Boat detailing with the FLEX 3401 and Purple Foamed Wool Pads?

[Mike Phillips]

Boat detailing with the FLEX 3401 and Purple Foamed Wool Pads?



Anytime I get questions via e-mail, a PM or a FB message I prefer to invest my typing time where

A: It's easier for me to share links, pictures and videos.

B: More people can read and thus benefit from the information. (no just one set of eyeballs)


The reality is, most people that contact me found me via an article I've written or a reply I've written on this forum. The thing is, instead of figuring out that the whole reason they are contacting me is because they found me via an article or answer I wrote on the forum that they to should bring their question to the forum because not only will that help them.... but it will help a future "them". If I answer everything in a private e-mail or other touch point, no one would find and contact me. It's a cycle or pattern that repeats as long as everything is shared in the public domain.

The above is kind of wordy but re-read it slowly and it will make sense.


So I get an e-mail asking,

Hey Mike,

Running short on time.

About to work on my brothers boat next week and have a flex 3401 and LC Purple Foamed Wool pads that I bought a while back.

The pads are 5.5x1 and I am wondering if I need some form of foam interface to use with these?

I plan on using an all in one and if that doesn't give the results I am going to bump it up to a cutting compound and follow the usual steps. Never used these pads before and relatively new to the flex.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!



-Andrew

Great questions Andrew


Here's the dealio.... ANY fiber pads will give ANY tool more cutting ability than any foam pad. The reasons why is because,

Fibers are forms of abrasives


That said, the Purple Foamed Wool pads or PFWs are very non-aggressive fiber pads as compared to any traditional wool cutting pad like you would use on a traditional rotary buffer.

You didn't say the condition of the boat?


I hate to make assumptions but here goes.... I'll assume the boat is a gel-coat finish and the gel-coat has oxidized.

So if the above is correct, then let me re-phrase the question,

Will the PFWs and a one-step cleaner/wax work with the FLEX 3401 to remove oxidation off a gel-coat boat?


The answer is,

As long as the oxidation is not deep or severe.


Because gel-coat, which is a polyester resin with pigment, is porous, the oxidation isn't just on the surface it goes INTO the gel-coat. Thus to CORRECTLY correct or remove the oxidation you must chase the oxidation into the boat until you reach a virgin base of gel-coat without oxidation. The after grinding down past the oxidation and reaching a virgin base you then polish out to maximize gloss and clarity and then seal the gel-coat.

You can try a one-step cleaner/wax or as you call it an

all in one

Which is the EXACT SAME THING as a cleaner/wax. We just had this discussion here) and here). And it might work. It all depends upon how deep and severe the oxidation is and how aggressive the cleaner/wax is.

Since you didn't state the brand of cleaner/wax I can't comment. So the only way you'll know or find out is to do some testing.


As for the PFWs and an interface pad. I know for a fact an interface pad will make the "buffing experience" to you, your arms, muscles and bones a lot smoother because the "foam" core will provide cushion. Otherwise you have a fairly flat pad attaching to a hard and flat backing plate and this won't be very smooth, especially when buffing for hours.

This type of work, (buffing with a FLEX 3401 and Purple Foamed Wool Pads), for hours is also going to generate a TON of heat to the backing plate and the backing of the pad. My experience is you'll blow up a backing plate at some point through the buff-out and possibly/probably destroy a pad. This kind of goes with the territory or the nature of the beast, that is, what you're trying to do is naturally going to be HARD on the tools and pads. It's not the tools or pads fault that buffing out oxidized gel-coat boats for hours is hard.

But to your question, "yes" an foam interface pad between the backing plate of a FLEX 3401 and a PFW will make buffing smoother and this will make buffing easier. You will also more than likely destroy the interface pad.



For the record

I have destroyed backing plates, pads and interface pads on the FLEX 3401 doing this type of HARD BUFFING - so I know that which I speak of.



If you can e-mail me a picture of the boat hull or join this forum and attach a picture, I will have a better idea as to the severity or lack of severity of the oxidation of your brother's boat.


For severely oxidized boats, the gooder approach is to cut the oxidation with a NORMAL wool pad on a traditional rotary buffer with a quality compound and then re-buff the boat with your FLEX 3401 and a foam cutting pad to remove the holograms scratches the fibers from the wool pad on a rotary buffer WILL inflict.


I just taught a class on how to do all this and take two boats in absolutely HORRIBLE condition and make them look brand spanking new again.


Pictures: 2018 Boat Detailing Class at Autogeek with Mike Phillips







I'll send you the link to this answer in my reply back to your e-mail.

[Mike Phillips]

And.....

For ANYONE reading this into the future that can see the benefit to being able to get

• Links
• Pictures
• Videos
• Formatted text (easier for the eyes to read and track)

Then here's the link to join the forum,


Click here to join the AutogeekOnline Detailing Discussion Forum

• It's free.
  
• It's easy (if you can read and type)
• It's the most powerful tool in your detailing arsenal --> this forum

Otherwise, sure send me your questions via email or FB and I'll bring them here to the forum for you and then send you the link to my answers.

[Mike Phillips]

***Update***


Andrew, the brother of the boat owner, sent me a few pictures....


Looks great in this first picture!





Now here's the REAL condition of the gel-coat... and this looks BAD!





The stained white gel-coat should buff out fairly easy with a good compound or aggressive cleaner/wax....






This "stepped" design and massive real-estate AND it looks like picture 2 above all equals a LOT OF WORK.





Thanks for the pictures, this helps a lot...

[Mike Phillips]

Back to this picture...







This oxidation looks severe to me, by the word severe I mean this is not just topical oxidation this is deep oxidation. I would suggest "trying" to buff it out with your FLEX 3401 and the PFWs pads you have and a really aggressive compound or one-step cleaner/wax.

Make a tape-line like I did for the 28' Rinker in the pictures below and see what you can do. My guess is while you might bring back some surface shine, in order to get the gel-coat to look factory new again you're going to have to do some wet-sanding and then use a rotary buffer to remove your sanding marks.


From this thread, which is also like a how-to article for removing deep oxidation...


Pictures: 2018 Boat Detailing Class at Autogeek with Mike Phillips










Here's the results from my Test Spot on the 28' Rinker


Before

Note the ghosting effect caused by the vinyl graphics. In my experience, you cannot remove the ghosting effect 100% but you can get it good enough that you don't see it without these high powered lights I'm using to light up the side of the hull.









After

The ghosting is removed about 95% and this is after 4 separate sanding steps.









The above process is really an advanced technique. It's what I teach in my boat detailing class. My boat detailing book covers how to do it too...


First thing to do is some testing with what you already have.

"You don't know what you can do until you try"


If what you have isn't getting the job done to your satisfaction then you and your brother need to take inventory of whether or not tackling this type of project is worth it to you or not. Then let me know.