CAR POLISH

[rocket]

Hi Ash, Thanks... That price is good, especially with free shipping.

You are about to have quite a workout.

Rocket.

[Ash]

No worries, Rocket. Good to know I didn't pay too much.

I have some painting to do first. That's going to be a workout in itself. It's not a car for my first attempt, quite a bit smaller, a horse cart. But it still needs to come up pristine and will be good practice for the next job, my F150. That'll start as soon as I finish the cart.

[Ash]

My goodies turned up yesterday 

[rocket]

Oh yes..... That's the way to go.  Armed and ready for some serious work.

How long before you get stuck into the horse cart?

Have had a flexciting weekend giving the 68 coupe a 4 stage menzerna polish. Have been experimenting with the coarser polishes 500 and 1000. Pushed the envelope a bit too far with the 500. Bugger! But ya gotta know the limitations!    Luke... Where are you?

Rocket.

[Ash]

I'm keen as, Rocket. If I didn't have so many other things to do I'd have a go with it on my 66. I plugged it into the transformer to give it a test and it works well. I can tell it's going to be a comfortable machine to hold onto for long periods of time.

As for the horse cart. I have two more seat backs to finish then it's time to tidy up all the welds and start the body work for paint. We gave it it's first road test on Friday and all went very well. She'll be back out on it today as the sun is back out and she's been waiting quite some time for it to be finished.



How was the Menzerna 1000? At what point do you think you could start with that? What grit scratches would it remove?

[rocket]

Hi Ash, You are the man! That horse cart looks fantastic. Would think your missus is stoked with it. Hope you post some more photos of it as you go.

Found a good site for paint/sanding/polishing supplies. Check it out. Prices look very competitive -

http://stores.ebay.com.au/JEFFERSON-PAINT-SUPPLIES/Polishing-Car-Care-/_i.html?_fsub=12&_sid=104396753&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

The Menzerna PG1000 is supposed to take out 1000 - 1500 grit scratches. Here is a Link from Autogeek that explains a bit about it -

http://www.autogeek.net/menzerna-powergloss-compound.html

In the past I have been very cautious about using these more aggressive polishes. You do not know how thick the top coats are on any given car so you can imagine how pissed off an owner would be if you handed back a freshly polished car where you had buffed through the top coats in any places.

Reason I tried out the 500 and 1000 was to find out just how aggressive they are. There was a post from a polishing guru on a USA Forum where he polished a 56 Chevy using the 500. Thought at the time that was a bit on the dangerous side. It is more like a cutting compound and really goes against what we are trying to do which is to remove light scratches and swirl marks, then to get the maximum possible gloss - without removing much clear coat or paint.

In future I will go no coarser than the PG1000 - and only when absolutely necessary when the 2500 will not take out the scratches and swirls. Pays to play it safe.

Rocket.

[rocket]

Ash, Came across a Thread about a new Chinese polishing machine that I found interesting. Here is a Link -

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=322032

I will follow the Thread with interest. The machine sounds pretty good so far and I believe the price is only about $200 delivered. Might get one and try it out.

Pity we did not know about it a week or so ago.

Rocket.

[Ash]

Hi Rocket,

Thanks very much  The wife is really impressed with the new cart. She had a good go in it today, she was gone for a couple of hours actually. She came back at one point and got the kids then took them to the park and got an ice cream. She was so excited and impressed, the smile on her face was huge.
Wont be long before school pick-ups/drop-offs happen in it. Oh, and I also have to put a tie down point for the dogs harness as she'll be going along too.

I'll be sure to post some more pics of how it progresses as it is all paint work from here on in. Here she is here heading off with one of the neighbours kids who is horse mad and often around helping out or joining in.



I've actually purchased from that ebay store in the past. I got a bunch of different consumables. Things like tack cloths, strainers, tape and other things. I keep an eye on them and have a bunch of their things in my watch list. They were pretty good to deal with and like you said, pretty well priced.

