Removing #2000 Grit Sanding Marks with One Step by BLACKFIRE! LIVE!!!

[Kamakaz1961]

Thank you! Blackfire products are awesome!

[JustJesus]

I sold my truck a few weeks ago. I'm looking for something older and bigger.

You mean....like the Gravedigger? That's older (well, the body style i) and bigger.

Speaking of older jeeps (with chevy drivetrain!!!), just last night I pointed out to my wife, an older Jeep Wrangler that must have had at least 44" tires, lifted pretty high. She asked, "is that even legal for the road?" After saying, "NICE. I want one!" - I love that woman

Now back to One Step!

Okay, then. Excellent demo. And seriously, that's impressive man.

[DogRescuer]

So in the real world of wet sanding do you NOT want to go below #3000?

[Cruzscarwash]

You mean....like the Gravedigger? That's older (well, the body style i) and bigger.

Speaking of older jeeps (with chevy drivetrain!!!), just last night I pointed out to my wife, an older Jeep Wrangler that must have had at least 44" tires, lifted pretty high. She asked, "is that even legal for the road?" After saying, "NICE. I want one!" - I love that woman



Okay, then. Excellent demo. And seriously, that's impressive man.

if I remember correctly in Cali any high is legal as long as your headlights don't exceed a certain height from the ground. a buddy in HS had to mod his lights because of it and had them attacked to a bar coming off the bumper.

[TMQ]

After using the blue Rupes cutting pad with the Blackfire AIO, is it considered done? Or do you still have to finish off some more with a white pad?

In my mind, in general---any time one uses an AIO, one always pairs it with a foam polishing pad with product applied heavy or wet.

I am seeing a variety of applications where people are pairing AIO with different levels of cutting pads to obtain a more cut or better results. Do you have to finish out with a polishing pad afterwards? The concept behind using an AIO is to do the job once and then stop...

Tom

[Mike Phillips]

After using the blue Rupes cutting pad with the Blackfire AIO, is it considered done? Or do you still have to finish off some more with a white pad?

Great question Tom.

NORMALLY a person would not try to buff out their own car or a customer's car using one of the MOST AGGRESSIVE foam pads on the market with a one-step cleaner/sealant. (cleaner/sealant = cleaner/wax for the average guy).

I was at a car show and doing a dog and pony show pushing the limits as to what can and should be done with a one-step cleaner/sealant. Not only would I not normally do this but I have an article on this topic here,


How to choose and use a one-step cleaner/wax by Mike Phillips


Here's the pertinent portion where I share the secret of successfully buffing out cars in one-step...

Because modern clearcoat paints are scratch-sensitive, meaning they scratch easily, and because the scratches are highly visible to the naked eye, manufacturers have toned down the aggressiveness of their one-step cleaner/waxes.



Your goal
When doing a one-step, your goal is to use the least aggressive cleaner/wax possible to get the job done because even when using high quality products, pads, tools and techniques, there’s always the risk of leaving micro-marring in the paint.



The secret to successfully doing one-steps
The secret to using a one-step cleaner/ wax without micro-marring the paint is to use the softest foam pad you can get away with. When I say,

Use the softest foam pad you can get away with….


This means you need to do some testing with both your cleaner/wax and some soft foam polishing or waxing pads and test to see if your softest pad will leave behind a clear, shiny finish without micro-marring or hazing the paint. This means you need to have a selection of soft pads in your pad collection.

But to answer your question.... IF I had buffed out an entire car with such an aggressive pad and a one-step cleaner/wax then in most cases I would have micro-marring caused by the pad and depending upon the abrasive technology used in the one-step product, I could also have micro-marring caused by the product. If micro-marring was present from one or both of these items then "yes" I would have to re-machine wax with the cleaner/wax or cleaner/sealant with a softer pad to remove the micro-marring.

But - that would never happen, at least to me as I would never take this approach for all kinds of reasons including the reasons I share in my 3-day class. For example, matching your service to your customer. If I were to buff out a car using a one step product I would NOT have promised to remove all the defects. In fact, I would have UNDER PROMISED and thus I would have used a soft, foam polishing pad in most cases.

In my mind, in general---any time one uses an AIO, one always pairs it with a foam polishing pad with product applied heavy or wet.

Correct and this is what I teach in my 3-day classes and also my 2-day roadshow classes. Chances are, what you typed above is what you learned when you took my class.

I am seeing a variety of applications where people are pairing AIO with different levels of cutting pads to obtain a more cut or better results. Do you have to finish out with a polishing pad afterwards? The concept behind using an AIO is to do the job once and then stop...

Tom

You are correct.

When you see people doing two-steps with a one step cleaner/wax it's likely because they know no what they do.

[Guyb]

I chose the BLACKFIRE One Step as the free sample when I bought my latest Flex buffer. Looking forward to getting back home to try it out. Thanks for this article Mike.

[fightnews]

How much clear coat does your test hood have on it? Isn't it just a hood you got out of a junk yard with factory paint on it?

[Mike Phillips]

How much clear coat does your test hood have on it? Isn't it just a hood you got out of a junk yard with factory paint on it?

Lots!


We pay Paul Grasso at Grasso Garage to paint all our demo hoods and his general rule of thumb is 6-8 heavy coats of clear after a fresh base of black.