Can You Create A Hologram By Hand ?

[wiscTom]

Is it possible to create a hologram by hand polishing ?

I just bought this black car (used) and up until last Saturday never noticed a hologram on my passenger door. I’ve been using a number of products over my last two months of ownership (DG111, S100, AW, Reflections Spray, and a couple of QDs), and I don’t know if I caused this or it’s been there all the time ?

I was at a picnic and the car looked great as I constantly kept an eye on it as kids were tossing baseballs and footballs too close for my comfort (my wife thinks I’m nuts). Sometime during the afternoon, when the sun was apparently just at the right angle, I see this huge mar on the passenger door and went to investigate, believing it was just a shadow, and witness my first hologram.

Is this something I could have created with my lousy application and removal of some of these products or is it more likely that it’s been there all the time and I’ve never noticed ?

Is a polisher the only way to remove or can I remove this by hand ?

What is a Hologram or what makes it look like something under the polish ?

Thanks in advance for any advice … Tom

[bambo2888]

yes, definitely. In fact, via hand is one of the most common ways. The number one reason, however, is machine application and not letting the polish break down by working it in long enough.

if it is in fact a hologram, it will appear to be in the same line/pattern that was using in polishing and actually change shades and become visible and invisible at different angles of sunlight.

good luck, but i would suggest finding a porter cable and polish it the correct way.

[GearHead_1]

I agree with the previous response. Though it is possible to correct some defects by hand, in most cases it simply isn't practical. Machines make life easy. :p

[wiscTom]

Thanks for the quick replies. So the cause is probably related to my not applying or removing one of the products I’ve recently used correctly. This is probably the case with a couple I’ve used recently …. I know I goofed with the AW (applied way too much) and I guess I was expecting the Reflections spray to actually be a spray.

I’ve been on the fence regarding the purchase and use of a PC. Guess I’m a little nervous about going after my car with some powered machine. I find myself a little tired out now after I spend 3 to 4 hours washing and waxing (not as young as I use to be J), and I guess I’m seeing this PC routine as even more of a chore. Help convince me that I’m wrong and that even though I’m not planning on entering my car into any shows, I’ll never regret getting one J

Tom

[Thejoyofdriving]

Well, i can tell you that you can never achive the same results by hand that you can achive with a powered machine. Now, depending on how much money you want to spend, you can get diffrent brands of machines., some are better than others. I would recomend getting some sort of Dual action (random orbital). random orbitals are the safest of the machines, the most dangerous is the circular polisher, because it can heat up the paint to the point that it burns it. A random orbital avoids this by mimicing the motion of your hand. Basicly the pad on the random orbital does the same motion that you do by hand, except 100x faster. now, there is a risk involved with using any type of machine, and that is droping it on the paint, its never happened to me, but its not that hard to do. you never know, you might be lifting the machine off the paint and oopps, it slipped. Now there is more to gain than lose with a random orbital. Once you use a machine you will never go back. if you really want to remove those swirls, and keep your car looking at its best, the only practical way is with a machine. now, if you are looking at spending around 150$, the UDM (ultimate detailing machine) is your best bet. Over 200$, and there are other random orbitals that are better, by better i mean less noise, more power, and for me the most important, less vibration. i think every one here will strongly recomend that you get a random orbital. Please feel free to ask more questions, the more you ask the more you will know. hope this helps :)

[wiscTom]

Thanks Thejoyofdriving,

I’ve been following the UDM reviews vs the PC and maybe I’ll pull the trigger down the road. I just placed my first AG order last Friday and I’ll need to wait a little while before my next purchase (I needed all the basics so it added up pretty fast). Also ordered some ClearKote Vanilla Moose Glaze and wax.

Not to sound too stupid, but is the polisher just something I’d use after I wash my car in the street by running an extension cord out to the car … or is this something I would do in the garage ?

I know I have to do something about the lighting in my garage. I have a dual halogen tripod that I’ve been moving around, but I’m always telling myself after doing anything that I should have just pulled the car out on the street.

Tom