Thanks for that link on the Autogeek site. I think I need to sit down and read more from there. You are constantly mentioning them and I don't know why it keeps slipping my mind. I'll add them to my favourites now and do some more learning. I can see now I'm going to be in trouble for being distracted and talking too much about boring things. You should have seen her face when I spent weeks reading about TIG welding and talked about different types of tungstens or post flow or blah blah blah   

At $200 it'd be worth a shot for that Chinese copy. Be interesting to see how they fair long term by the guys that use them often. If you do get one, post up with what you think and your comparisons. At that price it's definitely affordable. Especially if they do a good job.

Cheers

[rocket]

Ash, That rig is going to bring a smile to many children`s faces. Awesome

Look forward to seeing more photos.

Have fun reading about the polishes.

The new Chinese polisher will have to wait for a while. Have to replenish the account after the battering it has taken lately. Wifes orders!

Rocket.

[Ash]

Thanks very much, Rocket  It was surprising when I went for a run as a passenger in it, just how many people stop to take take photos or were filming us. My wife said that is pretty much what happens every time she goes out. I guess you just don't see too many people going to the shops in a horse and cart any more 

Keep the boss happy, Rocket. Give it a week and test the waters again 

[rocket]

Today I finished a 4 stage Menzerna Polish on the 68 Gulfstream Aqua Coupe. This car has what I call show car paint. It was painted about 5 years ago and had been maintained well up to the last few months. I had the car at our factory and although it was locked inside at night, through the daytime it was parked outside and after a while the paint became a bit rough due to industrial fallout and rain. It had a lot of water marks in the paint. A bit slack on my part to let it get like that.

Polishes used were Menzerna -



Polishing machines - The Flex Rotary for the first two stages followed by the Flex Forced rotation dual action XC3401VRG -



Stage1 PG1000 with Orange Lake Country Pad, Stage2 PF2500 with White Lake Country Pad, Stage3 PO106FF ( now called SF4000 ) with green Lake Country Polishing Pad, Stage4 SF4500 on Black Lake Country Pad.

Total time 16 Hours spread over the last week whenever there was time to hook in. Today i polished the drivers side to finish off the job.

Here is how it looked after the first 2 stages






Removed the masking tape from the door seams after the second stage because polish was trapped in the tape and the machine was dragging the polish back onto the polished areas -




 
Tomorrow i will give the car a wash with Citrus Wash and Gloss followed by two coats of Wolfgang Fuzion Estate Wax. Will post up some finished photos when it is all done.

More photos here -  http://s244.photobucket.com/user/rocket67/library/Autopian%20Car%20Polishing

Rocket.

[Frank70]

A friend rang me just now saying he wants to buy an orbital polisher, so which one to get ?

I suggested the Flex 3401 and so he says he was looking at a Rupes Big Foot.

They seem to be about the same price ... So which one ?

Cheers,
Frank.

[rocket]

Toss a coin


Hi Frank, Good question! I really like my Flex XC 3401 VRG. It is a well balanced and smooth operating Polishing Machine.

The Flex has a throw of 8mm whereas the Rupes LHR21E Bigfoot has a throw of 21mm. ( there is a new one available with a throw of 15mm but it costs $100 more )

In inexperienced hands the 21mm throw of the Rupes could cause problems with hitting mirrors, chrome mouldings etc. The 8mm throw of the Flex makes it an easier machine to use in that regard. The Flex is easy for anybody to operate as their first specialist polisher. The trade off is that the Rupes will polish a car much quicker than the Flex.

Here is some reading material from experienced users - Note that the author at the first Link may be a bit biased toward the Flex.

http://www.detailingworld.com/forum/showthread.php?s=d2438ce3a32210a67b7febdfc729b78c&t=263547

http://www.autopia.org/forum/topic/129319-optimizing-performance-of-the-rupes-bigfoot-lhr15es-and-lhr21es/

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/58875-flex-3401-rupes-bigfoot-2.html

I have not used the Rupes Machine - but I would like to give it a go.

