mc2hill

I have been keeping my opened bottles of coatings in canning jars. It seems to help the 'active' life of these products.

@ikihiI use H2O G&G as part of my Rinseless wash - I was the panel, then spray G&G over the panel (I switched to a Tolco spray head, as it disburses better). Then I wipe the G&G with a damp MF towel to spread it out evenly, and finally wipe with a drying towel. I have dedicated towels for the damp wipe part, as it can be difficult to remove from the towel. If I was doing a Rinseless wash without the G&G, I would wash the panel, do a wipe with a damp MF, spritz the Detail Spray over the panel, and try - about the same process.

@mattadams I am similar to you, just doing this as a "hobby" (my wife would disagree!). I have done some coating work, but without a huge garage to work in, I stick with Americana and Paint Sealant - they are easy to use and no long cure time is needed.

Welcome back Matt!

Michael is not a 'pro' in the sense that he details for a living, but he has more detailing knowledge than +95% of the detailers out there. Help from him will be invaluable!

Welcome! This is a very friendly group, so if you have questions just ask away.

It is very easy to heat up these fiber pads (vs. foam pads). When working with fiber (wool or MF) I use 2 pads and rotate them after each section. I use the pad, clean it, swap to the other pad, and polish the section, repeat... I have melted a backing plate on a long throw polisher using MF pads without letting them cool...it was a little scary when the pad detached and went flying across the garage, but thankfully no damage was done to the '67 GTO convertible clone I was working on!

Wow, that is a beautiful car! My 'go to' for show cars is Brilliant Glaze, topped with Americana. That combo really makes the paint pop.

Welcome Dan! And if you are here and asking questions you are not a poser! Do you have specific questions? If so, just post them up (you will not get flamed!). Otherwise check out Detailing Nitty Gritty sub-forums for lots of information.

Welcome! A former UPS guy here - 5+ years on midnight shift in a hub.

@mikemccraryI was in the exact same place (minus the coating) when I started 12 years ago. Did my whole truck and realized when I was done (many hours later), that maybe could look better! The answer is the 'test area' - a 2' x 2' area that is indicative of the overall paint defects (usually on the hood or trunk), marked with some tape. Work that area with compound or polish until it flashes, and compare that with the taped off area - is it the results you are looking for? If not, do another section pass on the area. If it is still not corrected to your expectations, then move up in aggressiveness - either a change in pad or product. After doing several corrections you will get an idea of a good place to start with a different car, but remember all paints are different, and ALWAYS err on the side of caution and use the least aggressive methods first. An extra pass or 2 to remove something is wayyy cheaper than a repaint!

Welcome Joe!

Welcome Donald! And post up some pics of that red truck (there are some folks on here that think that should be the only color available).

Sure you can. I have a pressure bottle of Rinseless Wash mixed at Waterless Wash strength (1 oz Rinseless to 16 oz distilled water), and a pressure bottle of Rinseless Wash mixed at wash strength (1 oz Rinseless to 2.5 gal of tap water) that I use for pretreating - the wash strength for knocking down dust or bird bombs, and the Waterless strength for bugs. Otherwise I load up the wash mitt and squeeze it over the panel before wiping.

Since my washes are now 95% Rinseless, it is towels for me. And when done they are only slightly damp - sometimes I do the Accord and the CRV with the same towel.