Pictures from LVMOC Detail Day 2006

[Mosca]

Really it's just an excuse for me to link pictures from our website!

Seriously, we've done a few of these now, and if anyone wants some help on organizing one, PM me.

We got the cooperation of our local dealer, Young's Mazda in Bethlehem PA, and we got Rod Kraft from Meguiar's and Jamie Holschue from Sky Designs (the local Meguiar's distributor) to help out with teaching and technique.

If the weather had cooperated all the cars would have arrived washed, but since it was raining we set up an assembly line wash. Members then pulled inside, dried their cars, and everyone got to work. While the cars were getting washed Rod gave an hour long "car care basics" class, and then he and Jamie went around giving hands-on help. We covered everything from wash basics and claying all the way up to wet-sanding to remove acid rain etching! (No one was brave enough to grab the sandpaper on their own, but it was a start.)

Even though it was cool to get a bunch of cars cleaned for the driving season (and there were some remarkable transformations), the best part is the cameraderie. It's like a quilting bee, or like member Amyata said, like a barn-raising, where many hands make light work and everyone gets to catch up after a long winter cooped up inside.


Image 1, yrs trly assigned to wash-rack duty!



Image 2, a '93 LE after some wetsanding on the hood and other fun stuff.



The rest of the pictures can be seen in the LVMOC gallery, c'mon and look!


Tom

[imacarnut]

thanks for sharing mosca!

[Paulvr4]

Nice pics!

What did you use on that black miata? 80? I noticed that most of the 95 miata's have singlestage paint. I'm not 100% sure but it seems like it.

Good pics.

[Mosca]

I didn't watch the whole thing, but I know Jamie wet-sanded some bird or acid rain etching on the passenger side of the hood. I believe the rest of it was #80, then NXT.

#80 is a real workhorse with the DA. It does a lot of work quickly, then breaks down fast and evenly giving a close to finished surface. #83 is stronger, but it is trickier to use; it's hard to take #83 to a near perfect finish, even if you're experienced. It's better to do 2 passes with #80 rather than one with #83 and the next with #80 to get rid of the hazing. At the very least, you'll use one less pad.

For the rotary, I've found a real comfort level with #84 and a polishing pad. Most common paint defects that are beyond the DA's ability are still minor enough that this combination takes them out quickly. Minor buffer trails are then removed with the DA and #80, leaving a nice wet relective finish.

Rod did clue me in to the 4" backing plate that fits the Makita rotary; OH MAN does that make a difference in the safe use of the tool. It does reduce the force and area worked quite a bit *, but it also gives tremendous control to the user.

Tom

*As you get closer to the center of the tool, the speed of any point on the pad is slower. And a 4" backing plate only applies force to the innermost 2" of radius of the pad, so the outer 1" of radius has no pressure on it. Therefore the tool is doing a little less work over a smaller area. But, it is easier to get closer to edges and antennas and the like. The compensating technique is to overlap more and move the tool more slowly. I use "almost 3" for my speed, about 1000 rpm.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Mosca

#80 is a real workhorse with the DA. It does a lot of work quickly, then breaks down fast and evenly giving a close to finished surface.

#83 is stronger, but it is trickier to use; it's hard to take #83 to a near perfect finish, even if you're experienced.

It's better to do 2 passes with #80 rather than one with #83 and the next with #80 to get rid of the hazing.

This is almost word for word what I teach each Saturday here at Meguiar's. You guys nailed it.

For the rotary, I've found a real comfort level with #84 and a polishing pad. Most common paint defects that are beyond the DA's ability are still minor enough that this combination takes them out quickly.

Bravo again. The trick to M84 is to be sure to completely work the product until only a sleight film resides on the finish and one insight is that most people tend to over use this product.

For more serious defects the W-7006 will really build on the cleaning ability of the diminishing abrasives used in the M84 formula but it's a huge step in aggressiveness compared to the polishing pad and care must be taken when learning to use a foam cutting pad as like their counterpart the wool cutting pad, our foam cutting pad is designed to get the job done.

Also, no matter what product or tool a person uses, always clean your pads often and remove spent product from the panel before applying more product.

Minor buffer trails are then removed with the DA and #80, leaving a nice wet reflective finish.

Yeah, that's the ticket.... Tommy Flanagan aka John Lovitz from SNL

Thanks for setting this up and thanks for sharing this on our forum also Tom!

[Mosca]

I've tried that cutting pad, and it is definitely properly named! It will cut. I'm not experienced enough to feel safe using it. I tried it on a couple jobs and I just wasn't comfortable with how fast it works.

Mike, if you mean "use too much" when you write "tend to overuse", I agree. It takes some practice. I've found that when I use too much product I get more buffer trail, and it is very messy because of all the spatter. When I'm using it properly the trails are faint, and there is very little spatter. I use the spatter as a guide to proper amount used (that, and Rod showed me how much to use for a 1 1/2 foot square area).

Same with keeping the pads free of used up product; I found a tendency to work the product too long and get more buffer trail (looking for it to hit that state of "fine film"; with the excess product in the pad, you never reach it). I have trouble using a spur on the foam pads, so what I do is I take an inexpensive mf towel (we all have some of those) and squeeze the pad with it. It does the trick for me.


Tom

Edited to add this picture...