Vinyl graphics and polishing

**JFire72** · 08-09-2018, 07:54 PM

Hope this is the right are to post this. Also did a search before hand, and there was one thread covering vinyl, but it didn't address what I am asking here.

I have never detailed a car/truck that has had overlays like this before.

My question is do I skip the vinyl with the orbital, and do sections of it by hand? By sections I mean, I've got words like Hemi on the hood, and Daytona on the rear that are paint. The vinyl is cut to make the words, so I am guessing doing that part by hand would cause less stress on those parts?

I'm also guessing here, not to use the orbital, which is a Porter, on the vinyl. And one last question, I'm using Wolfgang Paint Sealant, is it ok on the vinyl? My guess here is yes. Just FYI, I apply the sealant by hand, no machine with that step.

I also have a vinyl wrapped roof and half of the trunk, with 392 graphics on the front fender.

I am going to be starting on this tomorrow morning, and thought it would be a good idea to ask now, before finding out there was a better way.

Here are some pictures and a couple of close up's of the cutouts and stuff I am talking about.

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**sinister84** · 08-09-2018, 08:31 PM

Just a word of caution. That appears to be matte finish. Personally I'd avoid polish or wax on matte vinyl. Abrasives can damage vinyl overlays and wax may give an unwanted finish, avoid the vinyl. I'd suggest taping the edges of the vinyl before polishing and yes, hand polish in the letters.

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**Coleroad** · 08-09-2018, 08:33 PM

If they are matte, like said above no, no.

**JFire72** · 08-09-2018, 08:52 PM

I knew I forgot to mention something in the post. Yep, they are a matte finish, good looking out guys!

Is here anything that would work like a sealant to avoid water spots and such on it?

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**osiapstndp** · 08-09-2018, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by JFire72

My question is do I skip the vinyl with the orbital, and do sections of it by hand? By sections I mean, I've got words like Hemi on the hood, and Daytona on the rear that are paint. The vinyl is cut to make the words, so I am guessing doing that part by hand would cause less stress on those parts?

I'm also guessing here, not to use the orbital, which is a Porter, on the vinyl. And one last question, I'm using Wolfgang Paint Sealant, is it ok on the vinyl? My guess here is yes. Just FYI, I apply the sealant by hand, no machine with that step.

I also have a vinyl wrapped roof and half of the trunk, with 392 graphics on the front fender.

I am going to be starting on this tomorrow morning, and thought it would be a good idea to ask now, before finding out there was a better way.

I've worked on tons of Mopars with matte decals. What works for me is taping around the edges of the vinyl and then using a one-inch cutting pad to remove defects by hand. You can polish in the same way.

It's important that compound or polish does not make contact with the vinyl. Apply two layers of tape if you're worried about residue making its way through the tape. If this is your personal vehicle the areas that spell "Hemi" and "Daytona" aren't hazy and scratched to pieces then you may be able to skip using abrasives on them for now.

I put the pads on this backing plate.
FLEX 1 Inch Rotary Backing Plate

And I use these pads.
1 Inch FLEX PE8 Heavy Orange Rotary Foam Pad
1 Inch FLEX PE8 Medium Green Rotary Foam Pad
1 Inch FLEX PE8 Soft Black Rotary Foam Pad

The pads get "smushed" when you apply pressure to them so you have to be careful to watch how much surface area you're covering.

I use these on my Flex PE8 already so I figured I could use the pads by hand on super tight areas and turns out it works well.

The sealant on the matte decals may not be a good idea if you want them to stay how they looked from the factory. You can protect them with all sorts of stuff, including various ceramic coatings. On my Scat Pack and customers' Mopars I've had excellent results with Mckee's Matte Cleaner and Protectant and a ton of other spray-on protection products. I've also used CQuartz, Crystal Serum Light and Mckee's paint coating on matte vinyl and it always turns out great.

**JFire72** · 08-10-2018, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by osiapstndp

I've worked on tons of Mopars with matte decals. What works for me is taping around the edges of the vinyl and then using a one-inch cutting pad to remove defects by hand. You can polish in the same way.

It's important that compound or polish does not make contact with the vinyl. Apply two layers of tape if you're worried about residue making its way through the tape. If this is your personal vehicle the areas that spell "Hemi" and "Daytona" aren't hazy and scratched to pieces then you may be able to skip using abrasives on them for now.

I put the pads on this backing plate.
FLEX 1 Inch Rotary Backing Plate

And I use these pads.
1 Inch FLEX PE8 Heavy Orange Rotary Foam Pad
1 Inch FLEX PE8 Medium Green Rotary Foam Pad
1 Inch FLEX PE8 Soft Black Rotary Foam Pad

The pads get "smushed" when you apply pressure to them so you have to be careful to watch how much surface area you're covering.

I use these on my Flex PE8 already so I figured I could use the pads by hand on super tight areas and turns out it works well.

The sealant on the matte decals may not be a good idea if you want them to stay how they looked from the factory. You can protect them with all sorts of stuff, including various ceramic coatings. On my Scat Pack and customers' Mopars I've had excellent results with Mckee's Matte Cleaner and Protectant and a ton of other spray-on protection products. I've also used CQuartz, Crystal Serum Light and Mckee's paint coating on matte vinyl and it always turns out great.

So I am done with it, except for a second coat of the sealant tomorrow. It went well, although because I didn't have tape or 1" pads, I had to be careful around the graphics.

So I have a couple of things to add to my list for the next time. Question about the 1" backing plate and pads, is it still ok to use with a bigger orbital like my Porter Cable? I like the idea of that, then I can get in some if the weird nooks and crannies this car has, especially around the vinyl.

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**JustJesus** · 08-10-2018, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by osiapstndp

The pads get "smushed" when you apply pressure to them so you have to be careful to watch how much surface area you're covering.

I use these on my Flex PE8

Good point on those. And to further add, once "smushed" the diameter increases a bit.

Good little pads

**JFire72** · 08-10-2018, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by JustJesus

Good point on those. And to further add, once "smushed" the diameter increases a bit.

Good little pads

Are these pads universal with all polishers assuming you get the backing plate? I would like to get some for my PC, mainly for the crazy curves I've got in places. Also thinking it would work good on my hood where it says "Hemi".

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**osiapstndp** · 08-10-2018, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by JFire72

Are these pads universal with all polishers assuming you get the backing plate? I would like to get some for my PC, mainly for the crazy curves I've got in places. Also thinking it would work good on my hood where it says "Hemi".

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The pads are one inch in diameter and won't fit a Porter Cable. You can use them with a rotary and a one-inch backing plate or I suppose the Rupes iBrid with its smallest backing plate, but I don't have an iBrid to test that thought.

I tackle very small areas like what you describe by hand with the foam pads. Sometimes I'll use a microfiber towel wrapped around my finger to cut away defects and then I'll use one of the one-inch Flex pads to remove the scratch pattern installed by the microfiber towel.

**JFire72** · 08-10-2018, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by osiapstndp

The pads are one inch in diameter and won't fit a Porter Cable. You can use them with a rotary and a one-inch backing plate or I suppose the Rupes iBrid with its smallest backing plate, but I don't have an iBrid to test that thought.

I tackle very small areas like what you describe by hand with the foam pads. Sometimes I'll use a microfiber towel wrapped around my finger to cut away defects and then I'll use one of the one-inch Flex pads to remove the scratch pattern installed by the microfiber towel.

Ok, thanks for the info!

I do the same with with a microfiber to get in the areas I can't get into with the polisher. So for now, I'll continue using what I have till I upgrade the Porter.

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