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Mike Phillips
10-15-2015, 10:51 AM
Here's what I used...

Blackfire Clay Cleaner and Extender (http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-clay-cleaner.html)


:xyxthumbs:

Joe@NextLevelDetail
10-15-2015, 06:57 PM
Basecoat/clearcoat.

This Corvette actually has a different paint on it from different stages of it's life but all of it is basecoat/clearcoat.

I met the owner at our local Tuesday night car show. He watched me demonstrate how to use detailing clay and asked me to look at his Corvette. He told me the paint felt rough and that he had tried clay but to no avail.

I felt the paint and then showed him the baggie test but the baggie test wasn't needed as the paint felt like #40 grit sandpaper. The problem was years of contamination and overspray paint from multiple paint jobs.

Somewhere I have an article that explains the MOST common place to get overspray paint on a car is at a body shop. They are always spraying paint and not always inside the paint booth so it's pretty easy to get air-borne overspray paint on your car while it's at a body shop. In fact real common.




Knocked it out by myself. I'd say about 95 percent correction.





Flex 3401

I used all the same techniques I teach in my 3-day Competition Ready Training Academy classes. Next class in in January.

Compound = BLACKFIRE SRC Compound with LC 6.5" Orange Hybrid Cutting Pad
Polish = BLACKFIRE SRC Finishing Polish with LC 6.5" White Hybrid Polishing Pad
Wax = BLACKFIRE All Paint Protection machine applied using LC 6.5" Red Hybrid Waxing Pad






Thank you. Appreciate the compliment and this was a fun project.

The night before I knocked out this old car, did it in 5.5 hours too... I don't take breaks when I detail except for a drink of water.

3D HD Adapt and Poxy Review - 1940 Packard Streetrod detailed by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/94683-3d-hd-adapt-poxy-review-1940-packard-streetrod-detailed-mike-phillips.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=99323

:xyxthumbs:

Breath taking results mike for 5.5 hours jeez you are an amazing talent/artist.

Mike I have a 3401 with a 4 inch plate for 5 inch pads.

I find that this plate and pad setup isn't as efficient at correcting paint , do you feel this way too?

When I use the 6.5 inch pads I feel the machine works better and corrects way better at a rapid rate.

Do you feel this way too ?

I still use the smaller plate for tight areas , however I still prefer the 6.5 inch pads on the Flex, as you are the godfather of the machine 😎

Mike Phillips
10-16-2015, 09:41 AM
Breath taking results mike for 5.5 hours jeez you are an amazing talent/artist.



Thank you for the kind words...






Mike I have a 3401 with a 4 inch plate for 5 inch pads.

I find that this plate and pad setup isn't as efficient at correcting paint , do you feel this way too?



No. If fact just the opposite. I find the Flex 3401 with the 5" pads are perfect for buffing thin panels. NOTE: When I talk about 5" pads for the Flex 3401 I'm talking about the Lake Country 5" Hybrid Pads. Your mileage may vary with other pads.

And when I'm talking about doing correction work with the Lake Country 5" Hybrid pads I'm talking about the orange foam cutting pads. If I need something more aggressive than the orange Hybrid foam pads (either 5" or 6.5") then I break out the rotary buffer and a wool pad.

One thing I practice and teach others is to not buff on top of raised body lines or edges. For thin panels a 5" pad comes in handy.

In fact in my how-to book for the Flex 3401, in my ACR classes and the class I teach at Mobile Tech each year I strongly recommend the 4" backing plate and the 5" Hybrid pads.





When I use the 6.5 inch pads I feel the machine works better and corrects way better at a rapid rate.

Do you feel this way too ?



Yes. Sometimes bigger is better and this would be true when you're working larger, flatter panels.

In my how-to book for the Flex 3401 I explain the "walking characteristic" of the Flex 3401 and explain that it's diminished when you use smaller pads. This can be a benefit to people "new" to machine polishing or to people that simply don't like the walking characteristic.

Truth is anytime you feel the Flex 3401 "walking" it's a sign or feedback to you that you're not holding the pad flat.






I still use the smaller plate for tight areas , however I still prefer the 6.5 inch pads on the Flex, as you are the godfather of the machine ��




Agree. When the larger pad is the best pad for the panel it's definitely the way to go as you can knock the work out faster. Sometimes a detailing job is about quality and not speed but I would have to say that even when a job is about quality speed is always a factor because none of us can simply lollygag around when buffing out a car.