Just to add to the confusion, there is another entrant into the market. It is a Chinese copy of the Bigfoot which is receiving good reviews. Link -

http://www.detailingworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=322032

The following Thread seems to be Americans doing their best to knock the Chinese machine. Crappy Thread really.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-tools-accessories/73237-rupes-knock-off.html

Happy reading.

Rocket.

 

[Frank70]

Thanks Rocket.

Great explanation.

Cheers,
Frank.

[Ash]

Just got a 20% discount offer from Chemical Guys for products from this list.

http://www.chemicalguys.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=249&Click=51683&show=500&page=1

I'm not going to use it, someone else might. But be quick, it expires 12/12/13

Code - WM8686

[mattstruck]

Rocket you are a fair dinkum asset to this site!  You do amazing work!!

Quick question.  Mrs has a brand new car.  What should I protect the paint with?  If anything?

[rocket]

Hi mattstruck, Thanks for your kind words.

Good idea to protect the paint on your wifes new car. A good washing and wax routine will keep that paint looking great for years.

Ask her to never ever go through a brush type car wash. Best to wash by hand once a week using a good car wash like Chemguys Citrus Wash and Gloss together with a Chenille washing mitt and after a good rinse dry with either a waffle weave drying towel or a good chamois. I am currently using a " Aion" brand synthetic chamois.

Protect the paint by waxing every six weeks or so after washing and drying the car. DP MaxWax is an excellent wax to use which only costs about $40 from Waxit. The wax adds a protective layer to the paint which will make the car easier to wash, prevents etching of the paint by bird droppings etc, gives the car a nice shine and also keeps the paint lubricated.

You could even apply a sealant like jetseal109 before waxing, but I have come to the conclusion that it takes a long time to do and probably not worth the effort on a daily drive car.

Rocket.

[Ash]

I used the Citrus wash for the first time yesterday. I loved it. Thanks again for another good recommendation, Rocket. 
It's a whole lot better than the who knows what stuff I was using before. I was even surprised at how it even easily cleaned off the majority or long-term baked on dead bugs on the front of the car.

I did a bit of chrissy shopping for my Dad and doubled up on things for myself.

[rocket]

Hi Ash, Yep... Citrus Wash and Gloss really is that good.

It is highly concentrated so just use one capful to a bucket of water after a good shaking. Any more and it will strip the wax or sealant off.

Good haul you have there. Please let us know how the Microfiber wash goes. I use the one in powder form, but keen to try the one you bought.

Have you managed to use the new Flex polisher yet?

Rocket.

[Ash]

Hey Rocket,

They got the delivery out real fast too. I was surprised, I expected it to take longer. The discount code is working fine as well 

I only put a squirt in the bottom of the bucket, barely a dent on the bottle, so it will go a long way. I had just returned from a fishing trip in the National Park and the car was quite muddy/dusty. Barely any effort and it came up a million bucks.

I got Dad some of the same microfiber cloths last Christmas so am sure they'll be due for a wash. I'll get him to give the cleaner a go and see how they come up and let you know. I think it was only $12 or something for the bottle but I wanted it to feel sure they cleaned well for the next use.

No not yet, haven't started the paint work yet. Really need to get this Christmas thing out of the way so life can calm down a bit. It's that crazy time of year. The good news is I think the spending is done now but my wallet needs some recuperation. It's feeling a little sad and abused. 

Cheers

[65muzzy]

Just putting a question out there for all. Does anybody know what the small yellow dots that appear on the car are?

[GLENN 70]

Do you mean after you wash the car or after it rains and it leaves marks ,know as acid rain marks .Can really show up on red cars .

[65muzzy]

Do you mean after you wash the car or after it rains and it leaves marks ,know as acid rain marks .Can really show up on red cars .

I've not noticed this after washing the car or after rain. These yellow dots just appear after parking the car outdoors.

[GLENN 70]

I dont know , maybe you should join all the yellow dots up and see what happens     sorry mate i just had to say it .   

[Ash]

Isn't it pollen, bee/insect poo, sap or possibly unicorn tears?

I know I've read other discussions on this but am not sure what it actually is.