In my opinion, the red cutting pad (Meguiar's) shouldn't ever be used with the PC. Mind you, this is also Meguiar's opinion when it comes to this particular pad.

It's simply too dense to really be used effectively with the PC. While some will argue that it can be used (me included), it makes using the PC pretty tricky and only certain products will really be effective with that pad/machine combo.

In all honesty, if you're hunting for a use for a cutting pad and the PC, you're not being patient enough with the polishing pad/polish combo that you're utilizing.

Remember folks, detailing entails *A GREAT DEAL OF PATIENCE*. In oodles of cases, one pass isn't adequate... two may not be... three may not be... etc. Be patient.

 

Great post RP....I haven't used the Megs Red pad since seeing a nightmare of paint condition on a certain silver F150. Using the Megs Red pad on a DA requires lots of attention as it wasn't designed for that application. For really troubled spots it was all we could do and to our luck it worked out.

Now, given the fact that impatience is a downfall of mine....I have recently realized how true this is. Product breakdown is VERY important. I always knew that, but seeing how it works with certain products makes me more aware of how slow I really do need to go.

 

Patience, young grasshoppa.

Nothing within the detailing realm is rocket science -- we all know this -- but, there are a few constants...

1. Patience will always get you 10x farther towards your goal versus trying to short cut a step or jumping ahead of yourself.
2. There are a boatload of *great* products out on the market -- find something that you like, learn how to use it exceedingly well, and then begin to experiment with other products -- always knowing that you can come back to the old 'stand by' products that you know and love.
3. Cows like to poo in the pasture. It's a given. Avoid the pasture if possible - especially while detailing.
4. Patience, like mentioned in #1, is very important.
5. The biggest and best teaching tool is failure. All of us who do this either professionally or semi-professionally have marr'd the crap out of a hood and had to retreat. Learn from failure.

Hell, I could go on and on but, it's nearly 1am, my kiddo is crazy sick (I've been absent because of the lack of wifi in the Children's Hospital where I've had the joy of spending the past couple of nights with my daughter), and I'm so out of sync with the rest of the world that I don't know if I'm coming or going. That said... I better find a pillow rather than offering devine wisdom to the masses.

Good night and good luck from the Kentucky Lottery -- I think that's what they say after the drawing... hell, I always have the joy of hearing them say it because I'm never yelling "I WON! I WON!".

Pfft.

-RP-

 

I like that one the best.

P.S... and more importantly, I hope your kid gets feeling better soon.

 

I dunno RP... given the choices at hand and the time constraints...

Hey, I am not quite understanding (probably because I am tired) something:

so here you say no...
but...
but here you say yes...

What is your final answer? I am asking NOT to challenge you, but to educate myself. Also, do you think SSR 3 is one of those products that woks well (well, TBH, I think it is one, having used it myself, but then again, you may have a better answer to that one)

Thanks!

 

I think I can answer it based on how I took it.

The Megs 6" Red cut pad was designed for a Rotary, its a pad that is a lighter cut than wool but more than Megs Yellow.

Since I have both Lake and Megs pads, I know that a Yellow Megs pads is no way near the cut of a Lake Yellow. I could consider a Yellow Megs pad equal to a Lake Green or even White pad.

Megs Red would be about equal in cut to a Lake Orange.

I think what RP was saying, you can use it with a DA but you better pay close attention to what you are doing b/c it can be unpredictable.

Thats my take.

 

Ah... Well, good thing it worked out for us then!

Hey, speaking of rotary usage-- did you say you already got a rotary, or were you just thinking about it? If you already have one, you could come over this direction and do some cars here for cheap to practice on, then go back to your neck of the woods to work some serious magic...

 

Correct take.

I always fall short of recommending the red pad for use on the PC... but, in certain instances, someone with great skill and understanding of the device, how it works, and when and why you should use certain pads/techniques/polishes/etc can probably pull it off.

 

yeah I got game.