For myself I always have more to do than time to do it so I push myself hard and work fast. I don't always aim for 100 percent correction. In fact for most cars I'm good with 90% correction and everything else I get is just extra.


Pad size and type can be personal preference but a good rule of thumb is to match the pad size to the panel or area being buffed.

:)

Joe@NextLevelDetail
10-16-2015, 10:24 AM
Thank you for the kind words...





No. If fact just the opposite. I find the Flex 3401 with the 5" pads are perfect for buffing thin panels. NOTE: When I talk about 5" pads for the Flex 3401 I'm talking about the Lake Country 5" Hybrid Pads. Your mileage may vary with other pads.

And when I'm talking about doing correction work with the Lake Country 5" Hybrid pads I'm talking about the orange foam cutting pads. If I need something more aggressive than the orange Hybrid foam pads (either 5" or 6.5") then I break out the rotary buffer and a wool pad.

One thing I practice and teach others is to not buff on top of raised body lines or edges. For thin panels a 5" pad comes in handy.

In fact in my how-to book for the Flex 3401, in my ACR classes and the class I teach at Mobile Tech each year I strongly recommend the 4" backing plate and the 5" Hybrid pads.




Yes. Sometimes bigger is better and this would be true when you're working larger, flatter panels.

In my how-to book for the Flex 3401 I explain the "walking characteristic" of the Flex 3401 and explain that it's diminished when you use smaller pads. This can be a benefit to people "new" to machine polishing or to people that simply don't like the walking characteristic.

Truth is anytime you feel the Flex 3401 "walking" it's a sign or feedback to you that you're not holding the pad flat.






Agree. When the larger pad is the best pad for the panel it's definitely the way to go as you can knock the work out faster. Sometimes a detailing job is about quality and not speed but I would have to say that even when a job is about quality speed is always a factor because none of us can simply lollygag around when buffing out a car.

For myself I always have more to do than time to do it so I push myself hard and work fast. I don't always aim for 100 percent correction. In fact for most cars I'm good with 90% correction and everything else I get is just extra.


Pad size and type can be personal preference but a good rule of thumb is to match the pad size to the panel or area being buffed.

:)

Killer info mike thanks for the tips.

I got my flex 2 months ago. I do not have any hybrid pads, I have the entire Boss System, and the majority of the time I use that, and on areas with a lot of curves and contours, I use my flex.

There a great team and duo to have. What one lacks in one area the other thrives at.

I have to order me some hybrid pads.

Thanks again Mike.

The Scratch And Swirl assassin 🔫

MMcIntire
10-16-2015, 11:46 AM
Awesome work Mike.

I recently picked up this clay mitt for my daily and used it for the first time last weekend. Would highly recommend it. Saves a ton of time versus a traditional clay bar and the results were great.

haris300
10-16-2015, 12:37 PM
Wow that thing was an absolute mess of holograms and swirls. Glad to see you brought it back to the condition it deserves to be in.

Mike Phillips
10-16-2015, 04:17 PM
Awesome work Mike.

I recently picked up this clay mitt for my daily and used it for the first time last weekend. Would highly recommend it. Saves a ton of time versus a traditional clay bar and the results were great.




It's a time saver, a step saver and it does a more effective job than clay.






Wow that thing was an absolute mess of holograms and swirls. Glad to see you brought it back to the condition it deserves to be in.




Just a lot of hard, fast work.


:xyxthumbs:

Mike Phillips
10-16-2015, 04:19 PM
I sent the link to this thread to the Rich, the owner of the car.

Here's what he wrote back...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mike,

Thanks so much for this work.

It has truly changed the character of the car for me. It has always been "Just an old car" but is now is a real show car.

Rich Gilbert

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Thanks Rich and thank you for trusting Autogeek with your killer Corvette!


:dblthumb2:

allinthedetails
10-16-2015, 04:31 PM
Basecoat/clearcoat.

This Corvette actually has a different paint on it from different stages of it's life but all of it is basecoat/clearcoat.

I met the owner at our local Tuesday night car show. He watched me demonstrate how to use detailing clay and asked me to look at his Corvette. He told me the paint felt rough and that he had tried clay but to no avail.

