Car Detailing. Is it fun for you.

[snowonweb]

I am thinking about getting back into car detailing. Something I used to do as a teenager so I understand what wax is and what compound is. wax on and wax off idea. This time I stepped it up and purchased myself Harbor Tools rotary buffer, and man what a shitty job I did.
Used to be so simple. You had sponge aplicatior, put some compound on it, apply to a car, wait and wipe it off, but with buffer I am totally lost.
So as before I used aplicator to put the compound on and fiber cloth to wipe it off. How do I do that with the buffer. Do I use the buffer to put it on and then change the pad and use the buffer to wipe it off?
Do i just buff till the compound dissappears. Do I buff the compound into the paint and then use the cloth to wipe it off? And then all these pads, all these pad colors. The wool pad that came with the buffer started flying everywhere (the hair/fibers). Compound splashing everywhere also. I had to wash the car again and I only tried to do the hood.
I will go at it again and again and again untill I get it right, but if any of you have some experience, please chime in. Give me some pointers.
Oh, so I did the compound and then it kept drying on me, I had to resort to spit and shine technique I learned in service. Then I used same pad and did the wax. I mean it came out shinner than it was before, but not even close to what is should be. As the old saying goes 'Practice makes better' so I guess I will just keep practicing, untill I get it right.
And please do not say anything about burning the paint with rotary buffer. Every car detailing forum says the same thing as if it was the one and only thing the detailers warn you about, and probably is the only thing, besides keeping your water and electric buffer in separate areas.

 

[Talyn]

You put the compound on the buffer. Then but it in. It will haze. Wipe off. Some people wash it off. Some people mist water on the paint before the compound. Follow up with a polish then wax or some other protective coat.

Don't use the wool pads. Messy, and too easy to burn through the paint if you don't know what you are doing. Use 3M foam pads, or some other foam pad. And I wouldn't have recommended a large rotary buffer for a novice (assuming that is what you have). I would have recommended the Porter Cable orbital buffer. Smaller and safer.

Lots of good info here: http://www.autopia.org/forum/forum.php

 

[Miller88]

I've never seen rubbing compound do anything other than mess up the paint ...

 

[old_man]

Rubbing compound and polishing compound are two radically different things.

 

[WebDog]

I use the 3M Imperial Compound it is about $50+ for a bottle but dang it works good, I also use it on my welding helmet to clean the screen. I usually have a Meguires High Cut buffing pad on it.

I polished our 41ft sailboat a few years back and made the shine return, only took me 3 days ha. I told my dad he could wax it himself, I was dead tired after the polish.

My new wax of choice on the Jeep is dirt. Much easier to apply and maintain.

 

[snowonweb]

so probably I shouldnt use the same pad for compound and wax then.

 

[snowonweb]

Ok, so I went out and tried it again. I think I got the compound figured out. I used the buffer to put the compound on while splashing a little water so it wouldn't dry on me too quick and then I washed it off.
Then I got to waxing part and I am still trying to figure out where I am going wrong. So I put a different pad on the buffer and start waxing. I get a nice haze going on the car but it just never went away, even when I waited few minutes and then put a buffer to it again, it just wouldn't go away and give me that shine. Should have I took off 'waxing' pad and put new pad on? I kept same waxing pad when I put wax on and then I tried to take wax off with same pad. These videos on youtube show the guy using same pad and same buffer to put the wax on and to take it off, or at least it seems that way. With video editing they probably changed the pad off camera.
So far I have 3 pads. One to put compound on. Second to put the wax on and third pad to buff wax off.
Is this correct?

 

[ericfx1984]

I always used microfiber bonnets when I was starting out... just be careful with a rotary..., orbital buffers are WAY safer and you get a nice work out and hand massage...

the main thing is keep a swirl motion and do NOT stay in one spot for too long...

I use Megiures high cut then low cut... actually also use this stuff for polishing copper to a mirror finish

 

[GrimmJeeper]

don't do it in direct sun, and only once the painted surface is cool to the touch. that and pushing down on the buffer are the two big mistakes i see people making over and over. you don't need to apply any pressure or you can cause the compound to cut into the surface instead of smoothing it out. let the compound do the work not the pressure of your hands and the tool.

I hate buffing, I always end up with one or two large swirly spots.

 

[Talyn]

Buff the wax on with the waxing pad then wipe off by hand.

Also, you usually don't go from compound to wax. You should use a polish stage before wax. Its like sanding. Compound = lower grit #, polish = higher grit #, wax = no grit number and is just for shine and protection.

 

[Sniggs]

LOL Biff