 

I always refer to the red Meg's pad and the DA in the terms of "Do as I say, and not as I do"

 

I see... Well, in that case, I may use Gip's take on it. Since I have used SSR 3 enough with the red pad that day, I am pretty familiar with how it reacts... And with the condition of the cars I typically work on (that is, when I do get to work on a car), I will need every bit of cut I can get...

Thanks.

 

just remember .. there is a difference between when something won't cut like you need it to, and when you aren't being patient enough. Like RP mentioned, don;t go that route just because it works quicker. If 4 passes with a 8006 and #80 will fix it, then do that. Don't pull out the big gun just because it works.

Least agressive method sometimes means the most patient (and also slower) method.

You are doing yourself and your client a disservice if you are being too aggressive.

There are times when agressive is justified. The ability to quickly judge when agressive is needed verus when to be gentler with multiple passes is part of what makes a detailer a great detailer.

 

That's a big 10-4, good buddy. Just out of curiosity, how long will you go on a product?

with the time I played with SSR 3 plus the Red, ew were letting it break down all the way, and on speed 6. When we tried anything less than that (which we did), it was taking 2 passes to get the same results. So, I guess we should have gone for 2 passes with the same pad + product combo, but the speed here seems justified (I was on a time crunch). I guess what I am asking is where do you draw the line between using an agressive setup followed by a light abrasive (then all the polish/wax/etc) versus several (ie: 2-3) passes with a less agressive setup?

I will be honest, I am guilty of having the time-crunch problem-- I am always short on time, as are my clients. Therefore, I usually find myself cutting every corner I can. For instance, I will typically use #9 in place of a light abrasive then a pure polish. Then, I do #21. Rather than having the 12 hours to wait, I leave it in the sun and do the interior and all other non-paint parts. As soon as I am done with that, I go ahead and apply a Carnauba, QD, then return to customer. Short cuts taken? You bet. Is it good for the customer or me? Questionable (most of my clients hire me right before they sell their cars or before a first date/prom...). Yes, it saves me time and them $. My question here: should I do things like I would detail my own, having to charge more per car, losing business which is scarce anyway, or should I keep doing it the way I do it; offering a "plus Plan" which gets the person a detail like I do mine???

JP-- fear not-- your truck is seen as better than mine, thus it gets treated as such. In fact, all your vehicles do.

I am sure I sound loony right now- I am on some crazy medicine to be un-sick...

 

No Fear sir. I too agree with the info.

When I do my truck, it already takes 20 hours+ so not sure where I can go slower yet yield the same results I get. For instance today. Brian's 250, I wanted to go at it....it needed it, lots of scratches, some really deep too. I tried a few passes going very light b/c he was the client, he was worried about going through the clear....so i wanted him to feel comfortable with the process and results. Did we make it look better. Oh yeah. Could it have been better....you bet. Some of the scratches are barely visible now. There was no way in hell I could take out the scratches using a Green Lake pad with SSR3. I worked on some of his scratches a better part of an hour with SSR and the red Megs pad. (they were deep)

I will tell what I discovered today. Using a yellow Lake is more aggressive than the Red Megs Pad. The reason i went the path i did today, was time. It would have taken 10 hours to apply SSR3, then 2 then 1 then Polish with various pad combinations. Yellow would dull the finish. To fix that, you have to progressively polish it back out. Orange, then green combined with various products with varying cut level. Megs#80 would have taken forever today. But I have yet to try Megs #80 with a yellow Lake Pad. (I need to do that to see what it yields on a array of situations) I can see where you can use ##80 on various pads to get different levels of cut.

What I did was isolate the scratches with the Megs Red and SSR3, then flipped to the Green lake with SSR1 and went really, really slow. This yielded the results both the owner and I could live with. Are there scratches in the finish? Yes, but they are minor now and the level of depth you get with Poorboys on this color is amazing.

I really enjoy threads like this....lots of wisdom and experience everyone reading can learn from.

 

*bookmarks thread*

Great posts... Now hopefully I can remember it all...