Pictures & Comments from September 2012 Detailing Boot Camp

[Mike Phillips]

I am not the most eloquent writer but I do like to give credit where credit is due.

I have attended a lot of training over the years between college and on the job training for my career (Law Enforcement). In that time I have heard many people talk about subjects they were no doubt very skilled in. Very few of those people were able to engage and challenge the students in the class the way Mike Phillips challenged us this weekend.

Mike is extremely knowledgeable about detailing and is eager to share this knowledge with others. Mike is able demonstrate the proper techniques and give scientific reasons for the products and how they are intended to perform.

Thanks for the kind words Damon and you do fine with your writing!

Here's that shot of you by the 1940 Ford you helped to take from a diamond in the rough to a glistening gemstone...

It is unbelievable how knowledgeable Nick is with the products Autogeek carries and their corresponding prices. This goes to show you how high the bar is set for the staff at Autogeek.

Nick is the man!

If you have not taken the Detailing Boot Camp, or are considering taking it, I encourage/challenge you to take this class.

Mike and Nick thank you for all that you do. You are both salt of the earth people and I enjoyed the experience.

Again, thank you for the kind words and thank you for attending the class!

[Bodedetailing]

Just this past weekend Mike Phillips held a detailing boot camp. I have been detailing cars for the past 4-5 years now, and had no idea what to expect. I do not have money to just throw around, and when i saw $600 for this class, my initial reaction was, "too much money for me". Now that i have gone through the class i would recommend participating in Mikes Phillips Boot Camp for a variety of reasons.

1.) Great hands on experience with some of the top rated tools in our business.
2.) very useful small tips that improves efficiency and effectiveness.
3.) hands on experience with top rated products (Gtechniq Exo)
4.) A good all around time with car enthusiasts such as myself

Overall i was very satisfied with my experience and now with the $200 gift certificate i have received upon completion of the class i am going to have some fun purchasing some new products on Autogeek.net!

Thank you

Mike Phillips, Nick Rutter, and the rest of the Autogeek Crew.

[Mike Phillips]

Just this past weekend Mike Phillips held a detailing boot camp. I have been detailing cars for the past 4-5 years now, and had no idea what to expect. I do not have money to just throw around, and when i saw $600 for this class, my initial reaction was, "too much money for me". Now that i have gone through the class i would recommend participating in Mikes Phillips Boot Camp for a variety of reasons.

1.) Great hands on experience with some of the top rated tools in our business.
2.) very useful small tips that improves efficiency and effectiveness.
3.) hands on experience with top rated products (Gtechniq Exo)
4.) A good all around time with car enthusiasts such as myself

Overall i was very satisfied with my experience and now with the $200 gift certificate i have received upon completion of the class i am going to have some fun purchasing some new products on Autogeek.net!

Thank you

Mike Phillips, Nick Rutter, and the rest of the Autogeek Crew.

Gee thanks Chris! It was a pleasure having you attend our classes and you kept me on my toes always asking really good questions...

Here's Chris by the 1940 Ford Coupe Hotrod that he helped to create a true show car finish on...






Here's the two articles I spoke with you about from my list of articles on starting a detailing business...

Brand Yourself, Brand your Forum Nickname and Brand your Business Name

How to choose a name for your detailing business



More pictures of the 1966 Corvette coming next...

[Mike Phillips]

I brought in a classic 1966 Corvette for all my students to practice using a rotary buffer with a wool pad and M105 Ultra Cut Compound. This Corvette was trashed with deep swirls and scratches throughout the finish.


The Corvette is just a mess, here's what ti looks like in full overhead sun...




Here's what the paint looks like when lit up with the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light...




Curvy Body Panels
The mix of flat panes and lots of curves make it a great car to learn how to hold and guide the rotary buffer when compounding.

First up we learned how to tape-off a classic car including covering and protecting the convertible top.










Adam
First up is my friend Adam who is a beginning detailer that attends a lot of my Thursday Night Clinics helping out with all the cool cars we work on. In this shot I'm teaching him how to pick up his bead of product using the 10 @ 10 Technique and then buffing out a flat panel.







More to come...

[Mike Phillips]

Lester's turn to practice using a rotary buffer...

First I show him how to pick up his bead of product using the 10 @ 10 Technique so he looks like a Pro and doesn't throw splatter everywhere...




I've placed some extra product into the curve so it's well lubricated and there's plenty of abrasives to enable Lester to cut out the swirls and scratches...



For the rest of the students, I point to the opposite side to show the area Lester is cutting...






Edging
Now he's up on edge to cut the edge and remove the swirls and scratches right up to the tape-line...



Edging...



Majoring on the Majors
After tackling all the edges now he's majoring on the major panels and removing the swirls and then he'll make a few "Cover Passes" to tie it all together for a uniform appearance without the original swirls and scratches.




Greg's Turn...
First I'm going to show Greg how to pick up a bead of product using the 10 @ 10 Technique...



After he picks up his bead he instantly holds the pad flat to the surface to start cutting out the original swirls and scratches...




Here I'm placing some fresh product into the curved section of the spear to provide lubrication and abrasives. I actually take my finger and spread this out a little bit to lubricate and protect the paint.



Now Greg brings the wool pad into the curved body line to carefully cut out the swirls and scratches....




Here's Greg edging...




Here's Greg going up on edge to cut a thin section between the corner of where the hood meets the body and the edge of the body line where the hideaway headlights are located.




Here I'm guiding Greg to show him the angle to hold the pad to cut the paint next to the headlight edge...




And after cutting all the edges now he ties it all together by holding the pad as flat as possible to major on the major portions of this body section.

[g26er]

Looks like fun!!

Mike, do you go this much into detail on the rotary in all the boot camps or was this one more rotary oriented?

[Mike Phillips]

Looks like fun!!

Mike, do you go this much into detail on the rotary in all the boot camps or was this one more rotary oriented?

This is the new norm...

In the past it was mostly on rental cars, paint panels or during a "real" wetsanding project. But now it's the new norm.

[Mike Phillips]

Next up, Erik uses the Flex PE14 to remove swirls and scratches off the deck lid...


First we pick up the bead of product so we don't sling it everywhere...



Here's Erik working the edges of the curves first...



Removing swirls and scratches around the taped-off gas filler cap...



Freestyling! Knocking out the major portion of the panel after first taking care of the more complicated edges and curves. Erik was a natural with the rotary buffer.

[kb67]

Looks like fun!!

Mike, do you go this much into detail on the rotary in all the boot camps or was this one more rotary oriented?

Mike made sure to get everyone on a rotary and a DA so we had a chance to really work with them and see what suited us best and how each one worked. He and Nick were really hustling around to keep everything rolling along smoothly. I learned alot and it makes things much more clear to you by doing it and getting advice on what you're doing right and what you need to work on versus just to keep fighting to get better results.

The class was great and Mike and Nick really worked hard to get everybody the most out of the class they could you guys rock

[Mike Phillips]

Craig's turn at cleaning up the paint on this classic 1966 Corvette....


First is learning how to pick up a bead using the 10 @ 10 Technique...



While Craig gets of feel for how a wool pad feels spinning against the flat panel I'm laying down a thin bead of product next to the curve or the raised body line because next he's going to bring the pad in their and cut the swirls and scratches out of the curved area without buffing on top of the raised portion...



First pick up the bead in the curved portion...



Now it's time to go up on edge and do some gentle cutting...




Freestyling and buffing like a pro!