[doc dogg]

My previous detailing experience has been limited to spraying some 303 on a MF and wiping the interior when it is dusty Paint correction was done by a trusted professional. However, after reading a few threads and watching a metric tonne of youtube videos I figured I could do it myself. So I did

I started off with a good wash to get rid of all the old wax and polish. My process was foam the car, rinse, wash it with a strong mix of APC, rinse, Clay, rinse and then dry with a waffle weave towel and air blower for the crevices.

Here is a photo mid-wash



Once it was dry I zealously taped it all over and taped a few test patches on the bonnet. As you can see, scratch city.



First up I used an LC Orange pad on my Concours 921 with Scholl Concepts S20 Black. This is my DD so I wasn't looking for show car paint, but as you can see after 4 or 5 passes it wasn't really doing the trick.



I moved up to Scholl Concepts S3 XXL with the same pad and it did a better job.



A bit dusty but it got most of the light scratches out without marring.



From this point onwards I forgot to take photos but the whole car got a good polish with the S3/orange pad until the pad disintegrated as I was doing the roof...So I did the roof with a blue cutting pad and finished up with a black pad and CarPro Reflect (although I went pretty easy with the blue pad so the finishing polish didn't really do much).

For my protective coat I used Gyeon Quartz Q2 PRIME. This was an all day process as the PRIME needs 4hrs drying time, then the CURE needs 24hrs. It does go on very easily though, surprisingly easy in fact. I just had to make sure I didn't leave too much on in the first stage, but a LED torch and my worklights showed up any missed spots.

I'll need to take a few more photos of the finished product as my ones from last night are all blurry. However, it is a nice glossy coating that is slick to the touch. I like it

[cpie168]

Would love to see more pics of the coated paint!!

[doc dogg]

Originally Posted by cpie168

Would love to see more pics of the coated paint!!

I've taken a few this morning, so I'll post them up when I get home from work. Now that the coating has dried and hardened it feels slick to the touch, but not oily like it did after applying the coating. The gloss levels are still very good.

[Blackacee]

Looks nice.

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by doc dogg

My previous detailing experience has been limited to spraying some 303 on a MF and wiping the interior when it is dusty Paint correction was done by a trusted professional. However, after reading a few threads and watching a metric tonne of youtube videos I figured I could do it myself. So I did

I started off with a good wash to get rid of all the old wax and polish. My process was foam the car, rinse, wash it with a strong mix of APC, rinse, Clay, rinse and then dry with a waffle weave towel and air blower for the crevices.

Here is a photo mid-wash



Once it was dry I zealously taped it all over and taped a few test patches on the bonnet. As you can see, scratch city.



First up I used an LC Orange pad on my Concours 921 with Scholl Concepts S20 Black. This is my DD so I wasn't looking for show car paint, but as you can see after 4 or 5 passes it wasn't really doing the trick.



I moved up to Scholl Concepts S3 XXL with the same pad and it did a better job.



A bit dusty but it got most of the light scratches out without marring.



From this point onwards I forgot to take photos but the whole car got a good polish with the S3/orange pad until the pad disintegrated as I was doing the roof...So I did the roof with a blue cutting pad and finished up with a black pad and CarPro Reflect (although I went pretty easy with the blue pad so the finishing polish didn't really do much).

For my protective coat I used Gyeon Quartz Q2 PRIME. This was an all day process as the PRIME needs 4hrs drying time, then the CURE needs 24hrs. It does go on very easily though, surprisingly easy in fact. I just had to make sure I didn't leave too much on in the first stage, but a LED torch and my worklights showed up any missed spots.

I'll need to take a few more photos of the finished product as my ones from last night are all blurry. However, it is a nice glossy coating that is slick to the touch. I like it

How did the orange pad discinigrate?

[doc dogg]

Originally Posted by jgoens

How did the orange pad discinigrate?

I suspect I was pushing on it too hard, plus I was polishing at an angle to get in the curves effectively. That creates heat which causes the foam backing to split and tear. I'll get a smaller diameter backing plate and pads for the next polish I think.



Here are some gloss shots. Mostly unedited from the camera apart from some colour balancing and lens correction.





Close up of the metallic flecks. Even this close the paint reflects the tree branches above it.

[psnt1ol]

How many pads did you used??? how often do you swap pads??? Generally, you should swap out your pad for a fresh one every couple of panels.

If you don't, the pad will be overloaded with liquid from the polish and will get softer and hotter. Overtime....the pad will disintegrate. The first sign of trouble will be the center of the pad being softer than the outer edges (As the pad spins, all liquid are being drawn to the center). If you continue...the damage done is identical to the pics you posted.

Another reason to swap out pads is to maintain maximum effectiveness. Pads will loose their effectiveness once they are too dirty or overloaded with product. Even if you don't see any evidence of your pads being dirty. Trust me...they are after a couple of sectional passes. The clearcoat you are removing through polishing are on your pad. You just can't see them. Picture these particles grinding down on your paint. It can be quite counterproductive while some would even say "working backwards".

Clean your pad often and swap them out will shorten your polishing time significantly and prolong the life of your pads.

Happy Polishing.

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

How many pads did you used??? how often do you swap pads??? Generally, you should swap out your pad for a fresh one every couple of panels.

If you don't, the pad will be overloaded with liquid from the polish and will get softer and hotter. Overtime....the pad will disintegrate. The first sign of trouble will be the center of the pad being softer than the outer edges (As the pad spins, all liquid are being drawn to the center). If you continue...the damage done is identical to the pics you posted.

Another reason to swap out pads is to maintain maximum effectiveness. Pads will loose their effectiveness once they are too dirty or overloaded with product. Even if you don't see any evidence of your pads being dirty. Trust me...they are after a couple of sectional passes. The clearcoat you are removing through polishing are on your pad. You just can't see them. Picture these particles grinding down on your paint. It can be quite counterproductive while some would even say "working backwards".

Clean your pad often and swap them out will shorten your polishing time significantly and prolong the life of your pads.

Happy Polishing.

This is so true--that's why I only do little by little, having only 1 orange pad, 1 white pad and a couple black. Gives me an excuse to only spend an hour or so on it.

Docdogg--your car is looking pretty good.

[doc dogg]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

How many pads did you used???

Only one. I was cleaning it occasionally, but I'll take your advice and get a bunch of pads in the future. I might get a 8mm throw machine and put a 3" backing plate on it as well for the tighter sections. The 21mm throw and 5.5" pads was a bit tricky in parts. Plus I can use the 3 inch on my motorbike

Thanks for the explanation.

Docdogg--your car is looking pretty good.

Thanks, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out considering it was my first time. Next job is to fix the scratches in the rims that the previous owner put in them...or convince my wife it would be better to get new rims

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by doc dogg

Only one. I was cleaning it occasionally, but I'll take your advice and get a bunch of pads in the future. I might get a 8mm throw machine and put a 3" backing plate on it as well for the tighter sections. The 21mm throw and 5.5" pads was a bit tricky in parts. Plus I can use the 3 inch on my motorbike

Thanks for the explanation.

you are welcome. A good dedicated light weight 3" machine (for those hard to reach places) to get is the Rupes mini

http://www.detailedimage.com/Rupes-M...R-75E-Mini-S4/

It is pricey but it really gets the job done.

or...

The Flex PE8 Kompakt but be careful since this is a rotary.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Flex-M2...olisher-P1028/

I owned both so I can absolutely vouch for them.

[doc dogg]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

Rupes mini... It is pricey but it really gets the job done.

That Rupes is like a bajillion Australian Dollars. Might need to save up for that one, plus a bunch of flowers for the wife as a distraction