I felt the paint and then showed him the baggie test but the baggie test wasn't needed as the paint felt like #40 grit sandpaper. The problem was years of contamination and overspray paint from multiple paint jobs.

Somewhere I have an article that explains the MOST common place to get overspray paint on a car is at a body shop. They are always spraying paint and not always inside the paint booth so it's pretty easy to get air-borne overspray paint on your car while it's at a body shop. In fact real common.




Knocked it out by myself. I'd say about 95 percent correction.





Flex 3401

I used all the same techniques I teach in my 3-day Competition Ready Training Academy classes. Next class in in January.

Compound = BLACKFIRE SRC Compound with LC 6.5" Orange Hybrid Cutting Pad
Polish = BLACKFIRE SRC Finishing Polish with LC 6.5" White Hybrid Polishing Pad
Wax = BLACKFIRE All Paint Protection machine applied using LC 6.5" Red Hybrid Waxing Pad






Thank you. Appreciate the compliment and this was a fun project.

The night before I knocked out this old car, did it in 5.5 hours too... I don't take breaks when I detail except for a drink of water.

3D HD Adapt and Poxy Review - 1940 Packard Streetrod detailed by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/94683-3d-hd-adapt-poxy-review-1940-packard-streetrod-detailed-mike-phillips.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=99323

:xyxthumbs:


sick!!! Excellent job, as always!:buffing:

Mike Phillips
08-03-2018, 08:41 AM
Just found out this car is up for sale. The engine is radical, big cam, etc.


Small Block Crate Blueprint 400 V8 4 Speed Manual - $28,595.00

1969 Chevrolet Corvette | Gateway Classic Cars | 600-FTL (http://www.gatewayclassiccars.com/FTL/600/1969-Chevrolet-Corvette#nav-test)


It's been 3 years since I detailed it, don't now what it looks like today.

Nice Vette though...


:)

timmy6262
08-04-2018, 06:46 AM
Any idea on how the Cobra mitt compares to the Griots mitt? My Griots is starting to show some wear and just curious if the Cobra is better or not

Sent from my PH-1 using Autogeekonline mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87407)

Mike Phillips
08-06-2018, 07:42 AM
Any idea on how the Cobra mitt compares to the Griots mitt? My Griots is starting to show some wear and just curious if the Cobra is better or not





Just a few weeks ago I was with Jeff Brown from Griot's Garage teaching our Roadshow Car Detailing Class at Griot's in Tacoma, Washington and Jeff explained that when they designed their clay mitt they added EXTRA layers of the polymerized rubber in order to create the diamond grid pattern on the working face of their mitt. The diamond grid pattern also creates channels for any particles removed off the paint to travel into and through instead of being sandwiched between the paint surface and a flat rubber surface, that makes sense.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/griots-garage-fine-surface-prep-mitt-15.jpg

So theoretically, the Griot's design would trump any flat surface design.

The price difference,


Griots Garage FINE Surface Prep Mitt (https://www.autogeek.net/griots-garage-fine-prep-mitt.html) - $49.99

Cobra Clay Mitt (https://www.autogeek.net/cobra-clay-mitt.html) - $39.99



Your budget so your choice....


Hope that helps...


:)

timmy6262
08-06-2018, 08:27 PM
Just a few weeks ago I was with Jeff Brown from Griot's Garage teaching our Roadshow Car Detailing Class at Griot's in Tacoma, Washington and Jeff explained that when they designed their clay mitt they added EXTRA layers of the polymerized rubber in order to create the diamond grid pattern on the working face of their mitt. The diamond grid pattern also creates channels for any particles removed off the paint to travel into and through instead of being sandwiched between the paint surface and a flat rubber surface, that makes sense.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/griots-garage-fine-surface-prep-mitt-15.jpg

So theoretically, the Griot's design would trump any flat surface design.

The price difference,


Griots Garage FINE Surface Prep Mitt (https://www.autogeek.net/griots-garage-fine-prep-mitt.html) - $49.99

Cobra Clay Mitt (https://www.autogeek.net/cobra-clay-mitt.html) - $39.99



Your budget so your choice....


Hope that helps...


:)It does help thanks for the input

Sent from my PH-1 using Autogeekonline mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87407)