How the heck you are able to squeeze all in one day? Man i was arm wrestling like two 11-13 hour days and still not was able make tailgate. Do you do paint correction or just cleaning, claying, sealing and wax?
I have to say that i would have been little bit faster if i just used more cutting pad but i wanted to take easy with this truck for first time. Thanks
-Jan
Have add that this was my third time when i was doing 3 step polishing, so thats one reason why it **** so long. Im not an expert on this
Those are some long days. What machine are you using for polishing? What polishes are you using that would require a 3-step polishing process? That's a lot of work.
Some customers who polish their daily drivers to remove light swirls and scratches and who are not going for perfection, will one-step the polishing with just
Paint Correcting Polish and the
Orange Foam Pad. Since this polish has diminishing abrasives, the particles break down against the paint when used, so you can get a real decent finish on just this one product alone. You won't quite get the super-shine you will see with doing the second step using
Paint Finishing Polish and a
White Foam Pad, but it can still look very good. Not everyone with a DD truck is going to spend the time to get a show-shine.
In order to one-step polish you will need to pay attention to the proper technique to get the best results. Since the polishing abrasives break down during use, you will need to do one panel or area at a time, and polish until the product flashes (looks clear, like Vaseline). This means the polishing abrasives are spent. Then, wipe the residue and make sure you have the results you want, before moving to the next panel.
If you have to polish the panel again, do it until the product flashes. Do not polish a panel to flash, then add some more product for a bit more polishing, then move to the next panel. You have to work each panel or area until it flashes, then move on. How many panels you do at one time or how big an area you work depends on what condition they are in. Major swirls and scratches, work a smaller area. Minor swirls and no scratches, work a bigger area. Since you have to work each area to flash, you don't want to focus on a 2ft x 2ft area if there are only minor swirls, as it will take much longer to do the whole truck. Your area can also change across the truck, smaller areas on the hood and doors that get more damage and are seen more, then larger areas on the roof.
Fresh product will have the biggest abrasive particles, so it will leave some micro-marring which affects the shine. It is the smaller abrasive particles that have broken down that give a finer polish and more shine.
For an analogy, it is like sanding wood with a magic sandpaper that starts out at 60 grit, and as you use it, it changes to 100 grit, and then ends up 220 grit. No need to change to different grits of sandpaper for that piece of wood, since the magic sandpaper changes as you use it, but if you grab a new sheet of sandpaper, you go back to 60 grit and scratch up the wood you just sanded with 220 grit.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks
Dan
