concentration of marring. In addition paint reacts differently on metal panels vs. plastic, fiberglass etc. which is why I do two test spots. Not necessary but I have found it to be helpful in knowing the combinations of each.
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/timcoats001/photo.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/timcoats001/photo.jpg.html)
Compounding:
-Clean your pad out with every section! I can't stress this point enough especially during heavy compounding stages. You are picking up old CC, Polish and whatever else you are cutting from the surface in that pad. Using clean pads will help to reduce micro marring and pigtails. Compressed air, pad brush or even a microfiber towel or cloth works great.
Here's an example of the finish from buffer with most likely a dirty/clogged pad. Notice all the micromarring?
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/LP-560-4%20CQuartz%20Finest/IMG_8170.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/LP-560-4%20CQuartz%20Finest/IMG_8170.jpg.html)
-To extend the cut and work time of a compound use distilled water! SHHH this has been a little trick amongst the "Elite" crew of detailers. To increase the cut and extend the work time of a given section use a couple sprays of distilled water on your pad and enjoy the little extra boost!
-Depending on what machine you are using, SLOWER is BETTER. That means slow down your arm movements! And also reduce the speed of the polisher to around 4.5-5. NEVER go to speed 6 unless you want extra work during the polishing stages.
-Continuously inspect your results, if your starting to notice more micro marring and less cut after a while it might be time to switch out to a new pad. In addition you want to ensure that you are getting a consistent level of correction throughout the vehicle. I use a LED Husky Light that can be bought at Home Depot for around $90 that works great for following me around the car during compounding.
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/e92%20M3%20Correction/IMG_7931.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/e92%20M3%20Correction/IMG_7931.jpg.html)
-MF Towels, I typically go through about 10 per compounding stage per car. My preference is to use fresh towels as I have found that they will eventually get filled with polish and have the potential to smear and or Marr the finish.
Polishing:
-Once again speed and arm movements are key here. During polishing you really want to focus on using very light pressure but in giving the polish enough time to work and "break down" on the surface. I like to work in roughly a 2'x2' section on speed 4-5 on my Rupes, using very slow and deliberate arm movements. Really you can get close to a 90%+ correction if proper techniques are used in compounding and in this polishing stage. One of the biggest problems I have seen with most people is they 'rush' the polish with too fast of arm movements and too big of a surface area. Not giving the polish enough time to work and break down to properly polish the surface.
-Im a big fan of the Menzerna line for my polishing steps typically 203s and 106FA are my go-to polishes but sometimes use 205 as well. With the Menzerna line a little trick I have found is to properly prime the pad before using. You want as much of that pad surface in contact with the abrasives in the polish, then after it has been primed it only takes a few dabs to continue with each panel.
-Once again, clean out those pads!!
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/timcoats006/IMG_7803.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/timcoats006/IMG_7803.jpg.html)
IPA Wipe down/LSP Prep:
-During polishing its important to find a balance between time and quality. You don't want to spend an extra 10 hours on a car when you don't have to but it's also important to deliver the best product for the job. So for me I have found that when wiping off residue after each section pass during polishing that I take an extra 5-10 sec to get the majority of the oils and residue off the surface. This makes the prep for LSP much quicker. For the most case I usually always wash the vehicle with a Citrus soap or Dawn before I apply LSP. This does two things, One is it removes any oils or residue from the paint surface and two, it gets all the darn polish dust out of the cracks, crevices and off the car!
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s58/timcoats/LP-560-4%20CQuartz%20Finest/IMG_8240.jpg (http://s149.photobucket.com/user/timcoats/media/LP-560-4%20CQuartz%20Finest/IMG_8240.jpg.html)
-Towel choice is key for IPA wipe downs. I use a plush Korean/ silk lined MF towel that I have found to not Marr the surface and to not be fairly grabby, two issues during IPA wipe downs.
-In addition I recommend using CarPro's Eraser in place of regular alcohol. It's easier to use, smells pleasant and has been specially formulated to break down AND remove polishing oil and residue from the surface.
Thank you for taking the time to read through and I hope these couple tips help you in your paint correction and polishing process. Let me know if you have any questions!
All the best,
Tim
Adonis Detail, San Diego