hey guys, after almost a month I finally got a free day to detail and wax the truck. I used the following steps/products:

Wash - Mequiars Gold Class
Clay - Mequiars Clay Kit w/ Quick Detailer
Polish - Poorboys Professional Polish
Sealant - Poorboys EX-P Sealant

I applied the poorboys Polish by hand (no DA ) with a Lake Country CCS orange pad. After all this I still have some light swirling. Its not noticable except in direct sunlight and it is very light. So my question is do I need to move up to the SSR1 Polish or would I be able to get the swirling out with the polish I have through the use of a DA?

I don't know if the polish isn't strong enough or if my arm isn't strong enough to break the polish down correctly.

 

your arm isn't strong enough to break down the polish. even with a pc you would need to work one area for up to 5 min.

 

Yeah the DA would be needed to get rid of the swirls..if you are not going to be getting one and/or do not have access to one i would go with something like Meg's #9 2.0 because it has fillers and it could probably mask most of those..but they will still be there..just a lot less noticeable

 

Ah this one is easy actually. I see your problem right away. Using an Orange Lake pad with a "polish" is what caused your swirling.

That pad was not designed for something as light as PB PP. PB PP doesn't have much of any cleaning or abrasiveness to it. In fact I use it as if it is a pure polish. But I use it with a White or Black Lake pad.

The orange pad alone is prob what caused the markings.

To fix that, i would recommend that you use SSR 1, even SSR2 with the Green pad, then polish over that with white and PB PP., finish with a Black or Blue.

Orange and yellow should be only used for major defects and deep marring.
SSR3 with Orange is a very, very strong path.


Lake pads, from most aggressive to least.
Yellow, when the big dog is needed.
Orange, save for a really bad day
Green, ---good with SSR1, 2, 3 and 2.5
White, ---Poor Boys Pro Polish (This is a great pad)
Black ---(EXP)
Blue----(EXP) or LSP

Did that help?

 

But not quite as agressive as we went... Man, to this day, I cant get over 2 things:

1: the AMAZING looks of the ride
2: That we used a RED cutting pad and SSR 3 to accomplish the bulk of it...

 

Thanks for the replies. So RR you think that I can get the swirls out by hand with SSR1 and a green pad or is that using a DA?

Also thanks for the pad color breakdown. I used the orange b/c autogeek lists it as having only "light" cutting power. Considering I bought it used my truck is in very good condition so I was really just looking to maintain - but was disappointed with my results .

Sheesh - now I have to decide whether to buy a PC7424 or a Recon LED bed light kit.

 

I use the orange light cutting pad all the time with ssr 2.5 and 1 and have never had a problem...... And I really don't see him marring up his paint with the orange pad by hand. Maybe I am wrong, but I just have never had this problem.

Also, he is talking about using the pad with machine.

 

Just remember to always start off with the lightest pad and compound combo. If you don't achieve the finish you are looking for then you up the pad or polish till you get what you are looking for. I have found using the orange pad and ssr 2.5 sometimes needs to be followed by white polishing pad with 2.5 or 1.

 

could have already been marred then exposed more by using that combo. Its possible.

You guys are punishing yourselves with these pads and products trying to remove scratches and such without a DA. That is just hard work guys.

A point we make here as you suggest Ju105dd, we always recommend the least aggressive approach first...from there, you have to see what combo works best. Body panels can vary in condition...so you may not need SSR3 with a Red Megs or Yellow Lake pad on the tail gate like you may on the front QTR or hood.

And a point to consider, a DA pad using by hand can yeild very different results than by using by hand. They are not really designed for that although you can make it work. Orange is more abrassive than you think....I learned that the hard one one car....I posted my comments to Poorboys and was told that pad can do more damage than people think if not used properly. Like anything right?

 

Ch2500, is it possible for you to get a photo of the trouble spot you are dealing with?

 

yeah, get it under some good light

and rollingrock, you really know your stuff. how long have you been doing detail work?

 

Yeah he does-- and I think it has been a relatively recent thing for him... But, you would think he has been doing it for all his life when you see his cabinet, the cars he works on, and the fact that he keeps all sorts of detailing goodies with him at all times (ie: MF, QD, IG, HD, etc...). Then again, lets not forget that he is one of the proud few who eat Nattys Red and wash it down with HD...

Anyway, he is one of the few I trust with my truck...And to think I only trust 6-7 people on here with it... thats a pretty good standing... (well, now that I think about it, I DID trust him with my truck, and am still THRILLED with the results... Although in my defense, we worked together on it-- tag team detailing )

 

thanks Ju015dd, I know a thing or two I have been working on honing my skills for many years....but like F150Sport says my skills kind of escalated after I got my first DA, a PC7424 2 years ago and I have to say, it changed my life. I thought I got good results by hand then whoa cowboy, the DA is amazing. Since then I have worked on my technique and product combos for a while. To be honest, most of what I have learned over the past year is b.c of this site combined with my past experince with products etc. I listened and studied the work of RockPick, Gip and others. We are very fortunate to have this as a resource. It's very helpful and nothing I do is out of reach for everyone here searching for help. Yes it does take time and financial commitments but the results speak for themselves. And I am still learning and listening.

Compared to folks like RP, Boss, Gip, D&D, even F150Sport (I know there others that this could offend) but I am nothing...those guys can detail circles around me.

I don't do this for a living, its for fun and passion, or "therapy" as i call it. I cannot stand seeing my car or truck dirty....or with any scratches on it. I am officially OCD about it.

As for F150Sport (Ryan) he is one I would trust with my truck...and I still need him to come paint my rear dif....otherwise I am going to jack it up.

One thing you will see here is that a few folks really know product lines and many are well versed in many diffrent lines. The key is to pick a few and know as much about their behavior as possible. Its very difficult to be an expert on every product out there, theres simiply too many of them. This thread happen to catch my eye as I somewhat consider myself a Poorboys expert. While probably not true, its the one line I can go really deep with and I understand what to expect from the products and how they react and what the limits and capbabilties are. I also use Lake pads 99% of the time. So this one was easy for me.

For me, I feel fortunate I have experince on many diffrent cars and trucks and types of paint. From 2-stage to cermanics, I have worked on them and have experince with many different products.

Ok, enough about me. Sorry for the rant.

 

cool man, I am right there with you. I just can't put it in words as good as you when it comes to explaining to others. I know what you mean, now that I have had my pc for almost 3 years now. I love being able to take something and make it shine like brand new. oh, and the poorboys line in

 

Thanks if you think I explain things, wait till you see a post from RockPick....he goes above what I say in details. I type as if to presume that people get 90% of what I am saying, RockPick types and you don't need anymore explanation.

F150Sport is the same way thus the Sticky at the top of the forum section. It not washing, its detailing.

Looking forward to having you on board here in the CD section and offering up your advice and experiences.

Cheers