First off, sorry for the long first post
I've read many posts on this forum over the last few weeks about #83. There seems to be some conflicting information (to me anyway) on how long to work this product with the G-100. Perhaps it depends on factors that I'm not aware of. I understand that this product is a little more difficult to work with than #80 for example, but I found that certain bad areas on my hood and front required the use of #83 (and even ScratchX by hand) to eliminate or minimize some of the light scratches and etching (followed by #80).
Some posts suggested that it should be worked for 2-3 minutes. Working on my car over the weekend, I found that anything over about 30 seconds and it was very difficult to remove the product (by hand, MF), i.e. it required a lot of downward pressure.
My work area was fairly small (about 2 8006's long and 3 wide, so I could make 3 passes long and 5 wide, overlapping by 50%), working with slow arm speed and 10-15 lbs of pressure on the machine. At that speed I made about 4 passes in each direction (front/back, and side/side). I used a thin bead of product in a circle around the edge of the pad and worked in the shade (temp was probably high 80's not too humid). If I worked a bit too long or expanded my area when working, the product became difficult to wipe off; it seemed to dry on the surface.
All this being said, I think I achieved amazing results with my combination of products and pads. A few defects still remain, but I am uncertain they can be fully removed by me (not a professional). Most are rock chips and scratches that are past the clear coat, or etching (depth unknown). All the swirls that were in the paint are now gone, the etching is vastly improved, and the finish is as smooth as glass (the finishing steps after cleaning were DC#2 by hand and NXTx2 by machine).
My questions (finally):
What is the correct working time for #83 under these (or similar) conditions?
If I worked it much longer than 30 seconds would it eventually become easier to wipe off again (easy, difficult, easy)?
Should you let the pad become saturated with #83 as you work, or should it be cleaned more often (how often)?
Am I using too much product (or too little)?
The main reason I'm wondering these things is because I suspect I could have minimized my use of ScratchX by working better with the #83. I ended up doing large sections of the hood by hand with ScratchX followed by #83, then #80. This could be wrong however as I don't have very much experience with paint cleaning/polishing (yet!). I realize it is also hard to comment given that you can't see the condition of my paint or what I was working on, but any advice is most appreciated. Thanks everybody!
- Ben
I've read many posts on this forum over the last few weeks about #83. There seems to be some conflicting information (to me anyway) on how long to work this product with the G-100. Perhaps it depends on factors that I'm not aware of. I understand that this product is a little more difficult to work with than #80 for example, but I found that certain bad areas on my hood and front required the use of #83 (and even ScratchX by hand) to eliminate or minimize some of the light scratches and etching (followed by #80).
Some posts suggested that it should be worked for 2-3 minutes. Working on my car over the weekend, I found that anything over about 30 seconds and it was very difficult to remove the product (by hand, MF), i.e. it required a lot of downward pressure.
My work area was fairly small (about 2 8006's long and 3 wide, so I could make 3 passes long and 5 wide, overlapping by 50%), working with slow arm speed and 10-15 lbs of pressure on the machine. At that speed I made about 4 passes in each direction (front/back, and side/side). I used a thin bead of product in a circle around the edge of the pad and worked in the shade (temp was probably high 80's not too humid). If I worked a bit too long or expanded my area when working, the product became difficult to wipe off; it seemed to dry on the surface.
All this being said, I think I achieved amazing results with my combination of products and pads. A few defects still remain, but I am uncertain they can be fully removed by me (not a professional). Most are rock chips and scratches that are past the clear coat, or etching (depth unknown). All the swirls that were in the paint are now gone, the etching is vastly improved, and the finish is as smooth as glass (the finishing steps after cleaning were DC#2 by hand and NXTx2 by machine).
My questions (finally):
What is the correct working time for #83 under these (or similar) conditions?
If I worked it much longer than 30 seconds would it eventually become easier to wipe off again (easy, difficult, easy)?
Should you let the pad become saturated with #83 as you work, or should it be cleaned more often (how often)?
Am I using too much product (or too little)?
The main reason I'm wondering these things is because I suspect I could have minimized my use of ScratchX by working better with the #83. I ended up doing large sections of the hood by hand with ScratchX followed by #83, then #80. This could be wrong however as I don't have very much experience with paint cleaning/polishing (yet!). I realize it is also hard to comment given that you can't see the condition of my paint or what I was working on, but any advice is most appreciated. Thanks everybody!
- Ben
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