Pictures & Comments from September 19th Detailing 102 Class

[Mike Phillips]

Pictures & Comments from September 19th Detailing 102 Class


Here's some pictures from our Advanced Detailing Class here at Autogeek's Show Car Garage.... This was the largest group of people I've ever had in a class like this and I would like to thank everyone for being so attentive and pro-active to really join in during the hands-on portions of the class.

I would also like to thank Don for being our class photographer and Robert from Impressions Detailing for lending a hand to make sure everyone was provided any technical help throughout the day plus helping to clean up after the class was over.


Without further ado...








Demonstrating correct hand-sanding techniques starting with Meguiar's Nikken #1500 Unigrit Finishing Papers



After sanding you can often times use a clean sanding backing pad to squeegee off the water slurry to then inspect your progress...





Refining the #1500 grit sanding marks by re-sanding using with Meguiar's Nikken #2000 Unigrit Finishing Papers







Before we start machine sanding we used some thin, 3M vinyl tape to cover the raised body lines on the Chevrolet Truck Hood so we'll be able to easily avoid sanding over the them. The sanding slurry created by machine tends to cover and make it hard to see raised body lines and it only takes a few seconds of sanding to burn-through high points.






Now it time for the students to sand with both #1500 and #2000 Finishing Papers

[Impressions]

Great class Mike!!

Thanks to Max for letting us have the chance to learn from the best!

There were alot more people than expected but Mike seemed all too happy to give his thoughts and expertise to all who attended.

Even if I just picked up one or two tips from the class it is still something learned and I try to learn something new every day!

Thanks again Max, Mike, Meghan and Dwayne

Thanks to all who attended for making a crowded class enjoyable

[Mike Phillips]

After hand sanding it was time to dampsand... first a demonstration sanding with #1500 Unigrit Foam Backed Discs first followed by #3000 Unigrit Foam Backed Discs... then everyone is encouraged to try their hand at machine dampsanding...


We used clean water, no soap or lubrication to dampen the paint and the sanding disc...





Set the DA Polisher on the 5.0 Speed Setting



Rapid arm speed...



Light pressure, just a little more than the weight of the machine...





Easy enough to control with one hand but you should use two hands...



Overlapping motions, criss-cross pattern...



The white residue you see on the panel is actually clear coat paint particles suspended in water, this is called your sanding slurry...



Switching over to #3000 Unigrit Foam Backed Discs...



Center the disc onto the backing plate...






Here's Tanya showing the guys how it's done...



Expert technique and profession results her first time....

[Mike Phillips]

Continued....


Here's Alfred trying out dampsanding...



Bill dampsanding...



Clay dampsanding...





Hugo dampsanding...



Don our Photographer...





Jeff damsanding...


Rick dampasanding...



Andris dampsanding with the Griot's Garage polisher...





Here's Paul dampsanding...







Josef dampsanding...





Here's Shane, our VIP doing some dampsanding...







Perfect technique...



Andris dampsanding using the G110v2







Couple small area that need to be sanded before we break out the wool pads...

[mchess1]

I really enjoyed the class Mike.

Having attended the 101 class last year on a weekend where 102 was not offered, I have been eagerly awaiting a 102 class.

My intentions in attending this class were to have a try at handling rotaries since I only use a Flex at home and to see if I could pick up any wetsanding techniques that I might use for minor repairs on my personal vehicles if needed. I don't do this for a living, it is just a hobby. (obsession??)

That said, I felt that the class more then met my expectations. Although a scheduling snafu made the class larger then Mike expected, it went well with more then ample time for me to test the machines, techniques and products that I wanted to try.

So I got to try out hand sanding, sanding with a DA and most importantly tried out the rotaries with 105/205 and the optimum polish and compound. My initial impressions are that I like 105 better with a rotary then a flex and that the Makita is the class of the bunch when it comes to a rotary. I liked the optimum spray polish but not as happy with the optimum spray compound.

The new classroom is fantastic, well designed, large and most importantly air conditioned! Mike as always was a pleasure, taking time to answer individual questions while keeping the class moving along. Mike checked in constantly to ensure that everyone was getting time on the machines/techniques/products that they wanted to. He must have asked 10 times during the day to check that everyone was happy.

It was great to see Dwayne and Megan, they are always a joy. Dwayne was our helper extraordanaire during the day, helping out Mike, helping customers place orders during breaks and taking photos. Megan popped by a few times to ensure everyone was behaving!

I got to meet/interact with some forum folks as well. I've met Robert (Impressions) before and he was making sure folks were using the correct technique. Shane (Ciera SL) was there on his great adventure and was nice to talk to during class. Don was our class photographer and a great guy. Took the time during his class to take photos of everyone having fun. Jay (John Henry) is a class act and we took time to talk about detailing. He also bears a remarkable resemblance to his avatar! (just joking Jay, nice talking with you)

Andris and Tanya were also fun too.

If you haven't attended a class at AG, you are missing out on a great time with a quality staff. Plus the added bonus of being in a room with a bunch of other Auto-Geeks! Next time one is offered, don't think about it just do it.

Here's my photos from the day.

Shane trying out the DeWalt and the Menzerna


Mike putting a pad on the DeWalt


Look Mom! Only one hand


BOLO - If you have seen this man, contact the local FBI office. Dwayne taking some photos on his really cool Samsung


Look how sanded out that hood is!


Mike taking the money shot


Thanks for a great class!

[Mike Phillips]

Next up is learning to use a rotary buffer with a wool cutting pad and an aggressive compound to remove the sanding marks and restore gloss...


It's important to wear safety glasses anytime you're operating power tools...



Demonstrating the 10 @ 10 Technique for picking up a bead of product...



With this technique you run the bead of product into that pad at the 10 O'Clock position on the pad while tilting the pad approximately 10 degrees moving the buffer from right to left...





When you do this instead of splattering the product outward, the pad will pull the product into into itself and under the pad...



After you pick up your bead you can then lay your pad flat, spread the product out over the area you're going to work and begin making slow, overlapping passes.















The goal is to remove all of the sanding marks and restore gloss and clarity to the paint. It's okay if there are still swirls left behind as we'll remove those during the polishing step.





Large classes are easily manageable as long as the topic is interesting and entertaining and the people are their to learn... and this was a very focused group of people...

[JohnHenry]

Autogeek Detailing 101 and 102 classes are Highly Recommended!

This question comes up periodically on the forums... "Where can I find detailing training?" Right here, folks! Autogeek provides the best quality and value in detailing training. As a bonus, you will already know almost everyone in class, your fellow forum members.

No, I am not affiliated with AG. Yes, I would return tomorrow if they provided another class. What else can I say? Thanks, Mike! Excellent presentation, as always!

It was great to see some old buds... Meghan, Jason, and Dwayne. (No , he is not a fugitive from justice. He only looks like those guys on the Post Office wall.)

And I met some cool new friends... TMark (Dude, are you a long-lost cousin? lol), Impressions (Robert, I will be down to take a graduate course in your shop soon!), McHess (John, nice ride!), CieraSL (Shane, you lucky dog!) , and the nicest couple you will ever meet, Pamper My Ride, Andris and Tanya, from Latvia, via Jacksonville.

Sorry we did not have enough time to get to know everyone. Next time, for sure!

[Mike Phillips]

Continued...


Time to use rotary buffers...

Here's Clay testing out the Makita with Optimum Hyper-Compound



Little hands-on help for Astrid her first time using a DeWALT 849 Rotary Buffer...



On her way to becoming a Pro...







Charles handles the Flex 603...



Bill tests out the Makita 9227C



Charles in the front and Hugo in the back trying out the DeWALT Rotary Buffer...



Here's Shane trying out a DeWALT rotary buffer...








Tanya is ready to learn the way of the rotary buffer...



First things first and that's learning the 10 @ 10 Technique for picking up a bead of product...



Tilt about 10 degrees and run the buffing pad over the bead at the 10 O'clock position with the 3 O'clock position of the pad just lightly against the paint...







When you get to the end of the bead of product then lay the pad flat and begin compounding the section you're working.









This is a Steel Pad Cleaning Spur and to use it you bring the Rotary Buffer RPM's up to speed and then run the spur back and forth across the face of the pad on the side that is rotating away from you...



It's easy, fast and enables you to work clean...





We also used both pad washers to clean pads...

[Meghan]

I think its great too that we have had a lot of women attending lately, Mike has done a great job getting them to master the polishers just like the boys.

[Mike Phillips]

Continued...


Next up, using the rotary buffer with a foam polishing pad and a polish to remove the swirls left by the compounding process and restore a clear, high gloss finish...


Here's Jeff using the Flex Rotary Buffer with M205...



Here's Astrid using the DeWALT Rotary Buffer with Menzerna PO83 SIP



Antonio using the Makita Rotary Buffer with Optimum Hyper-Polish...




Julio using the DeWALT Rotary Buffer with Menzerna PO83 SIP








Javier checks out the results using the Brinkmann Swirl Finder Light...






I'm standing on a step stool to take some of the above photos and I see Hugo getting ready to take my picture, so I take his picture at the same time...



Happy people having fun at Autogeek's Show Car Garage!



Alfred testing out Hyper-Polish...




Shane testing out Menzerna PO83 SIP with a DeWALT and a 3M Convoluted Polishing Pad...





And now it's time for Tanya to show the guys how it's done...



Tanya sprays the Optimum Hyper-Polish onto the face of the Optimum Foam Polishing Pad...



When using a rotary buffer you need to focus on the task at hand... she's got that down...



Notice in the above and below pictures how Tanya's opted to hold the head of the polisher instead of the D-Handle? Holding the head, or in other words getting her grip closer to the transfer point of power to paint gives here more leverage over the tool and makes buffing easy... of course Hyper-Polish has an excellent buffing cycle and that makes it super easy to buff with...


Perfect technique



Marketing...



Here's Bill buffing with the Makita...



Here's Paul using the DeWALT...



Here's Robert testing out the Mother's Foam Pad Polish with the DeWALT Rotary Buffer...